Google is celebrating
Edmund Halley's birthday today, so it seemed like a good time to
mention something that's been on my mind. It's about life, wonder, and
celestial bodies.
Halley's Comet is somewhat unique, being the only
short period comet visible to the naked eye. "Short period" here is
something of an astronomy-centric phrase, given that it only appears
every 75 years. I think a big part of the magic of Halley's Comet lies
in the breadth of that period. It's just about the length of a human
life, which means if you remember seeing the comet, you're unlikely to
live long enough to see it again; though your children most certainly
will. We divide much of our time up according to celestial events - the
solar day, the lunar month - and Halley's Comet feels as if it fits into
that, a pendulum marking out a human lifespan with each swing.
The question is, will our increasing lifespans erode that magic?
The question is, will our increasing lifespans erode that magic?
MORE: http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2011/11/will_halleys_comet_lose_its_sp.php
gaw
Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
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