Comet of the Century: From Halley to Hale-Bopp Book

When Comet Halley made its spectacular visit to the inner Solar System in 1910, miners in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, refused to enter the mines on May 18th, the day Earth passed through Halley's tail; farmers in Wisconsin took down lightning rods so as not to attract dangerous comet-substances; and the blackmailer of the great opera tenor Enrico Caruso was so frightened he confessed to a long-unsolved murder. But the story that a cult in Oklahoma was stopped just short of sacrificing a virgin to the comet was a tale fabricated for East Coast newspapers. Halley's last visit, in 1985-86, caused far less tumult, but the visit in 2134 will bring the comet so close to Earth that Halley's orbit will be permanently alteredit may never be seen again. The twentieth century has been a disappointment, comet-wise, but the object now approaching, Comet Hale-Bopp, bears a striking resemblance to the Great Comet of 1811, the biggest-headed and most enduringly visible comet eve! r known. Will Hale-Bopp be our Comet of the Century? In this book, whose publication is timed to coincide with Hale-Bopp's first naked-eye appearance in the evening sky, the renowned astronomy writer Fred Schaaf offers a delightful history of all the greatest comets ever recordedthe astonishing lore, the even more astonishing science, and how you can participate in comet history by catching a glimpse (maybe more than a glimpse) of one of the great comets of the century.Read More