The Promise of Kohoutek

Comets and Christmases have a way of coming into our lives in a blaze of shining light and disappearing into the haze of history. Of all the prophesies and prognostications attributed to the presence of the comet, Kohoutek, the promise of a "second coming" stirred the imaginations of artists, writers and poets more than all others.

In the fertile mind of our talented friend, Manuel Lepe, Mexico's beloved exponent of "arte primitiva" the concept evolved into a joyous conception of Nativity in the tropical setting of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Like Kohoutek, the painting was born to travel. Mr. and Mrs. Ole Eskedal, visiting Arizona enroute to Mexico City, first saw it at the Dos Cabezas Gallery in Scottsdale. The spell of "La Cometa" (Lepe's title for his painting) was irresistible, and a few days later the Eskedals telephoned from Mexico City with instructions for crating and shipping the painting to their home in Denmark.

We remembered Kohoutek, the Comet of the Century - with its promise of "the Second Coming." We wondered what ever happened to Kohoutek? We telephoned our friend David Moore, Director, Public Information Office, Kitt Peak National Observatory at Tucson, who answered our query with an enlightening report from which we print excerpts: It hardly seems that it was only a year ago that Kohoutek was hailed as the "Comet of the Century," "A Space Spectacular" headlines promised.

Comet Kohoutek: In reality a frozen "space snowball" that captured our imaginations a year ago as it swept through the Solar System. Gone now, the comet courses a trajectory that will take it far into the depths of space. More than 75,000 years will pass before it comes our way again.

As a space spectacular, Kohoutek disappointed literally thousands of backyard skywatchers. Night after night, devoted amateurs patiently scanned the skies, but never even caught a glimpse of the comet. For them, Kohoutek was a failure.

Even as amateurs expressed frustration, scientists around the globe were amassing data from Comet Kohoutek that brought startling new discoveries about comets and even clues to the early history of our Solar System.

Why did Comet Kohoutek provide so much new information? Most scientists agree that comets are primordial remnants that may date from the creation of the Solar System. Believed to be a relatively "new" comet one that remained largely undisturbed from frequent encounters with the Sun Kohoutek gave astronomers an unprecedented opportunity to study matter left perhaps reasonably stable since our Sun and its planets were born.

Widely accepted theories indicate that perhaps billions of comets lie on the fringes of our Solar System. From there their orbits take them far out into interstellar space. Occasionally, they may pass close enough to a distant star to slow their velocity, change their orbit, and begin the long parabolic plunge that brings them hurtling into view.

Some 600 of these interstellar wanderers are presently known to astronomers: Countless scores remain unsighted and uncharted.

For backyard skywatchers, one of them could truly, at any time, become a space spectacular. For astronomers, the same comet might prove to be the Rosetta Stone of the Universe surpassing even Comet Kohoutek in scientific discovery.

We cannot see Kohoutek from our desert hilltop. We know it is out there somewhere in the mysterious immensity of outer space. Yes, something can be out of sight, out of place and out of its period of time but not out of history.

We telephoned another friend, a professor with a Doctorate in Science, for even a small measure of truth to satisfy our questing spirit. He would only say: "There is no absolute truth there are no final solutions."

Relating his statement to our theories and philosophy about life, death and the hereafter, we pray, more intensely than ever, for Faith to believe on one hand that what our professor says is true for Hope that on the other hand it is not and the courage to accept all the risks of the journey for the fun of it for the love of it for the beauty of it and for the promise of Kohoutek in every new-born tomorrow. Hasta Manana! Joseph Stacey

Happy hearts and happy faces... Happy play in grassy places - That was how in ancient ages... Children grew to kings and sages. ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON Our Pomo child and her puppy recall to mind moments, places and associations from our treasure of cherished memories. We are not so ancient that we do not rejoice and react to those days of happy beginnings and the touches of Beauty, Goodness and Love so natural, so common and so accessible to the simple and enchanting world of children - and so strangely uncommon and undervalued in the material realms of kings and sages.

Grace Hudson was a genius at painting large measures of quality on small canvases. In the 1920-1930's she was considered to be California's finest painter.

Today we give our thanks... for the ideals of honor and faith we inherit from our forefathers - for the decency of purpose, steadfastness of resolve and strength of will... which they possessed and which we must seek every day to emulate... Let us... express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God; and let us earnestly and humbly pray that He will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice and understanding among all men.

John F. Kennedy Thanksgiving 1963