It was past their bedtime but the Mysticals were sneaking into Orak’s tempus machine. They walked on their tiptoes through the corridor. If the MysticLord caught them out of bed at this time of the night, they wouldn’t be happy at all.
A sleepy Felix whispered, “Where are we going at this time of the night? I’d much rather be in bed.”
Always full of energy, Scorch said, “I love a night-time adventure!”
“Oi, don’t be so loud, Scorch,” said Orak, “Felix, we are going back in time to see a comet.”
“A comet? What is that?” said Felix.
“A comet is a chunk of ice, dust, and gases that orbits or travels around the sun,” replied Orak, “A comet’s orbit is long and oval-shaped. This means comets take a long time to orbit the sun. That’s why they are rarely seen from Earth.”
“But towards the start of December, a comet called C/2021 or Comet Leonard became bright enough to be visible from the Earth,” said Verum, “It could be seen from the northern half of the Earth just before dawn and just after sunset. So, we are traveling slightly back in time to witness this cool astronomical event. And then, we will continue mapping its position throughout the month. It was closest to the Earth on 12th December and will be last visible around 3rd January 2022.
Fun fact: Astronomer Gregory J. Leonard discovered this comet on 3rd January 2021. He observed it from the Mount Lemmon Infrared Observatory in Arizona, United States. That’s why the comet was named after him.”
Astronomy is the field of study of planets, stars, other celestial bodies, and space.
The Mysticals reached the perfect spot for viewing the comet. Dawn wasn’t too far away. The Mysticals breathed in the chilly air and looked towards the sky.
With chattering teeth, Felix said, “Where is the comet? Won’t we need a powerful telescope to see it?”
“That’s not quite the case,” said Orak.
“I can spy it with my naked eye!” said Scorch jumping up and down with excitement.
“Where is it? I still cannot spot it,” said Felix.
“Don’t worry. We have binoculars and a small telescope,” said Orak, “Can you see it now?”
Felix nodded silently.