Menace from the Moon

In Which the Investigators Face an Ancient Extraterrestrial Threat as a New Comet Appears in the Sky

Currently on display in the museum is a set of rocks found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. These geologically unique stones are believed to be of lunar origin, ejected from the moon by the impact of a meteorite. The rocks have been on display in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. until recently, but they are now part of a traveling exhibit touring the country. They are on the final leg of the tour, with San Diego as the last stop before being returned to the Smithsonian, and will remain in the city for the next two weeks.

A new comet nears the inner solar system for the first time in recorded history. Comet Negretto, discovered by and named after Italian astronomer Sylvio Negretto, is moving increasingly closer to our planet as it follows its elongated path around the sun, growing more prominent in the skies as it approaches. Because of its current location in the heavens, it appears only at night—and, because of its distance, only on clear evenings. As it nears and crosses Earth’s orbit our planet will pass through the comet’s tail, just as it did with Halley’s Comet earlier in the century. Astronomers and other scientists assure the public that no harm will be done, as the gasses are so diverse that no one would ever know of the event if the public hadn’t been alerted ahead of time.

How are these circumstances related, and what have they to do with our intrepid investigators?