View at EarthSky Community Photos. | In early July 2020, people are getting amazing shots of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). Its not a great comet, but its a pretty good one! Alexander Krivenyshev in Guttenberg, New Jersey of the website WorldTimeZone.com wrote: Despite a layer of clouds on the horizon, I was able to capture my first comet over New York City on the early morning of July 6, 2020. Cool shot, Alexander! Thank you. Heres how to see Comet NEOWISE.

Were now treated to a near-constant barrage of wonderful comet photos including those coming in this week of comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). Most are from experienced astrophotographers, most with excellent skies, employing telescopes and modern cameras and sometimes later creating composites of several images. We now sometimes see comet images from the International Space Station, too. Meanwhile, from the ground and with the eye alone? Yes, NEOWISE is a nice comet. But most will need binoculars to see it. The last two great comets which were McNaught in 2007 and Lovejoy in 2011 were mainly seen under Southern Hemisphere skies. Not since Hale-Bopp in 1996-97 has the Northern Hemisphere seen a magnificent comet.

Whats more, some skygazers wouldnt even classify Hale-Bopp as a great comet. In that case, we in the Northern Hemisphere might have to look all the way back to comet West in 1976 44 years ago to find a truly great great comet. When will we see the next one?

Lets consider some of the incredible comets of recent times and historic records, to find out when the Northern and Southern Hemispheres might expect to see the next great comet.

First, how are we defining a great comet? Theres no official definition. The label great comet stems from some combination of a comets brightness, longevity and breadth across the sky.

For purposes of this article, to consider the question of great comets of the north and south, and their frequency, well define great comets as those that achieve a brightness equal to the brightest planet Venus (magnitude -3 to -4) or brighter with tails that span 30 degrees or more of sky.

We can consider some other major comets, too, those that reached magnitude 1 or brighter in other words, they became as bright as the brightest stars with tails spanning 15 degrees or more. These major comets would have been visible long enough for Earths citizenry to take notice (some impressive comets have such extreme orbits that they arent visible long, and hardly anyone besides astronomers notices them).

Consider, also, that humanitys ability to view the heavens has completely changed in the last 50 years.

In that time, space travel has become a reality and solid-state electronics have revolutionized photography. Space probes have been sent to comets, most recently the European Space Agencys Rosetta spacecraft, which spent two years (2014 to 2016) becoming intimately acquainted with comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko.

And the transistor and sensitive solid-state detectors revolutionized astrophotography providing amateurs with observing capabilities far exceeding professionals prior to modern electronics.

The years 1996-1997 were all about Hale-Bopp for comet fans. It was primarily a Northern Hemisphere comet. For weeks on end, Hale-Bopp was a fixture in our western sky, and it probably became one of the most-viewed comets in history.

This comet was indeed a major comet, but a great comet?

Nearly all comets have short periods of visibility. Hale-Bopp literally smashed the previous record for longevity in our skies, which had been held for nearly two centuries by the great comet of 1811. The 1811 comet remained visible to the unaided eye for nine months. Hale-Bopp was visible for a historic 18 months, truly the Cal Ripken Jr. of comets.

Hale-Bopp was bright early on, nearly but not quite as bright as Venus. The size of its nucleus the icy core of the comet, hurtling through space was estimated to be 60 kilometers +/- 20 km (37 miles +/- 12). That makes Hale-Bopps nucleus some six times larger than the nucleus of Halleys comet and 20 times that of Rosettas comet, 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko.

Hale-Bopp had a long tail, up to 30 degrees long, but what was visible and bright was relatively a short tail, less than 10 degrees long, for nearly its entire period of visibility. Yes, some former great comets did not have 30 degree or longer tails, but those comets were, instead, extremely bright.

Bright generally means as bright as Venus or brighter. Hale-Bopp was not quite that bright. Some great comets are visible in daylight, but Hale-Bopp was not.

Finally, probably, we have to concede that Hale-Bopp straddles the edge of greatness.

In 1973, skygazers were alerted to the early discovery of a comet called Kohoutek. At the distance at which it was discovered and its brightness, astronomers projected that this was going to be a Comet of the Century, perhaps a daylight comet, a once-in-a-lifetime event.

But Kohoutek fizzled. It really disappointed skygazers even though, for professional astronomers, the drawn-out observations of Kohoutek were quite valuable.

Astronomers thought they had learned a lesson from Kohoutek. Too many astronomers stood outdoors at public star parties that year, trying to show a disappointed public a difficult-to-see comet.

Unfortunately, the lesson learned from this comet led astronomers to downplay the next contender for greatness: comet West in 1976. That was too bad, because comet West did not disappoint. It was a magnificent comet! Still, many average skygazers were left out because astronomers remained quiet and the media did not report on it. Thus comet West was not seen and appreciated as it should have been.

From comet West, fast forward a full 31 years to 2007 and the next truly great comet (sidestepping Hale-Bopp). The comet hunter Robert H. McNaught who has discovered more than 50 comets discovered it. This 2007 comet is sometimes called the Great Comet of 2007. Youre in the Northern Hemisphere and dont remember a great comet that year? Thats because, due to the inclination and high eccentricity of comet orbits, many are viewable from only one Earth hemisphere or the other. That was the case for comet McNaught in 2007.

Only Southern Hemisphere skygazers had a chance to become enamored of comet McNaught in 2007. Then, just four years later, another great comet appeared in Southern Hemisphere skies, comet Lovejoy of 2011. Northerners could only watch these two comets from a distance, through the wizardry of the digital age.

Or they could hitch a costly ride to place themselves under the southern skies.

So now consider the following chart which plots the major and great comets going back to 1680. Bear in mind that astronomical records appear to have reached a high level of fidelity about 200 years ago. Looking at this data statistically, what does it reveal?

On average, every five years, one can expect to see a major comet visible from the Earth. However, the variability around that average is also about five years (one standard deviation).

This means that, on average, a major comet arrives every five to 10 years.

Sometimes the visitations are clustered. A prime example is the years 1910 and 1911, when four major comets crossed the sky.

The data also reveal that great comets arrive on average every 20 years. The variability is 10 years, as represented by a standard deviation around the average. So truly great comets may be visible from Earth every 20 to 30 years. Some centuries might have two or three (1800s) while others, four or more (1900s).

Statistically, accounting for comet activity over 250 years 38 major comets is pretty sparse data, but one can see in the plot a historic trend. It is possible that if data could reveal a leaning towards one hemisphere, it could be an indicator that the Oort Cloud north or south of the ecliptic plane was affected by some object, e.g. a passing star. There is no indication of this in the records.

Does it answer the question? Has the Northern Hemisphere missed out on great comets?

There is certainly a recent trend towards the Southern Hemisphere for great comets. The data reveal that the long-term trend for both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres is a great comet every 25 to 40 years.

But, if you discount Hale-Bopp, then the last great comet for the Northern Hemisphere was Comet West, 44 years ago. Even if you consider Hale-Bopp as great, 23 years have passed.

It would seem that the north is statistically ready to receive its next great comet. Bring it on!

Bottom line: The Southern Hemisphere has had two great comets in this century: McNaught in 2007 and Lovejoy in 2011. But what about the Northern Hemisphere? Our last widely seen comet was Hale-Bopp in 1996-97. Comet West in 1976 was probably our last great comet. Were due for one!

Read more and see charts: How to see Comet NEOWISE

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When is the next great comet? | Space | EarthSky

Comet History

As of 1995, 878 comets have been cataloged and their orbits at least roughly calculated. Of these 184 areperiodiccomets (orbital periods less than 200 years); some of the remainder are no doubt periodic as well, but their orbits have not been determined with sufficient accuracy to tell for sure.

Comets are sometimes calleddirty snowballsor "icy mudballs". They are a mixture of ices (both water and frozen gases) and dust that for some reason didn't get incorporated into planets when the solar system was formed. This makes them very interesting as samples of the early history of the solar system.

When they are near theSunand active, comets have several distinct parts:

Comets are invisible except when they are near the Sun. Most comets have highly eccentric orbits which take them far beyond the orbit ofPluto; these are seen once and then disappear for millennia. Only the short- and intermediate-period comets (like Comet Halley), stay within the orbit of Pluto for a significant fraction of their orbits.

After 500 or so passes near the Sun off most of a comet's ice and gasis lost leaving a rocky object very much like anasteroidin appearance. (Perhaps half of the near-Earth asteroids may be "dead" comets.) A comet whose orbit takes it near the Sun is also likely to either impact one of the planets or the Sun or to be ejected out of the solar system by a close encounter (esp. with Jupiter).

By far the most famous comet isComet HalleybutSL 9was a "big hit" for a week in the summer of 1994.

