Why are comets called "broom stars"?

We know that comets are celestial bodies. When it enters the solar system, its brightness and shape will change with the distance from the sun. It is usually bright and dazzling and has a long "tail". However, both China and western folk cultures have inexplicable fears about comets. In the west, comets are considered as symbols of death and evil, while in China, they are called "Venus". In addition, the ancients also gave it many aliases according to its appearance, such as broom, boxing star, disaster star, red flag, Peng star and so on. Although the names are different, most of them contain ominous meanings. Then, why in the eyes of the ancients, gorgeous comets were regarded as the messengers of life by modern science, but they were regarded as the stars of disaster?

Comets are first called brooms because they are physically similar. In Chinese, the original meaning of "Hui" is broom. The word "comet" means "hair" in ancient Greek. According to Astronomical Review, "Comets are strange stars with a head and a tail. They are often called sun-sweeping stars and broom heads. " A comet consists of a shiny foggy sphere and a "tail" that looks like a broom.

In the vast universe, most celestial bodies have their own laws of motion, and their trajectories and time are predictable. According to this law, the ancients could observe and study astronomy well and apply their achievements to daily life. However, the activity of comets is always elusive. They are fleeting and elusive. Therefore, the ancients always had complex fears and awe of comets.

Therefore, under this psychological effect, superstitious ancients regarded comets as ghosts wearing headscarves, and even ominous omens of wars, famines, floods, plagues and other disasters are understandable. "Comet hitting the moon" was once regarded as an ominous sign by the ancients. The comet map of Han dynasty also described it as "long-tailed pheasant", and corresponded different shapes of comets with various disasters. Nowadays, these claims lack scientific basis. The earliest comet record in China can be traced back to the reign of King Wu more than 3,000 years ago. According to experts' statistics, there are about 550 records about comets in ancient books from Shang Dynasty to 20th century, of which about 250 are directly recorded. Although the ancients regarded the comet as an ominous sign, it is undeniable that the curiosity and persistence of the ancients also provided detailed and valuable information for astronomers to uncover the mystery of comets in the future.