I made this series to explore what it might look like if Earth passed through the tail of a particularly active comet in a very close (astronomically, anyways) pass. In the past, the planet has indeed passed through the trails of comets before, though nothing this dense or close that I can find on record. I also imagined how Earth’s gravity might displace the dust, and ended up with a pattern akin to waves caused by moonless in Saturn’s rings.
On the surface, this would be a harmless, but spectacular scene, likely with active meteor showers. Indeed, most major showers are debris left in the comets’ orbits as it is, like the Orionids being spawned from Halley’s Comet.
Meanwhile on the charcoal-toned nucleus, a lone lander relays data until it either runs out of power or is bucked off.
The only potential problem I could imagine from all this is damage to satellites. Hopefully they might be more durable by the time something like this might happen.
The comet overall is largely based on Comet West’s last appearance.
Published by
Jett
Jett McIntyre Furr is an artist and graphic designer from Stanly County, North Carolina. His parents named him for aviation, and since an early age has had great interest in all things aviation and space related. Jett's primary training from college is in graphic design, but he also has experience with character design, digital paintings, 3D modeling, and video editing. He has previously worked as an intern and then volunteer at PBS affiliate WTVI Charlotte, and currently is available for freelance work, having done commissions mainly for individuals and a local game company. Lately, Jett has been applying what he has learned back to his love of space, and has a particular interest in the gas giants and exoplanets, using the digital brush to explore places and ideas that people have yet to explore themselves. Career-wise, Jett is looking to get into the animation industry and design characters and backgrounds for animated shows, and he is also looking into how to do illustration or other art and design work for space-related jobs. In joining the IAAA he hopes to learn from the experiences of community members and share what he learns in turn, and to possibly open up opportunities for professional work. Though most of all, he just wants to learn new things about space and be able to discuss it with artists around the world. There's always more to learn!
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This artwork is copyright © Jett. All rights reserved.