Meteor shower sometimes occur when the Earth passes thru the orbit of a comet. Some occur with great regularity: thePerseidmeteor shower occurs every year between August 9 and 13 when the Earth passes thru the orbit of CometSwift-Tuttle. Comet Halley is the source of theOrionidshower in October.

Many comets are first discovered by amateur astronomers. Since comets are brightest when near the Sun, they are usually visible only at sunrise or sunset. Charts showing the positions in the sky of some comets can be created with aplanetarium program.

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Comets Facts | Types, Composition, Size, Information, History & Definition

The Short Answer:

An asteroid is a small rocky object that orbits the Sun. A meteor is what happens when a small piece of an asteroid or comet, called a meteoroid, burns up upon entering Earths atmosphere. Read on to find out more and learn the difference between asteroids and comets, meteoroids and meteorites, and more!

An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the Sun.

A close-up view of Eros, an asteroid with an orbit that takes it somewhat close to Earth. The photo was taken by NASAs Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous - Shoemaker spacecraft in 2000. Image credit: NASA/JHUAPL

Asteroids are smaller than a planet, but they are larger than the pebble-size objects we call meteoroids. Most asteroids in our solar system are found in the main asteroid belt, a region between Mars and Jupiter. But they can also hang out in other locations around the solar system. For example, some asteroids orbit the Sun in a path that takes them near Earth.

Most asteroids in our solar system can be found in the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter.

Sometimes one asteroid can smash into another. This can cause small pieces of the asteroid to break off. Those pieces are called meteoroids. Meteoroids can also come from comets.

If a meteoroid comes close enough to Earth and enters Earths atmosphere, it vaporizes and turns into a meteor: a streak of light in the sky.

Because of their appearance, these streaks of light are sometimes called "shooting stars." But meteors are not actually stars.

At certain times of the year, you might be lucky enough to see more meteors in the sky than usual. This is called a meteor shower. This photo was taken during the Perseid meteor shower, which happens each year in August. Image credit: NASA/JPL

Because meteors leave streaks of light in the sky, they are sometimes confused with comets. However, these two things are very different.

Comets orbit the Sun, like asteroids. But comets are made of ice and dustnot rock.

As a comets orbit takes it toward the Sun, the ice and dust begin to vaporize. That vaporized ice and dust become the comets tail. You can see a comet even when it is very far from Earth. However, when you see a meteor, its in our atmosphere.

Sometimes meteoroids dont vaporize completely in the atmosphere. In fact, sometimes they survive their trip through Earths atmosphere and land on the Earths surface. When they land on Earth, they are called meteorites.

A scientist investigates a meteorite that landed in Sudan's Nubian Desert in 2008. Image credit: NASA

NASAs Johnson Space Center has a collection of meteorites that have been collected from many different locations on Earth. The collection acts as a meteorite library for scientists. By studying different types of meteorites, scientists can learn more about asteroids, planets and other parts of our solar system.

Because asteroids formed in the early days of our solar system nearly 4.6 billion years ago, meteorites can give scientists information about what the solar system was like way back then!

Astromaterials 3D: A virtual library for exploration and research ofNASA's space rock collectionsAsteroid Resources from NASA JPL Education

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Asteroid or Meteor: What's the Difference? - NASA

What was Deep Impact (EPOXI)?

The primary mission of NASA's Deep Impact was to probe beneath the surface of a comet. The spacecraft delivered a special impactor into the path of Tempel 1 to reveal never-before-seen materials and provide clues about the internal composition and structure of a comet.

Impactor:1. Impact or Targeting Sensor (ITS)

Jan. 12, 2005: Launch

July 1, 2005: Comet P/Tempel 1 rendezvous

July 4, 2005: Comet impact

Aug. 2005: End of the primary mission

Nov. 4, 2010: Flyby of 103P/Hartley 2 comet

Aug. 11-Aug. 14, 2013: Communications lost

Sept. 20, 2013: NASA ends efforts to contact spacecraft

Unlike previous cometary flyby missions, such as Vega, Giotto, and Stardust, the Deep Impact spacecraft, the eighth mission in NASAs Discovery program, was intended to study the interior composition of a comet by deploying an impact probe that would collide with its target.

The spacecraft was comprised of two parts: the main flyby spacecraft and an impactor. The flyby spacecraft weighed 1,325 pounds (601 kilograms), was solar-powered, and carried two primary instruments.

The high-resolution instrument (HRI), the main science camera for Deep Impact, was one of the largest space-based instruments ever built for planetary science. It combined a visible-light multi-spectral CCD camera (with a filter wheel) and an imaging infrared spectrometer called the spectral imaging module (SIM). The medium-resolution instrument (MRI) was the functional backup for the HRI, and like the HRI, it served as a navigation aid for Deep Impact.

The impactor weighed 820 pounds (372 kilograms) and carried the impactor targeting sensor (ITS), nearly identical to the MRI, but without the filter wheel, which was designed to measure the impactors trajectory and to image the comet from close range before impact.

One of the more unusual payloads onboard was a compact disc with the names of 625,000 people collected as part of a campaign to Send Your Name to a Comet!

After launch, Deep Impact was put into low Earth orbit, then an elliptical orbit (about 100 x 2,600 miles or 163 4,170 kilometers), and after a third stage burn, the spacecraft and its PAM-D upper stage departed on an Earth escape trajectory.

There were some initial moments of anxiety when it was discovered that the spacecraft had automatically entered safe mode shortly after entering heliocentric orbit. By Jan. 13, 2005, Deep Impact had returned to full operational mode following a program to tumble the vehicle using its thrusters.

The spacecraft traveled 267 million miles (429 million kilometers) in six months (including course corrections on Feb. 11 and May 4, 2005) to reach Comet 9P/Tempel.

As the spacecraft approached its target, it spotted two outbursts of activity from the comet on June 14 and June 22, 2005.

On July 3, 2005, at 06:00 UT (or 06:07 UT Earth-receive time), Deep Impact released the impactor probe, which, using small thrusters, moved into the path of the comet, where it hit the following day, July 4, at 05:44:58 UT. The probe was traveling at a relative velocity of about 23,000 miles per hour (37,000 kilometers per hour) at the time of impact.

The impact generated an explosion the equivalent of 4.7 tons of TNT and a crater estimated to be about 490 feet (150 meters) in diameter.

Minutes after the impact, the flyby probe passed the nucleus at a range of about 310 miles (500 kilometers) and took images of the crater (although it was obscured by the dust cloud), ejecta plume, and the entire nucleus.

Simultaneous observations of the impact were coordinated with ground-based observatories as well as space-based ones, including the European Rosetta (which was about 50 million miles or 80 million kilometers from the comet), Hubble, Spitzer, the Swift X-ray telescope, and XMM-Newton.

The impactor also took images up to 3 seconds before impact that were transmitted via the flyby vehicle back to Earth.

Controllers registered about 4,500 images from the three cameras over the next few days. Based on the results of Deep Impacts investigations, scientists concluded that Comet Tempel 1 had probably originated in the Oort Cloud. The data also showed that the comet was about 75% empty space.

Although Deep Impacts primary mission was over, because the flyby vehicle still had plenty of propellant, on July 3, 2007, NASA approved a new supplemental mission for Deep Impact, known as EPOXI. The name was derived from the combination of the two components of this extended flight: Extrasolar Planet Observations (EPOCh) and Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI).

This so-called mission of opportunity was originally focused on Comet 85P/Boethin. On July 21, 2005, Deep Impact was set on a trajectory to conduct a flyby of Earth in anticipation of intercepting Boethin. Unfortunately, scientists lost track of Comet Boethin, possibly because the comet had broken up.

Deep Impact was redirected toward Comet 103P/Hartley (or Hartley 2), starting with an engine burn on Nov. 1, 2007. EPOXIs new plan set Deep Impact on three consecutive Earth flybys, spread over two years (December 2007, December 2008, and June 2010) before the final trek to meet Comet Hartley 2.

These flybys essentially stole some energy from the spacecraft, thus dropping Deep Impact into a smaller orbit around the Sun.

Before the second Earth flyby, Deep Impact performed its EPOCh mission using the HRI instrument to perform photometric investigations of extrasolar planets around eight distant stars, returning nearly 200,000 images.

In the fall of 2010, Deep Impact began its investigations of Comet Hartley 2, conducting its flyby of the target at a range of about 430 miles (694 kilometers) at 15:00 UT Nov. 4, 2010. As with the encounter with Comet Tempel 1, Deep Impact used its three instruments to study Hartley 2 for three weeks.

Some of the images were so clear that scientists were able to identify jets of dust with particular features on the comets nucleus. The data showed that the two lobes of Hartley 2 were different in composition.

