Comets go missing. Yes, we know that sounds weird. Comets are huge and have distinctive tails, so they tend to stand out. And it isn’t like they can be stolen by aliens, or something. Nevertheless, sometimes they just disappear.

Missing comets are a puzzle to astronomers. Most of the time, they suspect the comet broke apart or was flung out of our solar system when it got too close to a planet. Jupiter is very guilty of this. However, it’s not exactly easy to get a definitive answer. For all we know, the comet might even be around but could not be observed for certain reasons. Some comets have even disappeared, only to reappear and disappear again.

10 Great Comet Of 1264

The Great Comet of 1264 appeared over the skies between July and October 1264. It was visible throughout the day but was most visible just before the Sun rose in the early mornings. It also arrived at a time when comets were viewed as bad omens.

At the time, people believed comets were sent by supernatural beings and could cause deaths, floods, and diseases. The superstition was reinforced when Pope Urban IV became ill around the time the comet first appeared. He died on October 3, 1264, the last day the comet was observed. People said the comet killed the pope.

A similarly bright comet mysteriously appeared in 1556 and was appropriately called the Great Comet of 1556. In 1778, astronomer Guy Pingre claimed the comets of 1264 and 1556 were the same one. He surmised that it returned every 292 years and predicted it would return again in 1848. The comet did not return.

If we were to go by Pingre’s calculations, the comet should return in 2140. However, there is no evidence that this will happen. This means this entry could contain two missing comets.^[1]

9 Biela’s Comet

Biela’s Comet was discovered by Jacques Leibax Montaigne on March 8, 1772. It was rediscovered by Jean-Louis Pons in 1805 and Wilhelm von Biela in 1826. Pons did not realize the comet had been observed earlier, but Biela did when he determined it had the same orbit as the comets recorded by Montaigne and Pons.

Biela’s Comet returned in 1832, 1846, and 1852 before disappearing. It remains unclear whether it broke up or another celestial body altered its orbit. However, most astronomers believe it broke apart. Another known comet, Comet NEAT (207P/NEAT) was even suspected to be one of its fragments.

Author Mel Waskin claimed Biela’s Comet broke up. In his book, Mrs. O’Leary’s Comet: Cosmic Causes of the Great Chicago Fire, Waskin claimed Biela’s comet broke up into two smaller comets in 1845. Astronomers continued to track one piece, while the other later crashed into the Earth in 1871. He claimed the impact caused several fires, such as the Great Chicago Fire and the fires of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, and Manistee, Michigan, which all occurred on October 8, 1871.^[2]

8 Caesar’s Comet

The mysterious Caesar’s Comet is possibly the brightest comet ever. It appeared in 44 BC and was widely observed and recorded before disappearing. The comet is named after the famous Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar, who was assassinated on March 15 the same year.

Caesar’s Comet appeared in July, four months after Caesar’s death. The Romans were holding the Ludi Victoriae Caesaris games in honor of Caesar at the time the comet appeared. It was very bright and clearly visible during the day. And it remained visible for seven days before disappearing.

People claimed the comet was the soul of Julius Caesar. These assertions were not surprising, since Caesar himself used to claim he was a god. His family also claimed to be descendants of Aeneus, who supposedly founded Rome, and Venus, a goddess.^[3]

Nevertheless, 44 BC was the only time we ever saw Caesar’s Comet. It is suspected to be a nonperiodic comet, as in one that does not orbit the Sun. This means that it might never return again. Others think it could have broken into smaller parts.

7 Brorsen’s Comet

Brorsen’s Comet (aka 5D/Brorsen) was discovered by Theodor Brorsen on February 26, 1846. It remained visible until April 22, when it finally traveled too far to be observed. Johann Franz Encke claimed it returned every 3.44 years, but it was later agreed to be around 5.5 years.

