Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 25, 2014

B2

THE WORLD AROUND US

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 25, 2014 


MARS ORBITER SEES COMET FLYBY; COMETS FOUND AROUND NEARBY STAR

The longest-lived robot ever sent to Mars came 
through its latest challenge in good health, 
reporting home on schedule after sheltering 
behind Mars from possible comet dust.

 NASA’s Mars Odyssey was out of 
communications with Earth, as planned, while 
conducting observations of comet C/2013 A1 
Siding Spring on Sunday, Oct. 19, as the comet flew 
near Mars. The comet sped within about 88,000 
miles of Mars, equivalent to about one-third of 
the distance between Earth and Earth’s moon. 
Odyssey had performed a maneuver on Aug. 5 to 
adjust the timing of its orbit so that it would be 
shielded by Mars itself during the comet’s passing, 
when computer modeling projected a slight risk 
from high-velocity dust particles in the comet’s 
tail.

 “The telemetry received from Odyssey confirms 
not only that the spacecraft is in fine health but 
also that it conducted the planned observations of 
comet Siding Spring within hours of the comet’s 
closest approach to Mars,” said Odyssey Mission 
Manager Chris Potts of NASA’s Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., speaking from 
mission operations center at Lockheed Martin 
Space Systems, Denver.

 Three NASA Mars orbiters, two Mars rovers and 
other assets on Earth and in space are studying 
comet Siding Spring. This comet is making its 
first visit this close to the Sun from the outer solar 
system’s Oort Cloud, so the concerted campaign 
of observations may yield fresh clues to our solar 
system’s earliest days more than 4 billion years 
ago.

*******

 COMETS FOUND AROUND NEARBY STAR. 
A French team of astronomers at ESO’s La Silla 
Observatory in Chile has studied nearly 500 
individual comets orbiting the star Beta Pictoris 
and has discovered that they belong to two 
distinct families of exocomets: old exocomets that 
have made multiple passages near the star, and 
younger exocomets that probably came from the 
recent breakup of one or more larger objects.

 Beta Pictoris is a young star located 63 light-years 
from the Sun. It is only about 20 million years old 
and is surrounded by a huge disc of material—a 
very active young planetary system where gas and 
dust are produced by the evaporation of comets 
and the collisions of asteroids.

 For almost 30 years astronomers have seen subtle 
changes in the light from Beta Pictoris that were 
thought to be caused by the passage of comets in 
front of the star itself. Comets are small bodies of 
a few kilometers in size, but they are rich in ices, 
which evaporate when they approach their star, 
producing gigantic tails of gas and dust that can 
absorb some of the light passing through them. 
The dim light from the exocomets is swamped 
by the light of the brilliant star so they cannot be 
imaged directly from Earth.

 To study the Beta Pictoris exocomets, the 
team analyzed more than 1,000 observations 
obtained between 2003 and 2011 The researchers 
selected a sample of 493 different exocomets. 
Some exocomets were observed several times 
and for a few hours. Careful analysis provided 
measurements of the speed and the size of the 
gas clouds. Some of the orbital properties of each 
of these exocomets, such as the shape and the 
orientation of the orbit and the distance to the 
star, could also be deduced.

 You can contact Bob Eklund at: mailto:b.eklund@
MtnViewsNews.com


EXPLORING OUR HALLOWE’EN ROOTS By Christopher Nyerges

Hallowe’en is 
coming. But 
what’s it all 
about? Today in 
Sierra Madre, 
when most 
people think of 
Hallowe’en, they 
think of children 
– and adults -- 
getting excited 
about a costume 
they’re going to 
wear, and all the 
food and candy. But still, why do we celebrate this 
holiday? Is it simply a night of “fun”? How did this 
get started? 

 Historically, Hallowe’en had to do with the dead, 
with ghosts, with spirits. Let’s turn back the clock a 
bit to explore the roots of this All Hallow’s Eve. 