Once past this second cometary encounter, Deep Impact had little propellant for further cometary investigations, but there was a possibility that the spacecraft, if still in working condition, could be used for a flyby of Near Earth Asteroid 2002 GT in 2020.

With that goal in mind, thrusters were fired in December 2011 and October 2012 for targeting purposes. In the meantime, the spacecraft was used for the remote study of faraway comets such as C/200P1 (Garradd) in early 2012 and C/2012 S1 (ISON) in early 2013.

Communication with Deep Impact was lost sometime between Aug. 11 and Aug. 14, 2013, and after considerable effort to contact the spacecraft, NASA announced on Sept. 20, 2013, that it had officially abandoned efforts to contact Deep Impact.

NASA Deep Impact Mission Profile

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Deep Impact Page

Siddiqi, Asif A. Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958-2016. NASA History Program Office, 2018.

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In Depth | Deep Impact (EPOXI) NASA Solar System Exploration

Country

United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People's Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People's Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People's Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People's Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People's Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, RevolutionaryPeople's Rep'c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People's RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People's RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People's Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People's RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

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Injuries and slow start hurt the Comets in loss to Ortonville - Fergus Falls Daily Journal

Ive been a sportswriter going on six years now. In that time, Ive been called every name in the book, and a creative few I didnt know existed. Last year, after releasing my River City Sports All-District Football teams, a gentleman took to Twitter and called me the Rain Man of Danville/Pittsylvania County sports because I left a few players off the list he felt shouldve made it. I guess he didnt realize how smart Dustin Hoffmans Raymond Babbitt was and that he helped his brother, Tom Cruises Charles Babbitt, win $86,000 in Las Vegas.

Over the same list, I had another man leave me a message on the RCS Facebook page that featured language that wouldve made a sailor with Tourettes blush and was written in English so jumbled it could only be described as blibberish.

Its happened so much; Ive often thought about featuring a weekly Mean Tweets segment as shown on Jimmy Kimmel Live. However, Im smart enough to realize that like elbows, everybody has an opinion they are entitled to and that Im bound to tick somebody off by not choosing or highlighting little Johnny or Suzies perceived accomplishments.

When I released my inaugural Player of the Week segment last week, I expected my email account to fill up with comments and complaints such as the ones mentioned above. However, thats not what happened as Ive received nothing but great feedback over the column.

In that spirit, please enjoy Round 2 of the Halifax County High School Players of the Week.

Halifax County trekker Cheyenne Cline runs up hill at a meet earlier this year.

Girls cross country player of the week: Cheyenne Cline

Clines stock continued to rise last Wednesday at the Martinsville Piedmont District meet. Cline ran a 23:59.97 to finish ninth at the meet for her second consecutive Top-15 finish and her sixth of the year. Its also the fifth time the freshman has finished in the Top-10 with her highest placing coming at Tunstall where she checked in at seventh. She also finished ninth at the Comets meet at Bassett earlier this season.

With the season winding down, expect to see Cline making a run pun intended at both districts and regionals and maybe the Class 4 state tournament.

Halifax County cross country runner Brennan Hunt finishes a race at Smith River Complex earlier this season.

Boys cross country player of the week: Brennan Hunt

Along with Cline, Hunt continued to impress as he ran a 19:10.22 to finish 13th at Wednesdays Martinsville meet. The freshmans finish comes off the heels of his sixth place finish last week at Magna Vista where he ran a 20:55.15. It was the third consecutive meet where Hunt finished within the Top-15.

Similar to Cline, expect Hunt to make a run at both the district and regional tournaments.

Halifax County senior Kamyria Woody-Giggetts records a dig against Bassett last week.

Volleyball player of the week: Kamyria Woody-Giggetts

This was a tough race as several Halifax player were up for nomination. Junior Peyton Irby paced the Comets with seven kills against Bassett while Irby and junior Makayla Powell led with a pair of service aces. Defensively, Halifax was paced by senior Kamyria Woody-Giggetts eight digs while senior Jadyn Harlow checked in with seven against the Bengals. Junior Emma Payne recorded a team-high 10 assists.

Payne relinquished the top spot in assists against Mecklenburg County to Harlow who led with six while Irby and senior Shamya Hankins finished close behind with four. Junior Erin Satterfield led with a team-high seven kills while Hankins, Irby and Harlow were close behind with four apiece against the Phoenix. Defensively, Woody-Giggetts led with a team-high 10 digs.

Defense wins championships and with Woody-Giggetts leading the way in all three matches, her selection as Player of the Week just felt natural.

Halifax Countys Javeion Gooden makes a tackle in the Comets non-district matchup against Jefferson Forest earlier this season.

Football player of the week: Javeion Gooden

Really, Halifaxs entire defensive line shouldve been given this award as a collective and as I write this right now, Goodens individual selection may change by the time I get done writing this.

Gooden, a senior, was all over the field this past Friday against rival George Washington, making tackles at will. Going through my photos Sunday morning, it seemed all I saw was Gooden, along with fellow seniors Ahmad Moon, Semaj Jeffreys and Jyquez Ferrell, making stops on GW ballcarriers.

The Comets defense forced the Eagles into a pair of turnover on downs in the second half and made a pair of red zone stops to keep GW out of the end zone in the third and fourth quarters in Halifaxs close loss this past Friday.

At the end, after hard thought, Goodens individual selection stands as he serves a solid leadership role for the Comets.

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HALIFAX PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Round two of new feature to spotlight top Comets - YourGV.com

UTICA, N.Y. (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) Utica Comets Head Coach Kevin Dineen spoke to the media for the first time this season on Thursday morning, he was then followed by 2022 NHL Entry Draft number two overall selection imon Nemec, who had his first day of practice with the AHL squad after being sent down on Wednesday in exchange for fellow defenseman Kevin Bahl.

In his availability, Coach Dineen named his Captains for the upcoming season, Ryan Schmelzer will wear the C for the second consecutive year while Robbie Russo, Joe Gambardella, and Tyler Wotherspoon will be the Alternates. He also revealed that Akira Schmid will be the teams opening night starter, but that going into every game he is confident in his netminder pairing which includes Schmid and Nico Daws.

From @UticaComets Head Coach Kevin Dineen this morning:

Ryan Schmelzer will return as our Captain, Joe Gambardella, Robbie Russo and Tyler Wotherspoon will be our leadership group.

He added, I think we have players that are much more vocal that Ryan, infectious in the way they are around the locker room, but we feel that Ryan represents how we conduct ourselves on and off the ice. I think he plays with heart and passion on a nightly basis, hes a gamer.

Nemec took to the stand next, answering questions for the first time as a Comet. He started by giving the media a pronunciation of his name (Shee-mone Nyee-mits), followed that with some elaboration about the differences between the European and North American games, mainly rink size and physicality, and said that hes heard about the passion of Comets fans already before rounding out his availability with a vote of confidence, I know [the] players I know [the] coaches, I know all the staff, I think it will be good.

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Kevin Dineen and imon Nemec on Uticas team strengths prior to season-opener Saturday - WUTR/WFXV - CNYhomepage.com

Breed of goldfish

The comet or comet-tailed goldfish is a single-tailed goldfish bred in the United States. It is similar to the common goldfish, except slightly smaller and slimmer, and is mainly distinguished by its long deeply forked tail. Comet goldfish tend to have a diverse variety of colors, unlike the common goldfish.[1]

The comet-tailed goldfish breed was developed in the United States from the common goldfish by Hugo Mulertt, a government worker, in the 1880s. The comet goldfish was first seen in the ponds of the U.S. Government Fish Commission in Washington, D.C.[1][2] Mulertt later became a propagator of goldfish and an author of books on goldfish. He introduced the comet onto the fish-keeping market in quantity.[3][4][5][6]

The comet goldfish can be distinguished from the common goldfish by its long, single and deeply forked tail fin. Comets with yellow, orange, red, white, and red-and-white coloration are common. The red coloration mainly appears on the tailfin and dorsal fin, but can also appear on the pelvic fin.

The comet is more active than most other goldfish breeds. It is not unusual to see a comet dashing back and forth in its tank, racing around in a playful manner. Due to the comet's hardy and active nature, and the relative ease in caring for them, they are the breed best suited to ponds and outdoor pools. They are often kept with koi in outdoor ponds. Comets have a natural life span of 5 to 14 years and may live even longer in optimal conditions.[1][2][7]

Goldfish are commonly bred on fish farms in many parts of the world. In most instances, the fish produced are offered for sale to aquarists. However, in North America, there is a demand for goldfish used as bait or "feeder fish" to other fish by anglers.[2] Due to the relatively inexpensive prices of comet goldfish, they may also be used as prizes in carnivals or other places of entertainment.

