What Near-Earth Object (NEO) is shown in each

of the picture?
Statement 1: Statement 2: It
is bad to sweep Statement 3:
If a person
bites his the floor at six When two
o'clock in the dogs bark
tongue, it
evening for it
means means driving at night
somebody is away good there is a
thinking of fortune and
him.
ghost.
graces.
 Superstitions about
Comets and Meteors
Learning Objectives:
1.identify some superstitions about comets and meteors;
2. explain whether or not there is a scientific basis on
superstitions about comets and meteors; and,
3. propose doable activity to promote scientific attitude
towards comets and meteors.
Do superstitions about
Comets and Meteors have
scientific basis? Why or why
not?
Activity: Believe it or Not?
In Japan, the superstitions
that are related to comet
and asteroid is that it is
death calling. People
therefore are usually
afraid to see the comets
and asteroids.
Philippines’ superstition
related to meteor is that
when there is a falling
star, your wish will be
granted.
The appearance of a comet is often seen
as a sign of destructive and tragic event
which will come to pass in the near
future.
In an ancient Chinese book, written the
300 B.C., it is explained how the arrival
of comets has caused various disasters
such as wars, dethronement of powerful
leaders, mysterious whale deaths and a
lack of vital ingredients such as salt, fish
and rice.
List down as
many scientific
evidence to
support the
group’s answer to
the questions.
Points System:
3 points – If all ideas were given correctly
2 points – Few ideas were correctly given
1 point – Ideas given were incorrect.
 The appearance of a comet
In Japan, the Philippines’ is often seen as a sign of
superstitions that destructive and tragic event

are related to
superstition which will come to pass in
the near future.
comet and related to
In an ancient Chinese book,
asteroid is that it meteor is that written in the 300 B.C., it is
explained how the arrival of
is death calling. when there is a comets has caused various
People therefore falling star, disasters such as wars,
dethronement of powerful
are usually afraid
to see the comets
your wish will leaders, mysterious whale
deaths and a lack of vital
and asteroids. be granted. ingredients such as salt, fish
and rice.
Propose doable
actions to promote
a more scientific
attitude towards
comets, asteroids
and meteors.
Do superstitions about comets and meteors
have scientific basis? Why or why not?

No. By definition, a superstition is irrational

and has no scientific basis. The actual threats
posed by comets and meteors are much greater
than the “portents” that are seen in astrology.
But no known civilization is known to have
experienced them. Eclipses, moon, phases and
the alignments of planets are other celestial
phenomena that became associated with either
fortunate or unfortunate occurrences.
Superstitious belief, by definition, have no
scientific basis. Science requires that ideas
are tested in a way that is repeatable and
falsifiable. Falsifiable means that there
must be a way that the test shows that a
stated belief is not true., while most
superstitions rely on metaphysical entities
or powers that are so vague they can not
be disproven.
Conduct more studies
about the regular
occurrence of meteors.