Why are halebopps comet and halleys comet important?
By themselves, comets are not really important. Even the most
impressive comet, like Hale-Bopp, is a visual spectacle only.
But the POTENTIAL for a comet - to strike the Earth directly and
cause untold devastation - is far more significant. Right now, if
we were to see a comet aimed at the Earth, there is very little
that we could do about it, other than stand there and die. The
threat of a comet impact, like the ones that have devastated our
planet several times before, ought to be enough spur us all into
looking for ways to protect ourselves from the inevitable time that
it WILL happen again.