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Comet (goldfish) - Wikipedia

Objects in your sky: Comets

by Dominic Ford

Below is a list of the brightest few comets that are visible at present.

You are welcome to reproduce the text below for non-profit purposes, providing you credit In-The-Sky.org.

The position of each comet is calculated from orbital elements published by the Minor Planet Center (MPC).

The brightnesses of comets are estimated from magnitude parameters published by the BAA Comet Section, where these are available. These are computed from the observations they receive from amateur astronomers.

Comets are intrinsically highly unpredictable objects, since their brightness depends on the scattering of sunlight from dust particles in the comet's coma and tail. This dust is continually streaming away from the comet's nucleus, and its density at any particular time is governed by the rate of sublimation of the ice in the comet's nucleus, as it is heated by the Sun's rays. It also depends on the amount of dust that is mixed in with that ice. This is very difficult to predict in advance, and can be highly variable even between successive apparitions of the same comet.

In consequence, while the future positions of comets are usually known with a high degree of confidence, their future brightnesses are not. For most comets, we do not publish any magnitude estimates at all. For the few comets where we do make estimates, we generally prefer the BAA's magnitude parameters to those published by the Minor Planet Center, since they are typically updated more often.

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Objects in your sky: Comets - In-The-Sky.org

Graphic: Igor Lazarevic

By Noah Constantino

The last week of the German Football League regular season is set to cause fireworks. In both the GFL North and GFL South divisions, there will be a win or go home atmosphere to decide who will take the last spot for the playoffs.

The first game to be played will be August 27 when the GFL South final playoff berth contest between the Saarland Hurricanes and the Allgu Comets kicks off. It is the Comets game to lose as they come in with a winning record of 5-4 and the fourthspot in the GFL South. Allgu looks to get back to the playoffs and put up a stronger showing than last year when they suffered a crushing 50-13 loss at the hand of the Dresden Monarchs in the 2021 quarterfinals.

On the other side, Saarland come in looking to dethrone Allgu for the rights to the last playoff spot. Coming off of a huge win against the Ravensburg Razorbacks last week, the Hurricanes look to continue to right the ship and make the playoffs yet again. Saarland was able to make it out of the first round last year, before also suffering an embarrassing loss to Dresden, 37-0 in the semifinals.

In the GFL North, the same can be said with their fourth and final spot for the 2022 playoffs up for grabs. The win or go home game will take place the next day on August 28th, between the Dresden Monarchs and Berlin Adler.

Dresden, the reigning GFL champs who have struggled this season, still have a chance to win back-to-back titles. However, they need to win this game to clinch a playoff berth as they find themselves currently on the outside looking in, holding fifth spot.

Berlin, who currently sit fourth in the GFL North standings, looked great at the midway point of the season. With a 4-1 record and sporting a three-game winning streak, the sky looked to be the limit for the Adler. However, the second half of the season has proved not to be as fortunate for Berlin as they dropped three in a row before finally getting a win last week against the Kiel Hurricanes.

This will be the second time that Berlin and Dresden face each other this year. Berlin was able to outlast the Monarchs earlier in the season in a close 48-42 victory. Hopefully for them, they will be able to offer up another good game in the regular season finale.

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Germany: Monarchs-Adler and Comets-Hurricanes Season on the line in two do or die games - American Football International

Halifax Countys golf team entered the season looking to bring two things to the table: intent and purpose.

Head coach Chris Lacks knew if the Blue Comets could play with determination and resolution, they would have a successful season.

Halifax has been playing with both over its opening five matches and judging by the results, Lacks was right.

The Blue Comets shot a combined 306 to finish 13 strokes ahead of Magna Vista in their Piedmont District match Monday night at Danville Golf Club and pick up their fifth consecutive win to start the season.

If the five-match streak wasnt enough, Halifax hasnt just won, its won in dominating fashion with its margin of victory being in double digits for all but one match.

Its success Lacks credits to his team carrying out the preseason motto.

Weve had five matches and weve performed really well in all of them so far, were undefeated this season and were really proud of that, Lacks said. But I think its been our motto: to be purposeful and play with intent. Thats been my motto from the get-go, even at the parents meeting.

While its easy to set a theme, its another to carry it out. In order to do that, Lacks has been working with his players on an individual basis in order to tame the fickle sport known as golf.

Each individual has strengths and weaknesses, and we try to look at it on an individual basis like when were helping the kids because one kid might have trouble with their short game and another might have trouble with their long game or it could be back-and-forth because golf is a fickle game, so we try to work on things on an individual skill level, Lacks said.

Its not all Xs and Os with Lacks, though.

I think one thing Im trying to bring is not taking myself so seriously, Lacks said. Sometimes we take ourselves so seriously, it puts that extra weight on you, but I think these are some of the ways were trying to get through to the kids and have that purpose and intent. Its not a one size fits all kind of thing.

Seasoned golfers, practice makes perfect, parental support

In years past, Lacks has had a team consisting of mostly weekend golfers. Ones that treat the game more as a hobby than a sport.

Thats not the case this year as Lacks has a team full of seasoned golfers that have led the team to this point.

We have seasoned golfers this time and I cant tell you how strong that makes the program, Lacks said. Weve got guys that are playing year-round, playing tournaments outside the school realm. I cant tell you how excited I am to have what I call real golfers.

With a group of seasoned golfers comes a sense of responsibility, dedication and ownership that Lacks, and the Blue Comets havent had in a while.

Theyve put in the work, Lacks said. These guys are out there before practice, sometimes they stay after practice, sometimes theyre playing on the weekends and thats something to be excited about.

According to Lacks, the ownership and responsibility dont just come from the players.

Weve got so much support from the parents this year, he said. I cant say enough about the parent group this year. I appreciate that so much. I appreciate them getting them to matches, the summer tournaments they played in, all of that has led up to the success were having.

Leaders

JD Cunningham has been one of the Blue Comets biggest performers. According to Lacks, Cunninghams determination and quiet leadership is what makes him not only a dangerous player, but effective leader.

Every time that kid steps on the golf course, hes ready to play, so hes one of our leaders just by what he does on the golf course, Lacks said. One of the things I like about him is that he lets his clubs talk. Hes very soft-spoken in practice but he carries a big stick. Hes one of the guys that leads by example. He leads by example because hes always prepared and always working on something and we have the most interesting conversations over aspects of the golf swing.

Lacks also commented on the prowess of Lukas Newton and Jack Morgan.

I like their mindsets, they expect to play well and thats the mindset you have to have when youre out there, Lacks said. Thats a positive thing and everybody sees that determination they need to have through them.

Message to the fans

Following the Blue Comets Piedmont match Aug. 9, Lacks sent an email complimenting his teams grit in the face of adversity.

Luckily for Lacks and Halifax, it wasnt a one-time deal as the Blue Comets have shown their mettle in every match this season.

Its that grit Lacks wants the Halifax community to think of when thinking about his team this season.

When I see the kids out there grinding, sometimes if you play golf, it can wear you down and wear you out and sometimes you feel like the world is on top of you, Lacks said. And the aspect Im really trying to push is that I appreciate and respect the not giving up attitude. I like it when the kids get off to a bad start but they grind it out, have a good finish and kind of salvage the day and score for the team.

I think thats the big message and challenge is just to fight for every hole even when you feel like youre stacked up against everything. If youve had a bad hole or bad start, you cant give up and its that mentality weve got to stick with and remember.

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Comets golf bringing intent, purpose to links this season - YourGV.com

STERLING With both teams struggling to get into their offense early Monday evening, it was the Dixon volleyball team that finally got on track with big runs in both sets to defeat Newman 25-20, 25-19 in a nonconference match in Sterling.

The Duchesses (2-1) scored six straight points early in the first set to jump out to an 11-4 lead, then had a stretch of six out of eight points later in the set to pull away. In the second set, Dixon scored 10 of 11 points midway through the set to turn a 14-12 deficit into a 22-15 lead.

[Photos from Dixon vs. Newman volleyball]

I dont think any of us felt we lost the momentum. The score goes back and forth, and theyre a great team, but we were right there the whole time, Dixon senior hitter Ella Govig said. It was a great game, honestly, and I think we never stopped. There were times where wed get down in the score a little bit, but we knew we had to keep our head up if we wanted to win it. We knew what we had to do, and we did it.

A Joey Brumbly ace tied the first set 3-3, then she served for two more points on Newman errors. Govig then set Sydney Hargrave for a kill, then Elexa Varden stuffed a block and Govig served an ace before two more Comet errors gave Dixon the 11-4 lead.

