Comet madness : how the 1910 return of Halley's comet (almost) destroyed civilization

Goodrich, Richard J., 1962- author.

Book 2023

" Halley's Comet visits the earth every seventy-five years. Since the dawn of civilization, humans had believed comets were evil portents. In 1705, Edmond Halley liberated humanity from these primordial superstitions (or so it was thought), proving that Newtonian mechanics rather than the will of the gods brought comets into our celestial neighborhood. Despite this scientific advance, when Halley's Comet returned in 1910 and astronomers announced...

Item Details & Discovery

Explore Topics & Themes:

Comets Social aspects

Halley's comet History

Nineteen tens History

Pseudoscience

Sensationalism in journalism

Truthfulness and falsehood

View technical details & catalog information

ISBN:

9781633888562

Description:

xii, 269 pages ; 24 cm

Other Title:

How the 1910 return of Halley's comet (almost) destroyed civilization

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references

Contents:

Hairy stars : fear and loathing in the heavens
From astrology to astronomy
Whither the comet?
The fabulous Flammarion
A dangerous tail
The unexpected visitor
Cyanogen gas!
From science to science fiction
Aetna and the wheel of anxiety
Apocalypse now
The death of kings
Rationality won't keep out the rain
Up on a roof
Cosmic death ray
Hysteria's high-water mark
Syzygy
The case of the missing tail
And we (Mostly) Lived Happily Ever After

LCCN:

2022024437

Control Number:

3231468

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