Brorsen’s Comet was expected to return in September 1851, but it never did. However, it returned in March 1857, when it was rediscovered by Karl Christian Bruhns. Bruhns did not realize he had found the missing comet until it was established that his discovery was not a new comet but the previously lost Brorsen’s Comet.

The comet returned again in 1862 but was not observed. It showed up in 1868 and was spotted. Meanwhile, astronomers had already noticed that the comet always flew too close to Jupiter, which was altering its orbit. It was supposed to return in 1874 but appeared a year earlier because the gas giant shortened its orbit.

Brorsen’s Comet came back around in 1879, the last time it was ever seen. It was supposed to return in 1884, 1895, 1901, and other subsequent years but never did. Astronomers extensively searched for it in 1973, when it was expected to make another flyby. It was never found and remains missing.^[4]

6 Comet Lexell

Comet Lexell was 2.2 million kilometers from the Earth at its closest, making it the nearest any comet has ever come to our planet. It appeared in 1770 and was first observed by Charles Messier. However, it got its name after Anders Johan Lexell calculated its orbit and determined that it ended somewhere around Jupiter. He said the comet would return every five and a half years.

Comet Lexell was expected to return in 1776, but it never did. Nor did it show up ever again. Urbain Le Verrier determined the comet’s orbit had been altered when it strayed too close to Jupiter. Jupiter either increased its orbit, which means it could return sometime in the future, or flung it away from our solar system.^[5]

5 Great Daylight Comet Of 1910

In January 1910, as anxious skygazers awaited the arrival of the famous Halley’s Comet, another one suddenly appeared in the sky. This comet, which was aptly called the Great Daylight Comet of 1910, was so bright that it was clearly visible in the daytime sky. It was five times brighter than Venus.

Some miners in South Africa were believed to have first spotted the comet on January 12. The comet soon appeared over the US, where smart entrepreneurs organized “comet-watching parties” to allow curious people observe it with a telescope. The comet remained visible until the first weeks of February and has not been seen ever since.

Interestingly, the appearance of the Great Daylight Comet of 1910 outshone Halley’s Comet, which arrived few months later. When Halley’s Comet returned in 1985–1986, some people who claimed to have seen it when it arrived in 1910 ended up describing Great Daylight Comet.^[6]

4 Comet Perrine-Mrkos

Comet Perrine-Mrkos was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine on December 9, 1896. Perrine did not realize he had found a new comet. He thought it was part of the lost Biela’s Comet, which was believed to have broken up. He calculated that the comet would return in 1903, but it was not observed.

It was spotted again in 1909 but not seen afterward for some time. Comet Perrine-Mrkos was supposed to return in 1916, but its visibility would have been so poor that nobody bothered to look for it. It was expected to return again in 1922 and 1929 but was not seen in either year.

The comet was finally observed again on October 19, 1955, when it was spotted by Antonin Mrkos. Mrkos thought it was a new comet or part of the supposedly fragmented Biela’s Comet. However, Leland E. Cunningham deduced that it was neither a new comet nor part of Biela’s Comet. It was the lost comet earlier discovered by Perrine.

Astronomers noticed that the orbit of Comet Perrine-Mrkos had been altered at the time it was rediscovered by Mrkos. This was because it often traveled close to Jupiter, which we’ve already fingered for flinging comets out of our solar system. Nevertheless, the comet was visible in the sky until February 1956.

Afterward, the comet was declared missing again until it reappeared in 1961 and 1968. It was declared missing yet again when it did not reappear in 1975.^[7]

3 Comet Boethin

Comet Boethin was discovered by Reverend Leo Boethin on January 4, 1975. Astronomers calculated its orbit and determined that it would return in 11 years. Their calculations proved correct when the comet showed up in January 1986, 11 years later. It was observed by several astronomers until March 1.

Comet Boethin was expected to return again in April 1997, but it never did. If it did, it was not observed. However, astronomers finally agreed it was missing when it did not return in December 2008.