Newman (2-1) battled back, as Katie Grennan served a pair of aces before two Dixon errors got the Comets within 12-11. A Molly Olson kill then made it 13-12, but thats when the Duchesses found their second spurt.

Dixons Joey Brumbly hammers a spike against Newman's Katie Grennan (4) on Monday in Sterling. (Alex T. Paschal - apaschal@shawmedia.com/credit)

Brumbly spiked a kill, then Natalie Davidson served an ace before Govig ripped a kill. Another Govig kill a few points later made it 20-14, and Govig again spiked one home to end a Newman mini-surge highlighted by a pair of kills from Jess Johns.

Before the game we were kind of talking about what they like to do, and we knew that they had a couple strong hitters in the front row, especially their really tall middle, so we had to keep it away from her block, Brumbly said. When we started to do that, we built up a lead, and we kept our serves in, and our serving was a big part of our win.

Two more Johns kills got Newman within 22-18 and 23-19, and a Dixon error made it 23-20. But a Newman error and a Morgan Hargrave ace closed out the first set.

Instead of settling down and just playing our game, I think we kind of went into panic mode, Johns said. I dont think weve started a game behind this year, so I think that kind of freaked us out. Our communication was not where it needed to be to play our game.

The Comets jumped out a 4-1 lead in the second set, but a kill by Brumbly and two kills by Morgan Hargrave made it 5-4. A Johns block gave Newman the lead back a 6-5, then two straight Newman errors gave Dixon a 7-6 lead.

Olson spiked a kill to make it 8-8, then Kennedy Rowzee Newmans tall middle Brumbly referenced spiked a kill and Olson stuffed a block for a 10-8 Comet lead. A Sydney Hargrave kill and Govig block tied the score 10-10, but Rowzee set Grennan for a kill, then she and Brumbly traded a pair of kills each to make it 14-12 Newman.

Newmans Jess Johns spikes the ball against Dixon's Olivia Cox (20) on Monday in Sterling. (Alex T. Paschal - apaschal@shawmedia.com/credit)

Thats when the Duchesses pounced again.

As long as we kept our energy up, we never really felt like we were down, so it was really easy to build on, Davidson said. Everyone kind of built on each other, which really helps keep the momentum going. Its really fun when we do that.

A Newman error made it 14-13, then Govig served consecutive aces before an Olivia Cox block made it 16-14 Dixon. After a Dixon hitting error, Cox spiked a kill, then Varden stuffed a block and Morgan Hargrave ripped back-to-back kills for a 21-15 lead.

That really helps to get on those runs, because then it gets our student section energized too, so the hypes up and the momentum is ours, Brumbly said. We just get really excited for each other when we score, and our offense definitely flows better when we get on those runs.

A kill by Sophia Ely and consecutive hitting errors by Dixon got Newman back within 22-18, but a combo block by Varden and Sydney Hargrave stopped that Comets mini-run. Ely spiked another kill, but two Newman hitting errors ended the match.

I think our mindset, we tend to get down very easily if we get behind fast, but if we come out with a lot of power, we tend to stay up and build on that power, Davidson said. Of course, our student section was amazing, and that definitely helped with our energy. We do struggle with passing sometimes, so we work on it all the time, and we were able to come out and ultimately pass better than them.

Dixons Hanna Lengquist sets the ball against Newman on Monday in Sterling. (Alex T. Paschal - apaschal@shawmedia.com/credit)

Brumbly finished with five kills, five digs and four points, Govig added three kills and three blocks, and Varden also stuffed three blocks for Dixon. Sydney Hargrave had eight assists, four digs and two kills, Morgan Hargrave spiked four kills, Hanna Lengquist added seven digs, six points and five assists, and Davidson chipped in 11 digs and five points.

Johns led Newman with five kills to go with nine digs, and Olson added three kills, seven assists and eight digs. Rowzee had four kills, Sam Ackman led the way with 12 digs, and Grennan finished with five digs, four assists and two aces.

We never got in sync, Newman coach Debbi Kelly said. Our back-row players struggled with calling the long out-of-bounds balls right away, and it just led into more frustration. The nice thing is those are fixable things, and well get those fixed and move on from there. We just never could get in system where we could get our offense going. We went into panic mode and did not play our game.

Our communication wasnt great, and we were playing a lot of balls that were heading out of bounds. That didnt give us great passes, and our sets were off the net, and you cant do much with that, Johns added. Now its just moving on to the next game. I think how we come back next game will say a lot more about us as a team than this game will.

Newmans Molly Olson passes the ball against Dixon on Monday in Sterling. (Alex T. Paschal - apaschal@shawmedia.com/credit)

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Volleyball: Dixon rides momentum to road win over Newman - Sauk Valley Media

HILLSDALE Week one of football, across all levels, has seen an uptick in memorable and challenging matchups being schedule against teams that could be contenders in playoffs and in league championship races.

This has trickled down to the high school level, where several high profile events including the Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic and the Battle at the Big House have propelled teams to face their toughest opponents of the season in their first games of the fall.

Teams like Clarkston High School and Davison will battle at the University of Michigan and DeWitt will face Haslett. Many other teams outside these major events have also scheduled week one slugfests.

With the new playoff points system, getting wins against top-tier opponents can be the best way for smaller schools to gain an advantage in the playoff race at the beginning of the season. On the other hand, these games could crush teams' postseason hopes before their season really has begun.

Three Hillsdale County 11-player squads will take part in week one matchups that could be the biggest game of their season. Hillsdale and Jonesville will take part in the cross-county showdown at Hillsdale High School and MHSFCA D8 No. 5 Reading will take on No. 7 White Pigeon.

These two contests are the Hillsdale Daily News Games of the Week. Take a look inside the matchups and see how we think each team will fair in their opening weekend matchups.

2021 had similar endings for both White Pigeon and Reading High School. Both schools met their playoff ends at the hands of eventual D8 state champion Hudson Tigers.

White Pigeon managed to claw their way through Decatur and Saugatuck with ease in their playoff run. The Hudson Tigers escaped with an 8-0 win over White Pigeon. Reading met Hudson in their pre-district playoff opener.

Head coach Rick Bailey and the Rangers held the Tigers to just 8 points in the first half. The Rangers had red zone opportunities to tie the game, but the Rangers were unable to punch it in.

After missing out on the Big 8 title in 2021 and 2020, the Rangers are eager to find their way back and are 'hungry' for a return to playoff contention. Their week one matchup against White Pigeon is one of the few matchups between top 10 ranked D8 opponents, and the game could be an early predictor for who could storm their way to a conference title and more in 2022.

The Rangers will have to contend with a strong group of White Pigeon players that will be tall up front on both offensive and defensive lines. Seniors including Cole Jackson, Estaban Castro, Jordan Tamper and James Stewart will help lead a white pigeon offense that will look to run on more than three-quarters of their plays. The T-offense will be led by a carrousel of running backs.

The Rangers return in 2022 with 16 seniors on their roster and a trio of playmakers. Junior Tayshawn Bester led the team in total yards last season. The junior athlete will line up all over the field for the Rangers, where Senior signal caller Colton Bassage will look for him and senior tight end Colton Wiler. Bassage returns in 2022 healthier and more experienced, having played most of last season still recuperating from a lower leg injury. The Rangers' playoff run last season was limited by those injuries from last season that resulted in several starters sitting out in the second half of the season. Reading looks to be fully healthy and ready to play for week one, and their range of athletes could prove too much for White Pigeon to handle.

Ranger Keys to Victory: Reading's defense, which includes two returning All-State defenders: Linebacker Joey Campbell and defensive back Jacob Hamilton, will have to contain the White Pigeon running game early. Dual threat quarterback Colton Bassage and the efficient Rangers offense should be able to put points on the board early and often. If the defense can limit the big run plays from White Pigeon, they could find themselves marching their way to a week one victory.

Daily News Prediction: Reading 27 White Pigeon 24

For the first time since the series started in 2014, the Jonesville Comets defeated Hillsdale in the opening season cross-county showdown. The 2021 matchup ended in a 22-6 victory for the Comets. The Comets took advantage of their home field atmosphere to strike on several big plays. Senior (then junior) quarterback Cowen Keller had 161 passing yards and two touchdowns in the contest, with returning senior Brady Wright hauling in three catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.

The Comets also struck on the ground, with returning senior Dominic Aponte running for a 50-plus yard touchdown with 10 minutes left in the game. The senior had close to 100 yards on the ground in the contest. Hillsdale's young backfield and quarterback - Jack Bowles - were unable to help the team overcome early mistakes, including a muffed punt. The Hornets accumulated only 121 yards of total offense. Returning senior Jordan Barnes led the team with 67 total yards and a touchdown. The Hornets had to turn away from their run-first offense in the second half, and Jonesville's defense was able to key-in on the Hornet playmakers.

