The romance of comets

In this lively volume the mystery of wandering stars is untangled, showing how once‑feared comets turned from harbingers of disaster into objects of curiosity and delight. The author weaves folklore, early superstitions, and the gradual triumph of astronomy, illustrating each point with period sketches and photographs from observatories worldwide. Readers are guided through the excitement of early 20th‑century comet‑hunting, when prize‑winning amateurs raced the night sky with telescopes perched on rooftops.

The book devotes whole chapters to celebrated visitors such as Donati’s brilliant 1858 comet and the dramatic return of Halley in 1910, explaining how photographers captured their fleeting tails. It also surveys the evolving scientific ideas about where comets and meteors come from, contrasting older ejection models with newer capture theories, and even entertains the provocative question of whether life might have arrived on Earth aboard a meteor. With clear prose and vivid illustrations, the work invites anyone fascinated by the heavens to see these celestial wanderers in a fresh, approachable light.