ASTRONOMYTHRILLS PatrickDasGupta DepartmentofPhysics&Astrophysics UniversityofDelhi,Delhi110007

Theyear2013appearstobeannuscomets.Manyofusareeagerlywaitingtobevisually treatedbythreecometsPanSTARRSinMarch,LemmoninAprilandISONinNovember. Thesetriooftailedcelestialstrangerswerediscoveredonlyrecently.Comets,ingeneral,are fascinatingnotonlybecausetheyarerarevisitorsbutalsobecausetheyoftendevelop spectaculartailsastheyapproachSunrare,duetotheirhighlyeccentricorbits,andtails, becauseofthesolarwindthatpushesawaycometarymatter,heatedandvapourizedbysolar radiation,radiallyoutwardsfromthesun. AcometsorbitislargelydeterminedbySunsgravityaswellastheangularmomentumand theorbitalenergyofthecomet.Butsinceitisalooselyboundobjectmadeofrockymaterial, frozenmethaneandammonia,watericeanddryice,etc.,thepressureexertedbythesolar windandmasslossexperiencedbyitwhenitisnearthesun,havenonnegligibleeffectsonthe cometaryorbit.Ofcourse,encounterswithothermembersofthesolarsystemcanhavedrastic consequencesthecometShoemakerLevy9sufferedafatalcrashinJuly,1994,when Jupitersgravitationaltidalfieldrippeditapartintoseveralfragments,whichwereeventually swallowedbythegiantplanet. ItisevenconjecturedthattheTunguskacatastropheof1908inSiberia,whichmysteriously flattenedabout80milliontrees,wascausedbyacometaryfragmentthatexplodedbeforehitting theground.Veryrecently,inthemonthofFebruary2013,ameteorstreakedacrossthe atmosphereabovetheChelyabinskregionofRussia,andtheresultingshockwavesshattered windowglasses,injuringmanyandcausingmuchfearamongtheresidents.Thishappenedjust hoursbeforetheasteroid2012DA14cruisedalong,missingusbyonly17230miles,leading manytospeculatewhetherthemidFebruarymeteorwasadetachedfragmentfromthe asteroid.Itiswellknownthattheextinctionofcoldbloodeddinosaurswasbroughtaboutby eitheranasteroidoracometcollidingwiththeearth,leadingtotheformationofadustblanket allaroundandcuttingoutsunlight. Ontheotherhand,ithasalsobeenpositedthattheoriginoflifeonEarthislinkedtocrashing cometsandasteroidsthattimetotimedepositwaterandorganicmatteronourplanet, compoundssoessentialforlivingsystems. Whenafastmovingasteroidhitsanearbyplanet,afragmentofthelattercanflyoffduetothe powerfulimpact,freeingitselfaltogetherfromthegravitationalpullifitsvelocityexceedsthe planetsescapevelocity.Suchascenariodidoccurin1980s,ameteoritenamedALH84001 wasdiscoveredinAntarcticathatoriginallyhailedfromMars.ALH84001wasejectedoutofthe

