Talman's Comet

Talman's Comet passing over suburban neighborhood on Muri, 1983.

**Talman's Comet** is a long-period comet that is visible from Earth once every 1025 years. In recorded human history, the only time it has been observed was by the Rus' people in 958 AD who described it as a "reddish streak across the night sky", which they named the **Red Sky Comet**. It is due to the observations of the Rus' people that there exist some modern Russian folklore which describe the comet as the red shooting star.

## History

### 10th Century

The first recorded passage of Talman's Comet across Earth's sky was in 958 AD when it passed over the northern hemisphere near modern day Sweden and parts of Russia. The earliest records of its one week period passing through the sky described it as a red glowing light that streaked across the night sky. The comet allegedly illuminated the sky at night such that the earth would glow a dim red haze that would sometimes even overpower the moon. Some other cultures have called this week of perigee the *Week of the Blood Sky* in reference to the effect left on the land at night by the comet.

Though unproven, the comet was said to have caused irregular ocean tide patterns during its passing, and some have even noted that it flooded many shoreline villages and towns. After the week was complete, tides returned to their original range and water receded from inland. Some reports suggested that the close proximity of the comet with land created even stranger natural phenomena including seismic activities and abnormal wildlife migrations.

### Second Passing

The second passing of the comet was expected to begin on Sunday October 23rd, 1983 and last one week until the following Sunday. The comet was observed to be even further away than it should have been during its first passing period, thus less extreme effects were expected to be experienced on Earth. The first time the comet was observed through a telescope was by British Astronomer Edward J. Talman in 1955 when he discovered the old records left by the Rus' people in a Soviet museum. It's orbit was documented, and the path was computed at an orbital period of 1025 years to complete one rotation.

## Composition

The nucleus of the comet comprises of volatile compounds including frozen water, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide that slowly sublimate from the surface during it's travels. The coma trail produced by this process of sublimation is roughly 80,000 km across. The entire comet emits a bright red shimmer that can tint the surface of the earth a shade of red during its week of perigee. An independent radio spectroscopic study of the comet suggested that it contains dense amounts of lithium or strontium in the nucleus core, which burn red during the sublimation process and create the glowing light by means of pyrotechnic coloration. This study has been not been accepted by other scientific bodies due to the general disbelief that such elements would be burning in the first place on a cold long-period comet.

## Cultural Impacts

### Russian Folklore

A tale occasionally taught in Russian schoolhouses involves the spirit of the Red Sky Comet, which is just as beautiful as it is deceptive. The tale is commonly used as a metaphor to teach the lesson of not instilling all trust into lustful things just due to their attractiveness, as it may not be as alluring on the inside as well. This lesson is drawn from the fact that the comet illuminates the world in a vibrantly beautiful red haze, but also causes natural phenomena including high tides and seismic activities.

The story associated with the satellite professes that the comet is a young and beautiful goddess who travels through the cosmos, bringing short periods of beauty and light to otherwise dark parts of the universe. But the goddess is always watching carefully to see if anyone who observes her grace lower their guard, which is when she strikes punishment on the land which they stand upon. The story has been adapted and changed throughout history based on different eastern European cultures and beliefs. Ultimately, the lesson of each story is always the same.

One of the most common folklore poems describing the Red Sky Goddess is as follows (adapted to English):

>
> Throughout the cosmos she travels on, //
> beautiful, calm, though never forgone, //
> Her grace charms the land with a glowing red, //
> but keep your guard up or you're as good as dead. //
> She wanders alone, stunning onlookers from far, //
> gone in a week in of passing, the red fallen star.
>
>
>
>

### American Pop Culture

The deathcore rock band *Blood Sky Bitch* was named by lead singer Tommy Zell after an alleged "psychedelic trip" he partook in landed him at a library where he happened to read up on the comet whilst sobering up.

The 1981 comedic cult-classic film, *Comet-ose* produced by Overtone Film Studios portrays the hellbound shooting star on a collision trajectory with Earth, and documents one man's absurd quest—rallying the human population to partake in a world wide game of duck-duck-goose before the end of life. Since the film's release, critics have shared mixed reviews on the film, citing its lunacy as both a detraction and asset for the comedic movie.

## Trivia

* Talman's Comet drifting too close to earth caused the events of the Sanctuary series.
* Although Edward Talman was not the first person to discover the comet, he was the first to concretely document it's properties.

## See Also

* Sanctuaries
* Ghost Stories Episode 4: Checkmate