NASA was so sure that the comet was coming that at one point, they planned to send their Deep Impact spacecraft to intercept it. NASA launched the spacecraft in 2005 and left it orbiting the Sun, expecting the arrival of Comet Boethin, which never showed up. It is suspected to have broken apart.^[8]

2 75D/Kohoutek

75D/Kohoutek was discovered by Lubos Kohoutek in February 1975. It is distinct from the more well-known Comet Kohoutek. Astronomers determined that 75D/Kohoutek would not have been visible from Earth if Jupiter had not altered its orbit on July 28, 1972.

75D/Kohoutek was determined to return roughly every seven years. It appeared in 1988 but was declared missing when it did not return in 1994. It did not appear in 2000, 2007, or 2014, either. Astronomers will dump the missing label if the comet reappears in March 2021.^[9]

1 83D/Russell

83D/Russell (formerly 83P/Russel) was discovered by Kenneth S. Russell on June 16, 1979, and remained visible until August 14. M.P. Candy calculated its orbit and determined it would return every 7.43 years. Daniel W.E. Green countered this when he calculated that the comet to return in 6.13 years.

Green was right. 83D/Russell returned again in April 1985 and was first observed by J. Gibson on April 9. It was seen until June 17. Afterward, the comet strayed too close to Jupiter. The gravitational force of the planet altered its orbit, increasing its perihelion distance from 1.61 to 2.18 astronomical units.

At the time, astronomers predicted the alteration could render the comet missing. In fact, that was also the last time the comet was seen. The comet was expected to return in 1991 and 1998, but the conditions did not favor its observation. 2006 was expected to have better conditions, but 83D/Russell wasn’t seen, so it’s missing.^[10]

Comets are among the most interesting celestial objects out there. Some are visible to the naked eye, and with their predictable orbits, we should always see them, provided we know where and when to look (unless they go missing). However, ancient civilizations did not have such knowledge. Comets were mysterious objects that were often considered good or bad omens—mostly bad.

Its not just the ancients who have linked comets to disasters, either. Historians, astronomers, and even regular people have blamed comets for causing some terrible event or another. Most of these connections are more superstitions and suggestions than facts. But then, the comets aren’t complaining.

10 The Death Of Mark Twain

Halley’s Comet is one of the most famous comets out there. It returns at roughly 75-year intervals, and there are historical accounts of its sightings. However, ancient civilizations did not realize they were looking at the same comet until Edmund Halley concluded that the comets spotted in 1531, 1607, and 1682 were actually the same. He predicted it would return again in 1758.

The comet returned in 1758, but Halley was dead before then. The comet was named after him, anyway.^[1] Halley’s Comet returned again in 1835, which was the same year that famous writer Mark Twain was born. Twain died on April 21, 1910, when Halley’s Comet was once again visible.

Mark Twain predicted his death and linked it to the passage of the comet. He remarked:

I came in with Halley’s comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: “Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.”

9 The Death Of Julius Caesar

In March 44 BC, a group of Roman senators assassinated Julius Caesar over concerns that he would declare himself king. Four months later, a huge funerary festival, called Ludi Victoriae Caesaris, was held in his honor. A great comet appeared in the skies during the ceremonies and remained visible for seven days before disappearing. Today, we remember that comet as the Great Comet of 44 BC. Astronomers say it is one of the brightest comets to have ever appeared in the sky, and it was also recorded in ancient China.

The Romans did not consider the appearance of the comet a coincidence. They claimed it was actually the soul of Julius Caesar as he left the Earth to become a god in the skies. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that we will ever see the comet again. The Earth sped it up as it flew past and sent it out of our solar system.^[2]

8 The Death Of Pope Urban IV

Another great comet soared past the Earth in 1264. Today, we call it C/1264 N1 or the Great Comet of 1264. It was very bright and remained visible for four months, starting in July. At the time, people already had some superstitions about comets, and seeing one was considered a forewarning of impending disaster.

