* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

The 1860 Great Meteor procession

Blobrana · L

RE: Walt Whitman meteor mystery

Blobrana · L

Texas State astronomers say they've solved Walt Whitman meteor mystery

Walt Whitman, known as a keen observer of the sky, included significant references to contemporary as well as cosmic events in his poem "Year of Meteors. (1859-60.)" published in Leaves of Grass. A "great comet" in the poem that appeared unexpectedly in the northern sky is readily identified as the Great Comet of 1860, which follows the path Whitman described and was seen by most of the world.
From Whitman's description, the Texas State research team immediately suspected the other celestial event he wrote about was the rare phenomenon known as an Earth-grazing meteor procession.
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