The Hornets will look to come back stronger, tougher and smarter in the 2022 matchup between the rival schools. The team returns it's trio of hard hitting running backs including seniors Peter Moore and Jordan Barns, as well as junior running back Stephen Petersen. Petersen and his teammates would only get better as the season went along. Petersen would end up rushing for more than 750 yards and would lead the team in touchdowns. The Hornets will rely on their experienced backfield to eat away at the clock and limit time of possession for a Comet squad that will look to strike from the air and on the ground.

Hornet Keys to Victory: The Hornets will need to limit the Comet's time of possession and win the field position battle if they want to keep within striking distance of the Comets. The Comets used their big-play ability to strike from anywhere on the field in 2021, which helped them march to an undefeated season. The Comets will have some fresh faces amongst their returning starters this season. If Hillsdale can contain the big play ability of the Comets, the Hornets could find their way to victory on their home turf. With a tough schedule that includes Berrien Springs and Hudson in weeks two and three, if the Hornets can pull off the week one upset, they could find a pay to a playoff berth.

Comet Keys to Victory: The Comets will have the advantage of their senior playmakers, who already have the keys to taking down the hornets. Seniors Brady Wright, Cowen Keller, Dominic Aponte and Tyler Scholfield could prove to be too much for the Hornets. The Comets have emphasized playing to their running strengths this season, and if the Comets can combine their big play attitude from 2021 and a new philosophy focused on power-runs, they could use the same keys to victory that the Hornets will look to use. Senior linebacker Braeden Trine and the linebackers may be the biggest key to the Comet's finding their way to victory. Trine and company will have the tough task of staying in their lanes and clogging up the middle and outside run opportunities for the T-offense of Hillsdale.

Daily News Prediction: Jonesville 21 Hillsdale 17

Times and Schedule: Reading heads to White Pigeon on Thursday, Aug. 25 for a game time of 7:00 p.m. Jonesville travels a few miles to Hillsdale High School on Friday for a game time of 7:00 p.m. The Ranger game is currently in contest for the Detroit Lions Michigan High School Football Game of the Week. Voting ends Aug. 24. Vote at detroitlions.com/highschool.

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Reading heads to White Pigeon and Hillsdale faces Jonesville in the week one Games of the Week - The Hillsdale Daily News

We all need to wish on a falling star sometimes, and this week could be your chance, thanks to the Aurigid Meteor Shower.

The annual Aurigid Meteor Shower peaks this Thursday, September 1. Though the Aurigids are less flashy than some (the American Meteor Society calls them a reliable minor shower), they still put on a show worth watching. Thats especially true since this years shower coincides with a waxing crescent moon, meaning moonlight wont upstage the meteors. Heres everything you need to know to catch the Aurigids in action.

The Aurigids pelt our atmosphere with bits of burning rock and dust about this time every year. This years Aurigid shower started on August 28 and will continue until September 4 or 5, but the real show happens at the meteor showers peak, on September 1.

On most nights this week, a sharp-eyed observer can expect to see about 1 meteor an hour from the Aurigids. But on September 1, when Earth will pass through the densest part of the cloud of dust and debris that fuels the meteor shower, estimates range from 6 to 12 meteors per hour under ideal viewing conditions, which include clear, dark skies and a nontrivial amount of luck.

A good supply of caffeine may also help, since the Aurigid meteors wont make their appearance until after midnight in most of the mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere. Thats when the constellation Auriga, which marks the point in the sky where the Aurigid meteors appear to come from, first appears above the eastern horizon. But the higher Auriga is in the night sky, the more meteors youre likely to see, and the best show should happen in the hour just before dawn.

Heres how to find Auriga in the sky by looking for the much better known constellations Gemini or Perseus. IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg)

Auriga isnt one of the constellations most of us learned to spot as kids, so whats the best way to find the Aurigid meteor shower in the night sky?

If youre a fairly experienced amateur astronomer, you just need to know that the Aurigids radiant point is at a right ascension of about 06:06 and a declination of about 39 degrees. The rest of us might have better luck with a mobile star map like Stellarium (several other star map mobile apps are available for Android and Apple devices.

Search for the constellation Auriga or the star theta Aurigae A, which is the closest one to the Aurigids radiant point (the spot the meteor shower appears, thanks to a fun optical illusion, to radiate from), in the night sky. Capella is another good landmark to search for, because its in the constellation Auriga and its the sixth brightest star in the sky.

And theres always the dead reckoning approach: look northeast. In the hour just before dawn, look about halfway up in the sky; look a bit lower down if youre out earlier.

The Aurigid meteor shower as observed by a group of astronomers on a NASA mission at 47,000 feet.NASA/JPL

About 2,000 years ago, Comet C/1911 N1 Kiess (just Comet Kiess to its friends) passed through the inner Solar System, leaving behind a trail of dust, ice, and rock the average comet is basically an icy version of Pigpen from the Peanuts comics. Earths orbit passes through that debris cloud every year at around the same time, in late August and early September. Tiny bits of rock and dust collide with our upper atmosphere at around 234,000 kilometers per hour, where they burn up in dramatic streaks of flame that seem drastically out of proportion to their size.

Because those bits of comet debris hit the atmosphere from the same direction, at the same speed and angle, they appear to radiate from the same dark center point in the sky. Its the same optical trick that makes your car windshield look like youre flying the Millenium Falcon through hyperspace when youre actually just driving through a snowstorm at night.

Comet Kiess probably hails from the Oort Cloud, the cloud of icy objects at the far outer edges of our Solar System, well beyond even the chilly distant orbits of Kuiper Belt worlds like Pluto and Sedna. Its orbit carries it from those frigid cosmic outskirts into the warmer inner Solar System once every 2,000 years, making it whats called a long-period comet.

Long-period comets like Kiess are frozen samples of the early Solar System. Thats why, when Earth passed through an especially dense part of the Aurigid debris cloud in 2007, an international team of astronomers measured the meteors trajectories and their spectra (the specific wavelengths of light emitted and absorbed by different chemical elements, which can combine to tell scientists what an object is made of). Their goal was to better understand what comets like Kiess, and therefore the early Solar System, are made of.

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Aurigids: You need to watch the most mythical meteor shower of the year this week - Inverse

NASA near-Earth asteroid expert Dr. Ryan Park explains the difference between an Asteroids and Comets.

Do you know the difference between Asteroids and Comets? Though an asteroid and comet are all celestial objects that may seem similar, there is actually quite a bit of difference between them.

According to NASAs near-Earth asteroid expert Dr. Ryan Park, these are planetary objects which revolve around the Sun.

Dr. Park says, An asteroid is a small, rocky object and when seen in a telescope, it appears as a point of light. Most asteroids are found in a ring between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter called the asteroid belt.

Asteroids have several shapes, they may be spherical, elongated, or oddly shaped. Some asteroids even have their own satellites! Isnt that amazing?

Well, according to Dr. Park, A comet also orbits the Sun, but unlike an asteroid, it's composed of ice and dust. So, when a comet gets close to the Sun, its ice and dust content start to vaporize. So, when seen in a telescope, a comet appears fuzzy and/or has a tail.

To sum it up, Well, asteroids are rocky, and comets are icy. Dr. Park said.

In fact, a comet is currently in the news as it heads towards the Earth. NASA found a comet, which can be anything between 30 to 160 kilometers wide, approaching the Earth. Spotted first in 2017, Comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) is coming all the way from the Oort cloud to visit the Earth. The comet was discovered by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (PanSTARRS) observatory and thus its name. However, it is also known as the K2 comet in short. Traveling from the outer edges of the solar system, this comet is scheduled to arrive at the closest point to the Earth on July 14.

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What is the difference between Asteroids and Comets? Nasa expert replies - HT Tech

JONESVILLE The Jonesville Comet will be making their first conference transition since the formation of the Big 8 in 1973.

Jonesville school board members voted on Monday, June 27 to join the CascadeConference after the 2022-23 sports season. The Comets will join Leslie and Brooklyn Columbia Central High School in their moves to the Cascades Conference.

Jonesville superintendent Erik Weatherwax released an official statement on the move:

"JCS is excited to announce that tonight our school board voted unanimously to switch to the Cascades Conference beginning the 2023/2024 school year. This was not a decision that was taken lightly given our historywith the Big 8 and the tradition that goes along with it. However, the move to the Cascades Conference provides more athletic opportunities for our students and that's what we had to stay focused on. I want to thank our community members, coaches, parents, board members, and Mrs. Bondsteel for their work in exploring this opportunity. In the end, it's the best decision for our Jonesville Comet athletes. Go Comets!"