This time, it was the death of Pope Urban IV, who is said to have become ill immediately after the comet was sighted that July. He died in October 1264, reportedly on the last day that the comet was visible.^[3]

7 The Battle Of Hastings

On October 14, 1066, troops loyal to King Harold II of England faced the Norman army led by William the Conqueror in the Battle of Hastings. The battle was decisive. King Harold was killed, and William the Conqueror went on to take his throne and become the ruler of England.^[4]

Halley’s Comet, which had appeared in April of that year, was linked to the battle. As we already mentioned, people of the day had not yet realized that the comet was a periodic one that came around every three quarters of a century. That year, Halley’s comet was so bright that it was four times the size of Venus and around 25 percent as bright as the Moon.

Astrologers in England suggested that the comet had something to do with an upcoming battle with the Normans. However, they could not determine if it was a good or bad omen. They discovered it was a bad omen when King Harold was killed.

However, what was bad for King Harold was good for William the Conqueror, who had also spotted the comet in France while traveling to England for the battle. He called it “a wonderful sign from heaven” and suggested it was evidence that he would win the war. He was right.

6 The Great Earthquakes Of 1811

On October 20, 1811, Europeans and Americans watched in awe as a bright comet made its closest approach to the Earth. This was the Great Comet of 1811. The comet had showed up in March, even though no one was expecting to see one at the time. Some Americans became paranoid and suggested that it was an omen of some upcoming disaster.

That disaster came on December 16, when a great earthquake shook the Midwest and Southern United States. The earthquake was so intense that the Mississippi River temporarily flowed backwards. Americans soon linked the comet with the earthquake. They blamed it again when the US and England went to war the following year.

Americans weren’t the only ones to blame a random comet for causing a disaster. Napoleon Bonaparte sighted the comet in Europe, too. He considered it a good sign and evidence that he would be victorious in his planned invasion of Russia. Napoleon later realized that the comet was a bad omen after he suffered defeat at the hands of the Russians.

The comet favored other parts of Europe, though. Grape planters had a very good harvest, which they ascribed to the passage of the comet. They even called wines made from the grapes harvested that year Comet Wine.^[5]

5 The Great Biblical Flood

A bright comet passed the Earth in 1680. Predictably, it’s now called the Great Comet of 1680. This comet was of interest to several scientists, including Sir Isaac Newton, who used it to confirm a gravity theory he had proposed. In addition, Edmund Halley used it to determine the orbit of two dozen comets.

Mathematician William Whiston later studied the Great Comet of 1680 and concluded that it had made earlier flybys thousands of years beforehand. He said the comet strayed so close to Earth during one of those flybys that water from its tail fell to the surface. Whiston added that the gravitational force of the passing comet also forced water out of the Earth’s crust.

Whiston concluded that the massive rainfall from the comet’s tail and the huge amounts of water that reached the Earth’s surface from below caused the massive flood mentioned in the Bible, the same one that Noah built an ark to escape.

Historians believe Whiston proposed the theory in an attempt to merge science with religion. This was common among scientists of the day, who often tried to use science to explain miracles and other impossible religious events.^[6]

4 536

In AD 536, the Earth suddenly got cold. Scholars of the day wrote that the Sun was small and obscured, as if there was an eclipse. The Sun could not provide enough heat, causing temperatures to drop. It got so cold that the ground was covered in frost in the middle of summer.

Crops failed, causing famine, mass migration, disease, and plague. This continued for a decade until the Earth got warmer again. The Justinian Plague of 541–542 was one of the most disastrous events of the period. It decimated a good chunk of the population of the Byzantine Empire.

Astronomers do not know what caused the Earth to cool. They suspect the sudden eruption of a massive volcano in El Salvador.

Dallas Abbott, a geologist at Columbia University in New York, has blamed Halley’s Comet for the sudden fall in temperature. Abbott suggested that the comet lost some decent-sized fragments as it traveled through the inner solar system in 530. Those fragments eventually hit the Earth, ultimately causing temperatures to fall.