To the ancient Celts, there were six significant fire 
ceremonies during the year. The greatest of these 
were Beltane, the first of May, and Samhain, the last 
day in October. (Originally, Samhain was celebrated 
from October 31 through November 2). The Feast of 
Samhain (meaning “summer’s end”), marked both 
their Feast of the Dead and the Celtic New Year. 
This time of the year, more or less half way between 
the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, was 
a time of decay and death on the earth. This was 
especially apparent in Western Europe, when the 
temperatures dropped and the rains fell. 

 Throughout much of Europe in past centuries, 
country people (nearly everyone) lived simple lives, 
and their Old Religion was based on the seasons, 
and on the recognition of the reality of the spirit 
world. They relied on their Old Religion with its 
ritualistic ceremonies for help and for guidance. 
They believed that on the Feast of Samhain, the 
spirits of their ancestors could and would rise from 
the cold barren fields to dwell in the warm cottages. 
There they must be greeted with food, decoration, 
and festivity if they were to protect the household. 

 Thus, in its origin, the Feast of Samhain was a 
rite designed to protect humans from the activities 
of the dis-incarnate. It was a bargain with the dead 
(and other spirits) so they’d stay away and cause no 
trouble during the next year. 

 In the 700s, the Roman Catholic Church 
authorities accepted the fact that they had failed in 
their attempts to eliminate the “pagan” Samhain 
observances within the now-Christianized world. 
Thus, as has often occurred when New Religion 
clashed with Old Religion, the names of the holy 
days were simply changed. By changing the name 
from Samhain to Hallowed Eve, the Old Religion 
practice could continue, now as a Christian holiday. 
Everyone was happy, and things went on as usual. 

 The original custom of giving to the spirits 
spread through all cultures and lands with many 
variations. Today, the custom manifests by giving 
candy to the proxies of the spirits, the children 
who dress up like goblins and witches -- as well as 
whatever politician’s masks are popular. 

 For see another way to observe this way, you 
should visit downtown L.A.’s Olvera Street 
sometime between October 31 and November 2, to 
see how “The Feast of the Dead” is commemorated 
in Mexico. You will not see an intent to keep the 
spirits away. Rather, via shrines, songs, and even 
painting the faces like skulls, the deceased spirits 
are invited back to be honored and remembered. 

 Unlike some religious groups who advocate 
complete abstinence from any so-called “pagan” 
Hallowe’en celebrations, my posture is not to turn a 
blind eye to what society is doing, but to find a way 
to elevate the day to one of personal growth and 
insight. 

 So what are some practical lessons we might learn 
from Hallowe’en? 

 In past years, my associates have gathered to view 
the classic “vampire” movie “Nosferatu,” both the 
original and the 1978 Klaus Kinsie version. We 
gathered with large bowls of popcorn, and other 
refreshments, and explored the nature of fear. We 
remained focussed on finding the science within 
that movie as to how to deal with our own inner 
fears. Additionally, “Nosferatu” provides a pictorial 
view of how each of us succumb to our weaknesses, 
and how we “become someone else.” [See our 
Schedule at www.wtinc.info.] 

 Another way to elevate our use of this Hallowe’en 
time is to re-consider our use of costumes. Do 
we not invoke the presence of those persons we 
choose to masquerade as? Rather than invoke the 
presence of dark entities, why not dress up as our 
role models, or Heroes, and Saints. Children – and 
especially adults – can use this time to invoke the 
presence of such historical great figures such as 
Florence Nightingale, Gandhi, Sequoia, Sitting Bull, 
Geronimo, or Abraham Lincoln. 

 By utilizing the ancient Holy Day of Samhain in 
this manner, we can rise out of the darkness of our 
own ignorance. By such practice, we can return to 
the roots of this ancient commemoration which we 
today call Hallowe’en. 

 

 [Nyerges is the author of Enter the Forest, How 
to Survive Anywhere, and other books. His weekly 
podcast can be heard on-line at Preparedness Radio 
Network. He can be reached at Box 41834, Eagle 
Rock, CA 90041, or www.ChristopherNyerges.com.]