The ancients in many cultures looked upon the appearance of a comet in the night sky with dread. They saw them as omens of bad things to come, signs from the gods, of war, natural disasters, death. Unlike the Sun, Moon, stars and planets, which have predictable movements in the sky, comets seem to appear sporadically and unpredictably. On top of that, they don’t look like anything else in the sky. It is easy to understand how these ancient cultures came to their conclusions. A comet appearing in the sky during a pandemic, and during a time of social upheaval might certainly make one easily connect the two. Similar to a total solar eclipse, comets are not uncommon, but rare enough to inspire mythology and lore for their meaning.
Our knowledge of the workings of our solar system has grown since those time. Science and reason replaced mythological storytelling. Technology allowed us to to look further and make better observations and predictions. So a comet making an appearance today is no big deal…right? Just another lonely traveler from the far reaches of our solar system taking the scenic route around the Sun. Right? … Right?
Wrong! It is a big deal! Not because a comet portends imminent doom, but because it is an event still uncommon enough to grab our attention. It is mysterious enough to awaken those deep connections to our ancient ancestors; to hold us in awe as we behold the perfect beauty of this universe.
Living in the oft cloudy Pacific NW, I miss the clear, wide, dark skies of the desert (I do not miss the heat!). It makes moments like these, where the sky is clear, that much more special.