NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English (It So Happen) Chapter 9 The comet-I

Ans : Indrani Debi disliked Duttada’s “hobnobbing” with Dibya because for her, that telescope was like a designing woman who had ensnared her husband. 

Ans : She was smiling at the forgetful nature of Duttada. He used to overlook the practical problems of living. His doctor had told him to take special precautions against the cold. However, he would not remember to put on a sweater even if it was lying on his bedside chair. 

Ans : (i) Duttada’s secret ambition was to discover a new comet one day.
(ii) Duttada knew that he had only an eight inch telescope, which was very small as compared to the gigantic ones that professional astronomers had. He also knew that his chances of fulfilling his ambition were very little. Yet, he was optimistic and he persevered. He sat every night with his small telescope and gazed at the stars, believing thathe would discover a comet one day. 

Ans : Like planets, comets also orbit round the Sun, but their orbits are highly eccentric. Once in a while, a comet comes close to the Sun. It has a longish tail that is lit brilliantly by the sunlight, and then it recedes into darkness, not to be seen again for years or for centuries. 

Ans : Duttada was hopeful that he would discover a new comet soon because he knew that the professionals with their pre-assigned programmes would be looking at faint stars and hazy galaxies. They might miss such an insignificant thing as a comet, which they would not be expecting to see. Amateurs had often discovered new comets, which the professionals had missed.