Abbott reached this conclusion after studying ice cores in Greenland. The ice cores date to around 536, the same year the Earth suddenly got cold. They also contained nickel and tin, which Abbott insists are from the comet, as well as microorganisms from tropical regions, which he surmises rained down after having been thrown high into the atmosphere by an impact event.

While Abbott’s theory is considered inconclusive, astronomers know that Halley’s Comet sheds matter when it hits the inner solar system. The comet may have shed a higher-than-usual amount of fragments in 530. The Earth crossed that matter over the course of the 530s.^[7]

3 The Spanish Conquest Of The Inca Empire

The Inca Empire was the largest empire to spring up in pre-Columbian America. It had millions of people and covered a vast area until the Spanish came along and overthrew the emperor. Huayna Capac was the Incan emperor at the time the Spaniards first arrived. He knew they were going to overthrow the empire based on several signs he had seen before their arrival. One was a large green comet that flew across the sky. The other was his home, which was destroyed by lightning.

There was also a prophecy that the Incas would be defeated by some strangers who looked different from any other people they had ever seen. The Spaniards did not attack at the time Huayna Capac was emperor, however. They left and returned after Huayna Capac had fallen to smallpox (which was nevertheless carried there by the Spanish).^[8]

2 The Great Chicago Fire

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 remains one of the greatest mysteries of the 19th century. The fire lasted from October 8 to October 10, 1871, destroying one third of the homes in Chicago. One Mrs. O’Leary and her cow were blamed for starting the fire, even though there is no evidence to prove they were guilty.

Other speculations have been raised, including one that involves a comet. In 1883, Ignatius Donnelly claimed the gas from the tail of a passing comet fell to Earth and caused the spark that started the fire.^[9] Donnelly’s claims were corroborated by Mel Waskin, who blamed a comet for starting the fire in his 1985 book Mrs. O’Leary’s Comet. Donnelly, Waskin, and everyone else who have blamed a comet for starting the fire based their theories on claims by some people who said they saw fire fall from the skies at the time the Great Chicago Fire started.

Those theories may actually be plausible, considering that Chicago was not the only place that burned that October. Similar fire outbreaks occurred along Lake Michigan and in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, the same day the Chicago fire started. The Peshtigo fire was actually the deadliest wildfire in US history, despite being overshadowed by the Chicago fire.

1 Younger Dryas

The last Ice Age ended around 17,500 years ago. The Earth started to warm up until roughly 13,000 years ago, when it suddenly started cooling again. This sudden cooling lasted until about 11,500 years ago, when the Earth started to warm up again.

Historians call this cold period the Younger Dryas. They do not know what caused it, although they have a few suggestions. One of the suspects: a passing comet. Historians think the Younger Dryas started when a comet impacted the Earth.

The impact caused massive wildfires. The fires sent so much soot into the atmosphere that it blocked the heat from the Sun. This caused the Earth to cool, leading to the Younger Dryas. This is just a guess, though since there isn’t much evidence that it ever happened.

However, supporters of the theory cite platinum found in ice in Greenland and other evidence in Pennsylvania as indications that the impact did happen. There is also a carving on a temple pillar in Gobekli Tepe in Turkey that some interpret as depicting a comet breaking up in the atmosphere as it falls to Earth.^[10]

Dirty snowballs. The nickname suits the ice-cores of comets—but not their insanity. Comets spew booze, destroy each other, and outgrow the Sun. They also touch Earth. Twice a year, the planet passes through Halley’s comet with magical results. But not all encounters are so benevolent. One comet nuked a village and others brought disaster on a scale that humanity isn’t prepared for.

10 Disastrous Earthly Events Linked To Comets

10 A Pre-Solar System Comet Landed On Earth

Scientists love meteorites. Their chemicals describe the solar system’s history. When one was found in Antarctica, they combed through the rock to determine its composition—and got more than they bargained for. The meteorite contained a comet.

