Near Earth Objects

[moonguy]

http://www.space.com/22839-asteroid-earth-flyby-2013rz53.html

 

We have only known about this little pebble for a week. Too small by itself to do any damage, but if a larger one set its sites on Earth a weeks notice is long enough to do some serious debauchery. Possibly to live in a loose or wanton manner, rioting, public disorder, looting, protesting, and unrestrained revelry for a full week or so. :umno:

You went to my college, didn't you?

[Turtle]

... When the big one comes for us I hope we are aware at least a month ahead of time. I have acts of depraved, immoral, nefarious, unscrupulous, and wreckless debauchery I'd like to enjoy before it hits us. :P

You went to my college, didn't you?

 

 

So what about that Deep? Your family proud of you too?

[Deepwater6]

Naaahhh, just having some fun. An E.L.E a week out and I'd probably spend the week on my back deck reading a good book. My days of serious debauchery are well past, matter what's headed our way. Not to proud to admit it, I have a few regrets, but all in all it's been a good ride so far. ;)

[Deepwater6]

http://www.space.com/22873-comet-ison-breakup-earth-threat.html

 

I've heard reports that this comet won't be as good as first described. Too bad, Hale Bopp was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in the sky. I was hoping this would be just as good or better.

[Turtle]

Naaahhh, just having some fun. An E.L.E a week out and I'd probably spend the week on my back deck reading a good book. My days of serious debauchery are well past, matter what's headed our way. Not to proud to admit it, I have a few regrets, but all in all it's been a good ride so far. ;)

 

I did think you were kidding, but forgive me if I didn't find it very funny. Consider that it prompted that guy's one-liner and he isn't kidding. Heaven knows we get enough evil intentions here without prompting them. Thanks for setting the record straight though Deep. :)

 

 

http://www.space.com...rth-threat.html

 

I've heard reports that this comet won't be as good as first described. Too bad, Hale Bopp was one of the coolest things I've ever seen in the sky. I was hoping this would be just as good or better.

 

Famous for among other things being born and dying during Haley's comet visits, dear ol' Mark said predictions are hard to make, especially when they deal with the future. If ISON breaks up and forms a 'string of pearls' as did Shoemaker-Levy then that will more than make up for any lack in early predicted brightness. No matter what it does, that we know as much as we do is pretty good and certainly better than humans' historical ignorance concerning these dusty far-flung visitors.

[Deepwater6]

If ISON breaks apart into a string of pearls will it be close enough to see with the human eye? I don't think that was possible with Shoemaker-Levy due to distance correct? Will ISON be close enough to see in any form without a telescope? :rolleyes:

[Turtle]

If ISON breaks apart into a string of pearls will it be close enough to see with the human eye? I don't think that was possible with Shoemaker-Levy due to distance correct? Will ISON be close enough to see in any form without a telescope? :rolleyes:

 

Shoemaker-Levy 9 was not visible without telescopes due to its distance and [small] size even before it broke up. IIRC it orbited Jupiter and not the Sun when it was discovered.

 

Breaking apart won't change ISONS's distance of course, but the pieces may not be visible as naked-eye objects because smaller objects reflect less light than similarly positioned larger objects under the same illumination. If it stays together it's plenty close enough and it's the brightness that is the unknown quantity. It may get bright enough to see it unaided even in daytime, or it may only be visible unaided before sunrise or after sunset, or it may not brighten enough to see unaided. If you don't have a telescope, well-supported binoculars may suffice. In any case there will be no shortage of photos and radar images and we don't have long to wait.

[Deepwater6]

I haven't found much information on ISON's make up. Other than ice can the consistency, density, etc. etc. of any other elements be asertained by astronomers? I would think they would be able to estimate how much ice it consists of with it's melting/ disintergration rate relative to the sun.

[moonguy]

All they really need is a good working figure for its volume. We know within pretty narrow limits what kind of ices a comet would have. Solid material is more speculative, but could be compared to known meteoritic samples. Spectrography is easily done at the kind of ranges ISON will present, at least for a good overall picture for its make-up. It will be good. . .

[Turtle]

I haven't found much information on ISON's make up. Other than ice can the consistency, density, etc. etc. of any other elements be asertained by astronomers? I would think they would be able to estimate how much ice it consists of with it's melting/ disintergration rate relative to the sun.

 

NiteSkyInfo is running an update page.

 

>> Comet ISON - Latest Updates, FAQ, and Viewing Guide

 

Preceding the below quote are a number of observations by amateurs.

 

It appears that Comet ISON is still too close to the Sun for large ground-based observatories or the Hubble Space Telescope to risk their optics in the process of imaging it, so no professional images are available at this time. The Deep Impact spacecraft, which was supposed to begin observations of ISON in August, encountered an error and NASA lost contact with it...

 

 

 

[Deepwater6]

http://www.universetoday.com/104784/more-ison-craziness-tales-of-popes-a-prophet-and-a-comet/

 

I always found it a little odd that some of our ancestors thought our planet was flat. Looking constantly at the shape of the sun and the moon, one would think it to be logical and self evident to think their surface was also round, albeit too large too see it unless they were on one of those circles looking back. Of course I'm thinking this with the benefit of hind sight.

 

Comets, however are something totally different in my opinion. I can honestly say having seen comets I would be taken in by them in the past. It's easy to understand how they can act as omens for war, or the plague, etc.

