Comet Enthusiast

Halleys comet's 1910 pass of Earth was especially close and, thanks to extensive newspaper coverage, eagerly awaited by the general public. In fact, Earth’s orbit carried it through the end of the comet’s 24-million-mile-long tail for six hours on May 19, earning the story the day’s banner headline in The New York Times.

While most reporters turned to astronomers to get the facts straight, the yellow press helped fuel the fears that the end of the world was imminent  -that the comet’s tail contained poisonous cyanide gases, and there was danger of a celestial collision with Earth.