The comet, a mere speck, was older than the mountains. Heck, it was older than the solar system. Born of the same dust disk that would later form the planets, the comet zipped along the outer edge of this ring. The icy ball was pulled inward and then smashed into the meteorite.

The collision destroyed the comet. Fortunately, a speck merged with the meteorite. The rock protected the fragment throughout the ages and during the entry into Earth’s atmosphere. With the comet’s original chemicals intact, scientists were treated to a naked look at which materials swirled around in space long before the solar system existed.^[1]

9 We Pass Through Halley’s Comet Every Year

You’re not a fan of dirty snowballs unless Halley’s comet strikes a nerve. Famous and magnificent, the comet appears every 76 years. The last time was in 1986 and those who wish to see it must wait another 40 years (that’s the nerve-striking part). Until then, addicts can enjoy the comet in a spectacular way every year.

Halley’s comet left a dust trail. When the planet swings through this cloud from April 19 to May 28, it causes the annual Eta Aquariid meteor shower. Around May 6, the shower peaks and as many as 40 meteors per hour rain down in the atmosphere. In October, the planet once again passes through the dust and brings the so-called Orionid shower.^[2]

8 Missing Lander Found Wedged Inside A Comet

Every space project has fans. But the lander Philae gathered a dedicated following. The interest grew from its unique mission. Philae was going to land on a comet.

In 2014, it piggybacked on the Rosetta space probe to reach a comet called 67P. Upon arrival, the lander dislodged and fell for seven hours. The landing was a disaster. Philae tumbled into the shadow of a cliff that blocked the solar panels from recharging. After 57 hours, it went into hibernation.

Six months later, comet 67P approached the Sun. Philae recharged and send a single message back to Earth but then fell quiet again. Eventually, almost two years after the lander made history and promptly went missing, Rosetta found its companion wedged inside a crack. The upside-down Philae looked like a dead roach, with its legs sticking from the crevice but at least, according to the European Space Agency, finding Philae brought “huge emotional closure” to its fans.^[3]

7 The Sudbury Basin Mystery Solved

Canada has the second-biggest dent from space. Around 1.8 billion years ago, something slammed into future Ontario and created the Sudbury Basin. Shaped like an oval, the crater measures 60 by 30 kilometers (37 by 18 miles).

Hundreds of scientific papers followed but the case wasn’t solved until somebody looked at the chemistry of the rocks inside the crater. The key was iron-loving elements. Earth pulls these towards its core, so they aren’t abundant on the surface. When you do find them in spades, that means that either a comet or an asteroid smashed them into the upper layer of the planet. Since asteroids bring a higher concentration of iron-loving elements, it’s possible to see which object caused an impact.

In this case, it was a massive comet. When it collided with the Earth, the event ripped a hole bigger than the Basin, a stunning 150 kilometers (93 miles) across. Erosion eventually whittled it down to its modern size.^[4]

6 This Comet Spews Booze

When scientists discovered the Lovejoy comet, it seemed normal. You know, dirty snowball with a tail. The usual. A year later, in 2015, Lovejoy swung by the Sun and the heat triggered an event that had never been seen before. The comet started to release ethyl alcohol. This is the same alcohol people pluck from their cellars or order off a menu. During the peak of this drunken escapade, Lovejoy spewed the equivalent of 500 bottles of wine every second.

The tipsy comet supports the idea that Earth life was seeded by comets. Why? Lovejoy also released sugar and 19 types of organic molecules. Together, they have what it takes to create amino acids—the building blocks of DNA.^[5]

10 Amazing Things We Learned From The Comet We Conquered

5 The Dinosaur-Killing Comet

When a crater was found in Mexico, the 180-kilometer (112-mile) feature was blamed on an asteroid that hit Earth 65 million years ago. It swept the non-avian dinosaurs and 70 percent of all other species into extinction. But perhaps the time has come to remove the handcuffs from that dinosaur-killing asteroid. Some researchers think a comet caused the calamity instead.