redplanetbyacrashingasteroid.In1990s,NASAresearchers,analysingironcrystalsinthe carbonatesfromALH84001,claimedthatsuchcrystalscouldbesynthesizedonlybycertain kindsofbacteria,sparkingoffadebateonthepossibilityoflifeonMars. Undoubtedly,astronomicaleventsliketheappearanceofacomet,transitofVenus(observed recentlyonJune5,2012),totalsolarandlunareclipses,meteorshowers,etc.cause tremendousexcitementthesedays,justfallingshortofmasshysteria.Ofcourse,theyhad fuelledmuchofsciencefictionwritingsfromthedaysofJulesVerne,H.G.Wells,ArthurC. Clarke,RayBradburyandsoon.Whocaneverforgettheeeriedenouementof`Nightfall,a storywrittenbyIsaacAsimov,inwhichintelligentcreatureslivinginaplanetorbitingadouble star,whohadneverwitnessedanightsky,goberserkwhenthereisararenightfall,andthey seeforthefirsttimemyriadoftwinklingstars? Whataboutourancestors?WerepeopleofancientIndiaaffectedbyheavenlyincidents? Eclipseshavecaptivatedhumanmindsincetimeimmemorial,asevidencedfromthe referencestotheminancienttextsandepics.RigVeda,forinstance,describedSvarbhanu,a demon,inflictingdarknessonthesun.ThedemonwaseventuallydecimatedbyIndraand subsequently,Atri,belongingtothevedicpriestlyclass,retrievedSunthroughchantings.Thisis likelytobe.areferencetoasolareclipseofthebygoneera.Overtheyears,theSvarbhanu charactergottransformedinthepuranicliteraturetothedemonRahu. Now,totaleclipsesoccurbecauseangularsizesofMoonandSunarealmostequalatpresent. Canweattributetriggeringofscientificimaginationinhumanbeings,whoappearedlessthan aboutamillionyearsago,totheirobservingtheintriguingphenomenaofeclipsesbroughtabout bythechancecoincidenceofequalangulardiametersofSunandMoon?For,inthepast, intelligenthumanbeingsexercisedtheirmindstounderstandandpredicteclipses,beit Hipparchus,AryabhattaorVarahamihira.Inotherwords,onewonderswhetherintheabsence ofeclipses,therewouldhavebeenenoughincentivestodeveloptrignometryandother sophisticatedcalculationaltechniques. .WeshouldnotethatMoonisspirallingawayfromEarthsincetheformerislosingitsspin angularmomentumtoitsorbitalangularmomentumduetothetidaltorqueexertedonitbyEarth (becauseofwhichnowthespinperiodofMoonisveryclosetoitsorbitalperiod,sothatwesee thesamefaceofMooneveryday).So,billionsofyearsago,theapparentsizeofMoonwas muchbiggerthanitspresent`halfadegreeangulardiameter.Itisamusingtoimagineapoet penningdownhisfeelingsaftergettingemotionallyaffectedbyatendegreewideMoon! WhenanorbitingVenuscomesbetweenEarthandSun,wewitnessthephenomenaofVenus transitduringwhichoneseesadarkspotslowlysailingacrossthesolardisc.InJune,lastyear, NehruplanetariuminDelhiwasteemingwithaseaofhumanitywhohadgonetheretowatchthe Venustraverseacrossthefaceofthesun.ThepreviousVenustransithadoccurredonJune8, 2004,andtheworldwillhavetowaittill2117toseethenextone,whennoneofuswillbearound.

Now,somespeculationsIwonderwhetherthestory(fromValmikiRamayana)ofahungry, newlybornHanuman,leapingtowardstherisingredSun,mistakingittobearipefruit,was inspiredbyaVenustransiteventofthepast.TheimageryofatoddlerHanumanglidingtowards arubicundsundoesconjureupapictureofatransitepisode.Similarly,anotherfigmentof imaginationofmineis,whetherthestoryofKartikacompetingwithGaneshaandtakingoffon hispeacockvehicleforalongroundtripoftheuniverse,whileGaneshajustperumbulates aroundShiva(Rudra,orSun)andeventuallywinningtherace,wasanallusiontoMercuryor Venusorbitingaroundthesuninshortertimeperiodthanacomet(thathasapeacockliketail). Astronomyimagescertainlyfireourimagination.Istillrememberthesenseofaweandmystery thatstirredinsidemewhenasaschoolkidIsawaphotographoftheHorseheadnebula.The vastnightskybejewelledwithbrightstarsmakeusthinkofinfinityandtheunknown.Myfirst lessononcosmologywasOlbersparadox,orwhythenightskyisdark?That,theentirenight skyisnotasbrightasthesurfaceofthesunbecauseofthefiniteageofouruniverse,wasa revelationtome.And,allittakestounderstandOlbersparadoxissimpleEuclideangeometry andthenotionofluminosityandflux. Returningtothetopicofcomets,itisbeingsaidthatISONislikelytobecomparabletoVenusas farasbrightnessgoes,whenitgrazespastthesun.Willtherebeareenactmentofthe ShoemakerLevy9episode?WillitbreakintoseveralpiecesduetoSunstidalpull?Willit outshinetheVenus?Amateurastronomersareaskingsuchquestions.Therefore,Novemberis worththewait.Onecanonlyimaginethethrillif,inthenearfuture,oneweretoobserve exocometsgiventhatexoplanetsareroutinelybeingdetectedinthevicinityofdistantstarsby NASAsKeplermission.