Halley’s comet is a star worthy of study among the scientific community and society in generalsince its appearance is related to one of the greatest fears of humanity: the arrival of the end of the world.
The most memorable sighting of Halley’s Comet occurred on May 18, 1910, when according to predictions made more than two centuries ago; at that time it was expected that the long tail of the star would hit the Earth, ending it. That year, the passage of the comet through our planet was experienced with great expectation throughout the world.
The most famous comet of all time visits us every 76 years. The fear of the comet colliding with Earth is supported by studies that provide data on its speed and the length of its tail. In 1705 the British-born astronomer Edmund Halley, to whom the name of the comet is due, announced the existence of the star that had already been sighted on previous occasions and calculated its speed of 194,400 kilometers per hour.
The fears caused by Halley date back many centuries, even before he was baptized as we know him today. According to data from the scientific publication “Journal of Cosmology”, the first witnesses documented this phenomenon Greece, during the year 466 BC scientific records indicate that Halley’s second step on Earth was recorded in China, in the year 250 BC
During Halley’s passage in 1910, the comet only came within 400 thousand kilometers of Earth, Which left aside the apocalyptic possibility that the tail of the star touched our planet. However, there were faithful believers in predictions, who did not hesitate to take their own lives in order to prevent a much more tragic end, caused by the fatal consequences of the event.
The passage of the wandering star became the most important astronomical event of the 20th century. To the disappointment of many, the visit of Halley’s Comet was just a normal event. Exactly 76 years later, in 1986, a new sighting caught the world’s attention, but in a much more peaceful way and never with the same terror caused in 1910.
Until now the predictions that relate the passage of the powerful Halley’s Comet with the last day of the Earth have not come true, Despite this, the proximity of the event generates suspicion and fear in humanity. Based on the comet’s behavior and its 76-year cycle to circle the blue planet, the 30th visit is expected in 2062.
Never has another comet caused as much commotion and fear as Halley, but for now we can only wait if on the eve of its arrival, the scientific community manages to show some finding that rekindles the fear or on the contrary puts an end to the myth surrounding the messenger of the end of the world.