Comet Ikeya–Seki, formally designated C/1965 S1, 1965 VIII, and 1965f, was a long-period comet discovered independently by Kaoru Ikeya and Tsutomu Seki. First observed as a faint telescopic object on September 18, 1965, the first calculations of its orbit suggested that on October 21, it would pass just 450,000 km above the Sun's surface, and would probably become extremely bright.
Comets can defy such predictions, but Ikeya–Seki performed as expected. As it approached perihelion observers reported that it was clearly visible in the daytime sky next to the Sun. In Japan, where it reached perihelion at local noon, it was seen shining at magnitude −10. It proved to be one of the brightest comets seen in the last thousand years, and is sometimes known as the Great Comet of 1965.
The comet was seen to break into three pieces just before its perihelion passage. The three pieces continued in almost identical orbits, and the comet re-appeared in the morning sky in late October, showing a very bright tail. By early 1966, it had faded from view as it receded into the outer solar system.
Comet Humason, formally designated C/1961 R1 (a.k.a. 1962 VIII and 1961e), was a non-periodic comet discovered by Milton L. Humason on September 1, 1961. Its perihelion was well beyond the orbit of Mars, at 2.133 AU. Its period is 2940 years, and the diameter of its nucleus estimated at about 41 km.
It was a 'giant' comet, much more active than a normal comet for its distance to the Sun, with an absolute magnitude of +1.5, a hundred times brighter than an average new comet. It had an unusually disrupted or 'turbulent' appearance. It was also unusual in that the spectrum of its tail showed a strong predominance of the ion CO+, a result previously seen unambiguously only in Comet Morehouse (C/1908 R1).
8 (eight /ˈeɪt/) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
8 is:
And with the mists they gather
Shadows shifting through the trees
Black silhouettes
Move into the clearing
The air is still
The world is silent
The moon lights their eyes
As they slowly circle
A howl pierces the night
The silence is broken
Their voices cry in unison
Singing strength and hatred
In their instinctive fury
They return to the hunt
Their cries echo through the trees