12 FASCINATING AND INFORMATIVE FACTS ABOUT COMETS!
1. The Hale-Bopp was discovered in 1995. On July 23rd, 1995, Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp discovered the first comet to be named by NASA. It is called the Hale-Bopp, and it is also referred to as ‘C/1995 01’. 2. What are the naming rules for comets? Names for comets are usually automatically connected to those who discovered them. Who knows – your name might be written in the stars if you find one! 3. Comets were sometimes thought to tell the future. Ancient Greeks and Romans shared the belief that comets were portentous. That is, they often signaled forthcoming events! 4. How far away is Hale-Bopp? Hale-Bopp is approximately the same distance from the sun as Pluto. 5. Some have regarded comets as omens both good and bad. Before the 16th century, comets were usually considered a bad omen. Studies have shown that people of the time felt they were the forecast of catastrophic events. For example, they believed them to foreshadow disease or crop failure. What’s more, comets a...