The Comet That Fell Apart and Rained from the Sky
In 1846, astronomers watched a comet split in two. It never returned. Instead, years later, the sky filled with thousands of shooting stars.
What was reported
Biela's Comet was a known comet that came back every six or seven years. In 1846, astronomers were startled to see it had split into two comets, travelling side by side. They returned in 1852, further apart, and were never seen again.
On 27 November 1872, when Earth crossed the comet's old path, the sky over Europe and beyond filled with a storm of meteors, thousands an hour. It happened again in 1885, and during that shower, a meteorite fell at Mazapil in Mexico, which some believed was a piece of the lost comet.
Explanations offered
The comet broke up, and its dust and debris spread along its orbit, causing the meteor showers, now called the Andromedids. The Mazapil meteorite is an ordinary iron meteorite, and scientists think its arrival during the shower was a coincidence. The shower is now very weak.
- When
- 1846–1885
- Where
- Mazapil, Zacatecas, Mexico
- Witnesses
- Astronomers and people across the world
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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