Weatherwax said that school and class size diminishes had limited Jonesville students' opportunities. "The move opens those opportunities back up for our kids," said Weatherwax. Weatherwax said that while there were questions about travel, the number of miles Comets would drive to playCascades games was not significantly different to the amount they currently travel with their scheduled athletic events.

Several opportunities that will be available to athletic programs at Jonesville include the potential introduction of a full conference schedule for Comet bowling teams. There will be new opportunities for junior varsity athletes to compete in different sports. The Comets look to potentially have a girls golf team when they enter the Cascades conference. Weatherwax believes that while there may be challenges ahead for the Comets as they enter a new era, those challenges will only bring good things to their sports programs and the students.

Jonesville A.D. Kathy Bondsteel said that the Cometathletic programs are looking forward to the transition and will look to work with the Cascades to help develop a game plan for what the sports calendars for Cascadeschools will look like in 2023.

"We appreciate the Big 8 conference and the history of Jonesville being a part of it for so many years," said Bondsteel. "We look forward to the opportunities this will present to us. We will start to meet with the Cascade athletic directors to look into out how we are going to put the league together. There's a lot of things the Cascades has now but they are interested in hearing feedback from all of us (new schools) and including us in those conversations. We look forward to bringing our coaches in and having them be a part of the transition as well."

There are no current plans for how each sport will be structured in the Cascade conference during the 2023-24 season.

The move brings the total number of Cascade teams up to 11. The Cascades Conference was formed in 1954 with Vandercook Lake, Michigan Center, Napoleon, East Jackson and Grass Lake. Other current members include Addison, Hanover-Horton and Manchester high schools.

The Cascades has seen it's fair share of schools come and go over the past few decades. Columbia Central will be making its second tint in the conference, having previously left in 1996. Columbia Central has played in the Lenawee County Athletic Association since 2012. Leslie will conclude its ninth year in the Greater Lansing Area Conference after joining in 2014. Both teams are committed to finishing this upcoming year in their current leagues.

Jonesville will compete in the Big 8 conference this upcoming sports calendar before making the transition to the Cascades in 2023. Jonesville has been a member of the Big 8 conference since 1973, after the league formed around the remaining members of the Little-C Conference. Jonesville's history with teams currently in the Big 8 can date all the way back to the early 1950's.

It is unknown how the move will affect the current rivalries Jonesville has established with teams like Homer and Reading. The Comets and the rest of the Big 8 play in crossover games with the Cascades Conference, and no decisions (if any) have been made that would change those events in the future.

Jonesville may not be the last Big 8 member to move to the Cascades, as there have been reports another team may be on the move in the near future. The Big 8 conference last saw a shift at the end of the 2016 sports calendar. Athens High School made a move to the SCAA conference, before dropping to 8-player football. Bronson High School joined in 2017. Superintendent Erik Weatherwax said that the Big 8 conference will seek to expand in the future. There is no current information on who those new schools will be or when that expansion will happen.

The Comets have seen a fair share of success over the past few years in the Big 8 conference. The Comets have competed for league titles across all of their sports including football, softball and boys and girls basketball.

This past football season, the Comets went undefeated in the Big 8 and won the Cascades Crossover Championship with Addison High School. Jonesville has played more than 70 football games against Big 8 rivals Homer, Quincy, Union City and Reading. The Big 8 conference has no moves currently in the plans to bring in more teams, and the conference currently still has Homer as a member.

In addition to the recent moves in the Big 8 and Cascades conferences, The Daily Telegram's Doug Donnelly reports that Adrian Madison will formally join the Lenawee County Athletic Association, leaving the Tri-County Conference and filling the void Columbia Central has left. The LCAA conference includes Hillsdale, Hudson, Onsted, Blissfield, Dundee, Clinton and Ida.

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Comets to make move to the Cascade Conference in 2023 - The Hillsdale Daily News

A comet first spotted in the distance in 2017 might finally be within view soon of amateur astronomers.

Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS), called K2 for short, was then the farthest active comet ever spotted, a title it recently surrendered to megacomet Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein, detected last year. But even down one superlative, K2 is remarkable for activity. The comet began to spew gas and dust in the far outer solar system, whereas it's more typical for comets to wake up around Jupiter's orbit, much closer in.

Five years later, the icy body is finally drawing within reach of Earth and its amateur astronomers. K2's closest approach to our planet will be on July 14, and it will get closest to the sun on Dec. 19.

Related: Giant comet was active way farther from the sun than expected, scientists confirm

Assuming K2 survives the heated journey and continues to brighten, EarthSky (opens in new tab) predicts people with small telescopes will be able to spot the sojourner soon.

"It should brighten tomagnitude8 or even 7, still too dim for the unaided eye," EarthSky wrote.

Sharp-eyed viewers can usually spot stars of magnitude 6 in dark-sky conditions with no aid. In the case of this comet, you will also need areas away from light pollution to spot it with a telescope.

"The darker the skies, the better the contrast will be," EarthSky advised.

As the comet approaches us, professional observatories may be able to figure out how big its nucleus is. Early observations by the CanadaFranceHawaii Telescope (CFHT) suggested K2's nucleus could be between 18 and 100 miles (30 to 160 kilometers) wide; Hubble Space Telescope observations suggested it might be only 11 miles (18 km) at most, EarthSky said.

In 2017, Hubble imagery determined that the comet's coma (or fuzzy atmosphere) likely includes oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, all turning from solid to gas as the comet warmed.

An archival search of CFHT imagery suggested K2 was active at least as far back as 2013, when it was between the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, NASA said at the time.

All predictions for comet activity are subject to change, however. Comets are prone to falling apart or brightening unpredictably when the draw close to the intense heat and gravity of our sun. That characteristic, however, makes them all the more interesting to astronomers who want to understand how comets are put together.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter@howellspace (opens in new tab). Follow us on Twitter@Spacedotcom (opens in new tab)and onFacebook (opens in new tab).

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A huge comet will fly by Earth in July and you might be able to see it - Space.com

The University of Texas at Dallas community commemorated Juneteenth with a week of celebrations that included a service project to provide meal kits for people in need.

The Reunited-themed events brought Comets together on campus to celebrate the holiday marking the end of slavery in the U.S.

We want to show up for one another. We want to unite, and we want to be united because here at UT Dallas, we see diversity, but we also need to put diversity in our heads, in our hearts and in how we treat each other, Multicultural Center director Bruce August Jr. told volunteers at the Juneteenth Day of Service.

The Multicultural Center, part of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, organized the events along with campus partners on its Juneteenth Planning Committee.

The service project drew 126 volunteers who packed 21,888 meal kits for area food pantries. Wearing hairnets and plastic gloves, students, faculty and staff members sorted, measured and packaged ingredients for red lentil jambalaya. The Office of Student Volunteerism (OSV), which led the event, partnered with the nonprofit organization U.S. Hunger, which delivered the meal kits to the North Texas Food Bank. Some of the meal kits also were donated to the Comet Cupboard, UT Dallas food pantry for students in need.

Borna Afkhami-Rohani, a biology sophomore who packed meals at the event, said he signed up because he enjoys volunteering and the opportunity to meet new people.

The event was great. I met three new friends while preparing meals for those who are less fortunate, Afkhami-Rohani said. It doesnt get any better than that.

Mark Este, director of the OSV, said the event was made possible through financial support from the Multicultural Center, Black Faculty and Staff Alliance (BFSA), the Eugene McDermott Library, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Naveen Jindal School of Management, Living Learning Communities and the Young Professionals Employee Resource Group.

At the Office of Student Volunteerism, we strive to address inequities in our local and national communities through service and have amazing partners throughout the campus to collaborate with on this front, Este said.

In addition to the service project, the University held a kickoff party sponsored by the BFSA, a virtual cookbook release event and a celebration that included a health and wellness fair.

Volunteers celebrated after they finished packing meal kits for area food pantries. Most of the nearly 22,000 meal kits were delivered to the North Texas Food Bank, and the rest were donated to the Comet Cupboard.

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UTD Honors Juneteenth with Celebrations, New Service Project - University of Texas at Dallas

Athlete of the Week Winner - Week 5 - Kaiden Conroy - Boys Basketball - Camden-Frontier

Freshman Kaiden Conroy was voted as the week 5 Athlete of the Week after receiving more than 1,200 votes. Conroy helped the Camden-Frontier varsity boys basketball team earn their first victory of the season against North Adams-Jerome in a 65-60 final. The Freshman guard had a double-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.

Week 5 Runner-Up - Kaitlyn Cole - Girls Basketball - Pittsford

Kaitlyn Cole was voted as the Runner-Up for the week five Athlete of the Week Award. Cole, already a Fall Athlete of the Week winner, has continued to help her Wildcat teammates win tough games during the Winter sports season.

