comet

A comet was once basically a celestial bad hair day. The Greeks saw a bright star dragging a smoky tail and called it a 'long-haired star'—komētēs—from komē, 'hair,' and that image survived the trip through Latin and Old French straight into English. No wonder ancient people treated these visitors like omens: if a thing appears in the sky looking like it’s escaped from a barber’s worst nightmare, you start expecting trouble. Later, Halley showed in 1682 that some of these sky-hairballs come back on schedule, which must have been an awkward moment for prophets of doom. And the Great Comet of 1811 even inspired 'comet wine,' as if a flaming wanderer overhead could improve the grapes below. Tomorrow, when you hear 'comet,' just picture a star with its hair on fire.