What are comets, and why ought to we care about them? How have scientists studied them in the past, and how do they review them now? In this Text to Text, we pair an report from the Times archives about the then-cutting edge technology that allowed astronomers to photograph Halley’s comet in 1910 with a recent Instances write-up highlighting what astronomers hope to discover about the origins of the solar program from area-based observations of Comet ISON.
Background: Comet ISON very first manufactured the news when a group of Russian astronomers spotted it in September 2012, and it garnered an additional flurry of focus in the spring and summertime of 2013, with several referring to it as the “comet of the century.” But comets, as the saying goes, are like cats: they have tails, and they do as they please. By late fall 2013, the comet took on a existence of its personal, fading and then disappearing from view, only to reappear. As of early December, the comet has all but disintegrated into a dust cloud, disappointing 1000′s who had hoped for a spectacular celestial holiday light demonstrate.
A century earlier, in 1910, Halley’s comet visited Earth’s sky in a fly-by that was eagerly anticipated by scientists and the standard public alike. The Instances reported on the occasion with many front-web page headlines, this kind of as “Six Hours Tonight in the Comet’s Tail” and “Comet Gazers See Flashes.” Halley’s comet is visible in the evening sky every single 76 many years, and is due again in 2061.
Important Inquiries: How has our understanding of comets modified with advances in technological innovation in excess of the final 100 years?
Action Sheets: As students go through and go over, they may well get notes utilizing a single or more of the 3 graphic organizers (PDFs) we have produced for our Text to Text feature:
Excerpt one: “How Photography Aids Astronomy,” Oct. three, 1909
Right after pursuing its fast flight in the boundless realms of space in the course of the regulation period of about three-quarters of a century, at a velocity of one thing like a million miles per day – in other phrases, at the rate of as soon as close to our globe in a tiny in excess of half an hour – it is announced that the great comment know as Halley’s has once far more produced its visual appeal in the sky. For the moment, nevertheless, laymen want not excite themselves on the topic, for the famous wanderer is even now so very far distant from the earth – not far quick of 400 hundreds of thousands of miles – that neither with the naked eye nor even with powerful telescopes is it achievable to detect the infinitesimally tiny speck. The ordinary reader will naturally request, if this so, how has it been identified that the meteor has returned?
The explanation is simple sufficient. Scientific progress has revolutionized the strategy of taking astronomical observations as nicely as modifying our views on other and more mundane matters. Photography has been substituted for the telescope when it is preferred to learn a minute object in the realms beyond the sky. Astronomers use photographic plates especially devised for obtaining photographs of any chosen space in the starry heavens, delicate clockwork arrangements retaining the plates on the move at precisely the exact same fee as the obvious motion of the stars, so that following an exposure of half an hour or more the stars are maintained at the identical spots on the plate as the commencement of the operations. When designed, photographs obtained in this matter are identified to disclose objects so far away from us that no telescope yet constructed is of the slightest use as an assist to observation.
As the principal handmaid to astronomy, therefore, photography has grow to be of immense relevance, for the record is a permanent one, the details of which can be examined at leisure, whereas a view by way of a telescope is a passing one particular, and if an object is not observed the particulars for that minute are lost…. Read whole write-up »
Excerpt 2: “Comet Nears Sun, Supplying Planetary Clues,” by Kenneth Chang
A comet that spent the 1st four.five billion many years of its existence in the farthest reaches of the solar system will nearly graze the furnace of the sun on Thursday.
Comet ISON’s close technique — and its achievable demise, from the sun’s heat and gravitational forces — will give scientists an unprecedented seem at the components that came collectively to form the planets.
“It’s a dinosaur bone of solar system formation,” explained Carey M. Lisse, a senior investigation scientist at the Utilized Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, during a NASA information conference on Tuesday.
If the comet survives — although a lot of specialists like Dr. Lisse think it will not — it could offer a vivid and striking addition to the night sky in early December as it zooms close to Earth on its way back out. The very best times for viewing would be proper prior to sunrise or right right after sunset. Presently it is not readily noticeable due to the fact it is as well near to the sun…. Read entire post »
For Creating or Discussion:
- How has technology changed in the time considering that Halley’s comet came into see in 1909-ten? How have these technological advances furthered our understanding of the nature of comets and the types of queries about the origins of the universe scientists are now in a position to request and investigate?
- According to the very first post, “Scientific progress has revolutionized the strategy of taking astronomical observations.” What, in 1909, was this revolutionary strategy of observing objects in the sky? What varieties of observations did this engineering make attainable? What extra kinds of observations are attainable with the technological innovation offered to scientists today?
- How did observations of Halley’s comet with telescopes offered in 1789 and 1836 vary from people produced in 1909-ten?
- Carey M. Lisse, a scientist quoted in the 2nd piece, said of Comet ISON, “It’s a dinosaur bone of solar technique formation.” What do you believe he meant by this statement? What details about the early solar program do scientists hope to glean from Comet ISON, and how will they get this info?
- What intriguing or wonderful astronomical phenomena, this kind of as comets, eclipses or shooting stars, have you observed in the night sky, both by using a telescope or with your naked eye? Describe.
Going Further:
1. Stick to the Comets: Have students scour the Occasions archives for coverage of comets as early as the late 1800s. You might have them note when Halley’s comet and the comets Shoemaker-Levy 9, Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake initial came into see and evaluate the news coverage of these comets. When was every comet initial sighted, and who spotted it? What kind of gear, if any, was employed? How did people respond to these comets? Students also could proceed to stick to the information about Comet ISON and what remains of it.
two. Construct a Model: Have students create a model of the solar technique, which includes the Oort cloud and planetoids, showing the orbits of the planets and the trajectories of many of the comets that made the information in the past century.
three. Explore the Myths: For centuries, comets have inspired not only awe and admiration but also worry and apprehension. Students may explore some of the cults, prophecies and other beliefs that have sprung up in response to comets. Much more lately, 39 members of a cult referred to as Heaven’s Gate participated in a mass suicide on the visual appeal of the Hale-Bopp comet in 1997. The members believed that the appearance of the Hale-Bopp comet was a signal that a U.F.O. was about to carry their spirits to yet another plane of existence. What may well clarify some of these superstitions? How, in accordance to the first report, did Edmund Halley’s calculation of the periodicity of Halley’s comet help to quell some of these fears?
four. Investigation the Newest Technology: What are some methods scientists are in a position to research comets nowadays? How have they utilized orchestrated collisions and shut-up photography to greater understand the composition of comets? Will scientists be able to orbit a comet and land a probe on a comet’s surface in 2014?
Standards
This resource might be used to tackle the academic requirements listed beneath.
The Learning Network Blog: Text to Text | ‘How Photography Helps Astronomy’ and ‘Comet Nears Sun’
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