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The great comet expedition
By Tim Wood
Published sometime during the year of the Hale-Bopp comet
"We found the comet! We found the comet!"
It takes a lot to get me excited these days. I've had the good fortune of doing many interesting things over the years. I read about all sorts of interesting things each day on the wire and, of course, in the newspaper.
So why was I waiting in the garage to greet my wife Wednesday night? I had exciting news.
Comets are one of those oddities that show up in the science books. As a child, I read about Halley's Comet and was disappointed that I would have to wait many years for it.
Finally, Halley's Comet came back around. My wife and I got up early one morning and went to a special comet viewing event. I fulfilled that childhood dream, even if it was through a telescope.
Some of you might remember the Comet Kohoutek. It was the most-hyped comet in history. It turned out to be a major disappointment.
But now, we can see a real comet - with our naked eyes.
But for my family, it took a little doing.
On Tuesday night, we went out comet hunting. It was a case of making something more difficult than it needed to be. We loaded up the van and headed north of town to get away from the city lights. We found a parking lot from which to search for the comet. We had no luck.
The next day, Daily Herald photographer Susan Thurman turned up with a photo of the comet. I interrogated her as to how she found it. It turns out that she simply went into her backyard and looked. Susan and I live in the same neighborhood and she gave me permission to come to her back yard and look over the chimney of the house next door. There I would find it, she said.
So, after church Wednesday night, I took the boys to the appointed spot and, sure enough, there was the comet, tail and all. My two sons were excited to finally see it. We went back to our house and after a little searching, found a spot in the front yard from which to view the comet.
My wife, Cheryl, arrived a few minutes later and I shared my excitement with her. We went out and looked at the comet. We then went inside - but I dashed outside for just one more look.
We've seen in the news how some people have reacted to the comet. Sadly, a cult group committed mass suicide, which was attributed to a desire to ride in a spaceship following the comet. People have had adverse reactions to comets for many years. There was a time when the coming of Halley's Comet was considered the end of the world.
But Comet Hale-Bopp doesn't need to be taken too seriously to be enjoyed. You don't need a telescope to see it, although observatories are making their telescopes available to comet watchers.
I've never read a scientific text that explained the benefit of comets. They may be merely a cosmic by-product. But even then, Comet Hale-Bopp makes a great decoration of the night sky. It's also a neat treat for a man who once thought he'd see only Halley's Comet in his lifetime.
The comet also puts man in perspective. A Psalmist once wrote, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?"
Maybe he saw a comet.
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