 

It makes sense that our rulers and religions would seize these events to manipulate the masses to their liking. As the sun and the moon are steady and on a clockwork like schedule, comets seem alive and animated. Its easy to understand how are ancestors misunderstood these events. They shaped our history somewhat, maybe somehow someway they will shape our future.

[Turtle]

http://www.universet...et-and-a-comet/

snip...

Comets, however are something totally different in my opinion. I can honestly say having seen comets I would be taken in by them in the past. It's easy to understand how they can act as omens for war, or the plague, etc.

 

It makes sense that our rulers and religions would seize these events to manipulate the masses to their liking. As the sun and the moon are steady and on a clockwork like schedule, comets seem alive and animated. Its easy to understand how are ancestors misunderstood these events. They shaped our history somewhat, maybe somehow someway they will shape our future.

 

Yeah. The rulers and religions -being more or less synonymous in 'ancient' times- took their power legitimately so to speak inasmuch as they could predict future astronomical events regards the clockwork bodies. Changes of seasons, eclipses, retrograde motion, phases and the like. They keep the how part secret so they keep the power, because hey, if we teach everybody who needs us. Comets however were not on a clockwork and I think they would have scared the bejezuz out of the secret keepers themselves. So yes; I think you are right there was manipulation vis-à-vis comets, but I think it was more of the nature of a think-fast mad scramble immediately on arrival of a comet, and not some happy 'alive and animated' scene as you intimate.

 

I am somehow reassured that many images of ISON right now and during select periods come from amateurs. Anyone with an interest can learn the secrets of astronomy, add to them, and provide a check on the results of others. Keep looking up as Jack Horhkeimer used to say. :smilingsun:

[Turtle]

I haven't found much information on ISON's make up. Other than ice can the consistency, density, etc. etc. of any other elements be asertained by astronomers? I would think they would be able to estimate how much ice it consists of with it's melting/ disintergration rate relative to the sun.

 

Here's something on the melting Deep.

 

Full article: >> Comet ISON to fly by Mars

...

Mars rovers and satellites will get a close-up view. It’s too early to say whether Curiosity will be able to see the comet from the surface of Mars—that depends on how much ISON brightens between now and then. Lisse says the best bet is NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The MRO satellite is equipped with a powerful half-meter telescope named HiRISE that is more than capable of detecting the comet’s atmosphere and tail. Observations are planned on four dates: August 20th, Sept 29th, and Oct 1^st and 2^nd. HiRISE wasn't sent to Mars to do astronomy, notes the telescope’s principal investigator Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona. "The camera is designed for rapid imaging of Mars. Our maximum exposure time is limited compared to detectors on other space telescopes. This is a major limitation for imaging comets. Nevertheless, I think we will detect Comet ISON."

 

The Mars flyby comes at a key time in Comet ISON’s journey. It will have just crossed the "frost line," a place just outside the orbit of Mars where solar

heating is enough to start vaporizing frozen water.

 

"The volatiles in a comet are 80% to 90% water ice," notes Lisse. "Right now in August almost all the water is still frozen, and the outgassing we see in ISON is driven by carbon dioxide and other lesser constituents. Probably only isolated patches of the comet's nucleus are active."

 

But when ISON crosses the frost line, "the whole comet could erupt in geysers of gas," says Lisse. "Mars orbiters will have a ringside seat."The amount of outgassing at Mars will give researchers clues to the size of ISON’s nucleus, which is hidden from view deep within the comet’s dusty atmosphere.

 

"If ISON's nucleus is much bigger than 0.5 km, it will probably survive its Thanksgiving Day brush with the sun," says Lisse. "It could turn into one of the most spectacular comets in many years.

 

...

Edited September 24, 2013 by Turtle

[Turtle]

Fear not comet watchers; all is not lost in spite of earlier reports of disappointment.

 

...

 

At the moment, Comet ISON is about as bright as a 14th magnitude star, which puts it one or two magnitudes dimmer than forecasts. Nevertheless, according to several experts speaking in a

, Comet ISON is still on track to become an impressive sungrazer. John Bortle predicts ISON will rival Venus during the hours leading up to its closest approach to the Sun in November, while Matthew Knight notes that Comet ISON is brighter than Comet Lovejoy was at the same distance from the sun in 2011. As many readers remember, Comet Lovejoy went on to become a spectacular naked-eye object. Comet ISON might do the same....

source

 

Here's a link to a Gallery of images. >> Realtime Comet ISON Gallery

[Deepwater6]

Fear not comet watchers; all is not lost in spite of earlier reports of disappointment.

 

source

 

Here's a link to a Gallery of images. >> Realtime Comet ISON Gallery

 

Well done "T"-man. some good and welcomed news on a otherwise dreary day. Better we light a candle than curse our darkness.

[Deepwater6]

http://www.space.com/22925-nasa-s-grand-asteroid-challenge-scours-maker-faire-13-for-ideas-video.html

 

Perhaps someone could explain 3-D printers to me a bit further. Obviously it's for reproduction of small items, but made out of what material? Is this the beginning of the Star Trek replicator?

[Turtle]

Well done "T"-man. some good and welcomed news on a otherwise dreary day. Better we light a candle than curse our darkness.

Thanks.

 

http://www.space.com...deas-video.html

 

Perhaps someone could explain 3-D printers to me a bit further. Obviously it's for reproduction of small items, but made out of what material? Is this the beginning of the Star Trek replicator?

 

Metals, minerals, plastics, & papers. While NASA is offering code for small asteroid models, the process is not limited to small items.

 

Article: >> 3D-Printing @ WikiPedia

Edited September 26, 2013 by Turtle