This column first ran in The Tablet in November 2013 Comets, according to comet-hunter David Levy, are like cats. They both have tails; and they both do whatever they want. People my age remember Comet Kohoutek, which came with a tremendous build-up in 1973 and turned out to be a major disappointment. It had been discovered quite far out in its orbit, with about a year’s lead time; we’d assumed that anything bright enough to be seen so far in advance would probably be spectacular by the time it arrived near Earth. It wasn’t. (I actually did see Kohoutek and, as comets go, it was small but pleasant. It was easily seen with the naked eye, if you knew where to look. The only thing wrong with it was the overhype it had received.) Among comet circles, there’s been fear that this year’s Comet ISON (named for the International Scientific Optical Network telescope near Kislovodsk, Russia, where it was discovered) … Continue reading →