Spooky comet to pass Earth after Halloween

There’s a different kind of Halloween sequel in the works, and it’s coming soon to the skies near Earth.

A skull-like asteroid that passed Earth in October 2015 is coming back for another visit in early November. Officially named 2015 TB145, the asteroid has been called The Great Pumpkin by NASA because of its Halloween flyby three years ago.

2015 TB145 has also been described as a “death comet” because it’s believed to be a dead comet and because of its skull shape, which was picked up on radar images from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. “We found that the object reflects about six percent of the light it receives from the sun,” Vishnu Reddy, a research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute.

“That is similar to fresh asphalt, and while here on Earth we think that is pretty dark, it is brighter than a typical comet which reflects only three to five percent of the light.

Wedding dress from cement bags

A Chinese woman used 40 empty cement bags to craft an intricate wedding dress with an especially long train. Tan Lili, 28, dubbed “the cement bag Empress Wu” by fans, shared a video showing the wedding gown she made by sewing 40 cement bags together.

The video shows Lili walking in the dress and dragging a long, cement bag train behind her. Lili said she was inspired when she saw the empty cement bags and decided to put them to artistic use.

Record-breaking 2,027-pound pumpkin

A New York state man’s pumpkin tipped the scales at more than 2,000 pounds, breaking a state record and earning him $3,500 in prizes.

Karl Haist was declared the winner recently at the World Pumpkin Weigh-Off at The Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence, after his massive gourd weighed in at a staggering 2,027 pounds. The pumpkin beat the previous state record, a 1,971.5-pound pumpkin weighed during last year’s event.

Haist, who came in second last year with a 1,789-pound pumpkin, was awarded $2,500 for winning the competition, as well as a $1,000 bonus for surpassing 2,000 pounds.

Boy calls 911 for homework help

The Fort Collins, Colorado, Police Department posted a video to Facebook featuring the audio from a 911 call from a boy who was stuck on a long division problem.

“Hi, this isn’t an emergency, but I’m 10 years old and I’m working on my math homework right now and I can’t figure out what 71 divided by 3,052 is,” the caller says to dispatcher Chris Clow. Clow was able to help the boy find the answer: 42.9.

“Disclaimer: Not all dispatchers are as skilled in math and/or readily equipped with calculators as Dispatcher Chris,” the department wrote, reminding residents to only use 911 for real emergencies and to call the police’s non-emergency number for other questions.

“Though it should be noted that FCPD is not responsible for incorrect homework answers. If you or your child believe you need police assistance with an assignment, please contact your school resource officer during school hours. They love talking to their students about pretty much anything,” the post said.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 13th, 2018