March 9 - Double Feature in the Skies!

Posted on March 9, 2020

I think most of us who run out to see a comet is a little bit disappointed at the seemingly unspectacular sight that meets our eyes.

I mean, we hear tales about people of long ago being frightened of comets, and many people spending money on useless anti-comet pills and devices...


And we see old-time illustrations of comets and beautiful photos of comets...









...And then all we see is THIS:




But a sky phenomenon that is TRULY impressive, even to people who don't normally pay attention to the sky, is a total solar eclipse. The temperature changes, animals change their behavior, the sky looks really odd with the Sun blotted entirely out, and the Sun looks amazingly lovely with its corona on full display!

Well, on this date in 1997, many people in China, Mongolia, and Siberia got a double treat courtesy of the solar system: A solar eclipse, which made the daytime sky dark enough to see the comet Hale-Bopp in the daytime! Wow!







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