麻豆约拍

As comet ISON, originally dubbed "the comet of the century" hurtles towards the Sun, Adam Walton focuses on those mysterious lights in the sky with tails, that have intrigued us since ancient times. Comets are small objects made of ice and dust, which move swiftly through the solar system, that have sometimes been seen as portents of doom in the past. Some, such as Halley's comet, come back periodically to visit us, others are new discoveries.听听Adam is joined听in the studio by听Dr Geraint Jones of the听UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Dr Edward听Gomez who's based in Cardiff with Las Cumbres Observatory Global听Telescope Network, and Jonathan Shanklin of the Comet Section of the British Astronomical Association. The discussion ranges from where comets originate from to why some create more of a spectacle in the sky than others, including why the expectations of comet ISON have been lowered since it made headlines towards the end of last year.听

We听also hear听from听Jay Tate of the Spaceguard Centre in Knighton, Powys about听the unlikely event of a comet striking the Earth, and the importance of being aware of the various dangers from objects in space.

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