They cornered the new suspect after scrutinizing the amount of material ejected by the impact. There weren’t enough of certain elements had an asteroid done the dirty deed. However, everything made sense if a smaller, faster object, like a comet, hit Mexico.

Scientists are already divided into Teams Comet and Asteroid. The latter agree that the object was faster than previously thought but they stand by their asteroid. The Comet club, however, insists that the crater is consistent with a long-period comet. These snowballs take centuries or millennia to circle the Sun and rank among the fastest objects in space.^[6]

4 A Comet Massacre

Astronomers never thought that comets ran in packs. But in 2012 they found something that shocked them. Countless comets weave around a star called Fomalhaut but that wasn’t what shot the astronomers’ socks off.

It was the dust ring around the star. Sunlight pushes such particles away into space but in this case, the ring stays because the comets collide and provide a constant supply of dust. The swirl’s thickness allowed scientists to calculate the number and size of the comets, and how often they crashed.

Fomalhaut is surrounded by 83 trillion comets. Around 2,000 collide on a daily basis and their average size is 1 kilometer (a half-mile) wide. When the discovery was announced, it was aptly called a “comet massacre.”^[7]

3 A Comet Bigger Than The Sun

The Sun is the largest body in the solar system. For a while in 2007, a comet took the crown. Under normal circumstances, Comet Holmes is the tinier of the two. But for unexplained reasons, it released dust and gas for weeks. The result was a visible coma—the comet’s atmosphere—that outgrew the Sun. By November 9, Holmes had a diameter of 1.4 million kilometers (869,900 miles) and the Sun was slightly smaller.

Nobody knows what caused the eruption. More mysteriously, how could a comet with a small core produce a coma that big? Indeed, the real Holmes had a diameter of 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles) in diameter. Unfortunately, the comet is too far away for astronomers to take a look. A plausible theory suggests that Holmes fractured and partially dissolved into space. Whatever happened, the comet became visible to the naked eye and delighted skywatchers the world over.^[8]

2 A Comet That Defies Explanation

The definition of comets used to be simple. They are icy objects. Check. They have tails of dust and water because the Sun melts their frosty coating. Tick that box too. But in 2014, nature bounced humanity’s labels once again. A comet without a tail flew into the solar system.

C/2014 S3 was parched of water (about a million times less than other comets) and was made of solid rock. It was beginning to look a lot like an asteroid.

However, the surface of the object wasn’t cooked by the Sun, which happens to be a trademark of all asteroids. But it reflected light like an asteroid. Then again, C/2014 S3’s orbit was typical of a comet. Although it could have been an asteroid that ended up in the Oort cloud, the home of all comets, before slipping into a comet-like orbit. Maybe this was a genuine tailless comet. Or a comet-asteroid hybrid.

If that sounds confusing, don’t worry. Right now, scientists don’t know what the heck they are looking at either.^[9]

1 An Airburst Vaporized A Village

Around 12,800 years ago, a comet vaporized a village in Syria. At the site, now called Abu Hureyra, archaeologists saw the damage but never made the connection. Decades later, other researchers saw things the first team had missed. Abu Hureyra wasn’t a single settlement but a town built on top of a village. They also realized that they were looking at the only village in history destroyed by a comet.

There was no collision. A comet had broken up in the atmosphere and a fragment caused the devastation. When such slivers explode, airbursts nuke everything for miles and leave behind nanodiamonds, melted glass, and carbon spheres. These were found at Abu Hureyra embedded in the walls and tragically, inside food. The latter showed that people were home when the village was wiped out.

Before the disaster, the community was a group of hunter-gatherers. But the airburst likely destroyed the environment and sunk that lifestyle. Indeed, the town suggested that the survivors bounced back and became successful farmers.^[10]

10 Ways The World Could End Today