Sign of Change Once in 10,000 Years
What will the passage of comet NEOWISE do?
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In the night sky now we can see the passage of a comet named NEOWISE. It is an acronym for Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer. Over centuries the passage of a comet meant terrible things could be expected.
Woody Sullivan, professor of astronomy says,
Comets have a long history, usually as omens and bearers of bad news, But on the other hand, the death of Julius Caesar was marked by a comet and this was taken by the Romans as a sign of his divinity. And Napoleon made a fuss about the appearances of comets and some of his early military victories.
Pope Callixtus III excommunicated Halley’s Comet in 1456 as an “instrument of the devil.” That must mean that the Pope thought that, previous to his action, the comet was Roman Catholic.
But now, the country is struggling with corona virus, currently surging. More than 66,000 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the U.S. on Friday, July 10. It is the highest daily number since the pandemic began. Unemployment is at a historic high. So, in this context, couldn’t passage of a comet bring good news?
Number 45 finally listens
After months of ignoring coronavirus, the warnings of his advisors, refusing to present a national strategy to counter it and save thousands of lives, and, of course, refusing to wear a mask, he broke with his own stubbornness. He wore a (truly presidential) mask. It was navy blue with the Presidential seal on the left side. It is sure to be a valuable commemorative souvenir of his presidency.
The occasion of this break with trumpdition was a visit to Walter Reid Military Medical Center to visit wounded soldiers.
Can we break our tradition of stubbornness?
We can’t compare what happpened last time NEOWISE flew past 10,000 years ago. We don’t know if it meant that somebody who died was divine. Nobody was there to notice, analyze, and write it up.
