HALLEY’S COMET: “Well, we are still here. The comet’s tail did
not brush us off the map. There was no overturning of mountains; no
cataclysm in the firmament. The earth went through the luminous
appendage of the comet according to schedule — so the scientists
say — and all that occurred was a beautiful moonlight night in
which the western sky was unusually brilliant.

“It was like a night in August along the shores of the beautiful
Mediterranean. All the stars assisted the moon in lighting up the
scene and the thousands of Bradford people who looked into the sky
for some sign of spectacle looked in vain. There was absolutely
nothing doing.”

That’s what The Era reported 100 years ago today. The headline
read, “Mr. Halley’s Comet; It Was an Object of Theoretical Interest
in Bradford Last Night — Nothing Happened.”

The story continues, “But as the night wore on and the moon and
Mars and all the other celestial bodies kept on shining, close
observers noting the greyish tint which the sky presented, in the
West, became convinced that the soft, beautiful glow was perhaps
produced by the monster appendage of Mr. Halley’s comet, at that
time supposed to be enveloping the planet. Whether that was the
true explanation of the luminous effect (which, was missing on the
Eastern skies) is unknown.

“During the early part of the night, nearly everybody engaged in
the star-gazing pastime, and there was much genuine disappointment
because something did not happen.

“The only thing to break the monotony was a beautiful meteor
that scooted across the sky to the north, in the early part of the
night. Many people remained out of bed until midnight in the hope
of seeing the comet. But the comet had followed the sun beyond the
hills and was not in evidence. And so far as the tail was
concerned, it was not a tangible affair at all.

“And so the incident closed so far as Bradford was
concerned.”

TODAY’S REPORT: Not to be outdone by news of 100 years ago, we
report that Sarah Lanier phoned recently to tell us she had seen
the space station in the sky overhead on recent Friday night.

We’re pretty sure that Internet users can go online to find out
the exact time and date when the station can be spotted in the
night-time sky.