The Senior Wildcat used her veteran experience to help lead the Pittsford varsity girls basketball team to two major wins in week five. In the team's win over Waldron, Cole had 15 points, 3 three-pointers, and four steals. The team then faced their biggest challenge of the season against a 7-1 Hillsdale Academy team, and Kaitlyn Cole would have another double-digit scoring effort. The Senior finished with a double-double, and had 4 three-pointers and a total of 15 points.

David Richards - Boys Basketball - Hillsdale Academy

Senior Colt David Richards continued to dominate on the offensive end of the court for his team in week five. The Senior helped the Colts win two major SCAA clashes that included wins over Climax-Scotts and Pittsford. Richards scored a total of 35 points including 24 against the Climax-Scotts Panthers to help his team get to a 3-1 record in SCAA play. For his efforts, he has been selected as a week five nominee.

Tyler Scholfield - Boys Basketball - Jonesville

The Comet varsity boys basketball team has been on a winning streak ever since coming out of the Winter Break. Junior Tyler Scholfield has been an important presence both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court for Jonesville. In their two games in week 5, the Junior had double-digit scoring efforts to help the Comets earn two important conference victories.

Scholfield scored 13 points and had seven rebounds in the team's win over Quincy. Scholfield led the team with 18 points and eight rebounds in their win over the Chargers. For his efforts, Scholfield has been selected as a week five nominee.

Kylie Ward - Girls Basketball - Jonesville

Senior leadership and on-court experience has been an important tool the Comet varsity girls basketball team has used to earn their 8-0 record. To start week five, The Comets faced their biggest test of the season against the 6-1 Onsted Wildcats. The Comets were able to pull off a final second victory over Onsted in a 47-46 final. Senior Kylie Ward was an important player whose effort on the court helped the Comets earn their eighth victory this season.

Ward finished with nine points including 2 three's, led the team with three assists and four steals, and also had five rebounds including four on the defensive end of the court. The biggest moment of the game for Ward would come in the final seconds of the game. Ward was fouled with around one second remaining in the game. With the scored tied at 46-all, one free throw would likely seal the victory for the Comets. Ward was able to knock down the winning free throw attempt. For her efforts, Ward has been selected as a week five nominee.

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Athlete of the Week: Winner, Runner-Up, and honorable mentions for Week 5 - The Hillsdale Daily News

It's hard to believe it's almost the end of January.

And thankfully unlike last January we've already been able to play actual games and not have the season start in February.

From the start ofbasketball games being played this season (late November) until now, we've had some teams impress, while others haven't quite found their footingjust yet.

So, I've decided to go through what teams I've been impressed with so far.

These aren't power rankings or anything like that, but it will put together bothboys and girls basketball teams who havedelivered the most on the court so far. Thankfully, we've quite a few teams that have stood out so far.

Mackinaw City Girls Still undefeated, still dominating their conference, and still playing with so much fluidity, unselfishness and confidence, the Lady Comets check in at the top. Already with so manydouble-digit victories under their belt, Mackinaw City has crushed just about every opponent its faced this season.

The first real testfor the Comets came in a clash against Cedarville-DeTour at home last week. Cedarville-DeTour actually handled the Comets in a win last year, but the Mackinaw City girls got the upper hand this time around, thumping them with a double-digit victory.

Whether it's been the dominant post presence of junior Madison Smith, the stellar guard play of fellow juniors Marlie Postula and Larissa Huffman, or atremendous supporting cast, the Comets lookpoised to not only record another unbeaten Northern Lakes Conference campaign, but challenge for that elusive regional title they've been craving for years.

There's still plenty of work to be done, but the NLC looks like it's going to Mackinaw City once again.

Once we hit the end of February, we can really start talking about how far this team can go.

Right now, the Cometsjust continue to do their thing until that time comes. With the exception of possibly St. Ignace, I don't see where the Comets will slip up in theregular season. Like Cedarville-DeTour, that'll be another great matchup to watch.

Onaway Boys Oh, yes, the Mackinaw City girls have some company at the top.

I couldn't pick one over the other here because bothteams have been incredible so far, both are insanely talented, both are in the driver's seat to capture a conference crown, and both are, of course, undefeated.

I don't think I or Onaway head coach Eddy Szymoniak, for that matter ever thought the Cardinals would start this season out 9-0.

But here we are with the Cardinals, who have benefitted from the return of senior center Jager Mix, a player who was just out for nine months because of aknee injury. What a memorable night it was for Mix last Friday night (Jan. 24), when he became the most recent Onaway playerto surpass 1,000points for his career.

But if you thought Mix was the only star on this Onaway team coming in, think again.

There's lots of them.

How about the emergence of junior guard Bridger Peel, who's become one of the team's top scorers. Or the smooth play of sophomore guard Austin Veal, who's transformed into a deadly perimeter shooter and a gritty defender as well. Or the strong two-way play of sophomore guard Jadin Mix, another capable shooter and tenacious defender. In addition to Jager Mix's experience, the Cardinals have another two-way talent in seniorHunter Riley, who's shown an ability to knock down a big shot andgive a good offensive opponent problems defensively.

I always thought the Cardinals would be a good team, but I didn't imagine them being this good. There's still so much work to be done, but if this Onaway team continues to play at this level, they're going to win something. Or maybe a few things, who knows.

Either way, they've been so fun to watch so far. May it long continue.

Mackinaw City Boys I had no idea what the Mackinaw City boys would look like without arguably the best player in theschool's history Kal O'Brien graduating last season.

Butthe Comets have really done a good job of compensating for O'Brien, an all-state performer a season ago.

The junior guard tandem of Lars Huffman and Cooper Whipkey has really stood out so far, with Huffman being more of the aggressive driver-to-the-basket type players and Whipkey being the deadly outside shooter. Either way, each have helped the Comets get off to a decent start in the Northern Lakes Conference.

Mackinaw City has also been helped out by players like Lucas Bergstrom, Noah Valot, Trystan Swanson and many others, who have all made nice team contributions throughout the campaign. If Mackinaw City's supporting cast continues to improve, the Cometscould be a tough out come postseason time.

While the Comets did suffer a tough loss to NLC favorite Ellsworth earlier this winter, they'll still have a shot to knock them off in a rematch when that time comes.

That game is one I really don't want to miss, because it'll basically determine the conference again. So buckle up with the Comets!

Inland Lakes Girls After a slow start to the season, head coach Daryl Vizina's squad has really shown improvement, compiling victories in five of their last seven games.

Behind the terrific play of junior guard Natalie Wandrie, the Bulldogs went on a five-game winning streak to help put them near the stop of the Ski Valley Conference standings.

Although the offense struggled in a recent loss at Cheboygan, the Bulldogs bounced back a couple days later with a dominating win at Central Lake. The Bulldogs also showed they can hang with the top of the Ski Valley aftermaking things interesting against the Gaylord St. Mary Snowbirds, despite suffering defeat.

Wandrie has been the standout for the Bulldogs, but they also have other weapons to go to. Offensively, seniors Alyssa Byrne and Olivia Monthei have shown they're solid shooters, while junior forward Hannah Robinson has impressed defensively.

They'll be another team to keep an eye on once the postseason arrives.

Plenty of potential

Cheboygan Boys The Chiefs don't have the best record right now at 2-7, but they recently had their best performance of the season in a narrow 52-51 home loss to rival St. Ignace.

This was the tightest game I've covered all season and, while it didn't go Cheboygan's way, I came out of it so impressed with the fight and grit the Chiefs showed.

The key now for head coach Jason Friday and his players will be building off it and turning things around.

The Chiefs have plenty of talent at their disposal, led by seniors Henry Stempky, David Heyer and Carson Mercer, so they're more than capable of getting hot at some point and maybe pull off an upset along the way.

Inland Lakes Boys The start to the winter wasn't a good one for Lee Nash's Bulldogs, but they've really started to come along herethe last few weeks.

About a week-and-a-half ago, the Bulldogs battled against a terrific Onaway team, and now it appears they're starting to find their stride, especially offensively.

One of the standout performers has been sophomore Sam Schoonmaker, whose scoring and rebounding numbers have been strong.

Inland Lakes also has experience with seniors Austin Brege and Andrew Kolly, while junior Connor Knight, sophomore Payton Teuthorn and a few others have also made their impact known.

This could be one of those surprise teams come postseason time, so we'll see if the Bulldogs can keep improving.

Others to keep an eye on: Cheboygan Girls, Onaway Girls, Pellston Boys, Pellston Girls

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Area hoops teams who have impressed so far - Cheboygan Daily Tribune