Approaching Comet (inter solar system)

Spaceweather.com ^ | 1.09.2009 | n/a

[wolfcreek]

Comet Lulin (C/2007 N3), discovered in 2007 by a Strait-bridging team of astronomers from Taiwan and China, is swinging around the sun and approaching Earth. Astronomer Karzaman Ahmad sends this picture taken Jan. 7th from the Langkawi National Observatory in Malaysia:

[wolfcreek]

Wonder how many of the major financial players in the world are aware of this? Make you want to go, Hmmmm?

[wolfcreek]

Inter Solar Ping!

[Eye of Unk]

I wonder if there was a truly life threatening extinction event on the near horizon would our glorious leader tell us?

[decimon]

Surprises are possible.

Gee, I hate surprises.

[cripplecreek]

I wonder if there was a truly life threatening extinction event on the near horizon would our glorious leader tell us?

I'm not sure there would be a point or even if I would want to know.

[SouthDixie]

All this Intergallactic activity makes me wonder if the planets will be colliding Jan 20th, 2009.

[wolfcreek]

OH, HELL NO! They would just steal our wealth while they still can.

[blueplum]

I’ve never heard of an ‘anti-tail’ before...sure hope this one misses us, anti-tail and all!

[wolfcreek]

antitail

---

Part of the dust tail of a comet that seems to point, often like a spike, toward the Sun. This rare phenomenon is an illusion caused by the viewing geometry and typically occurs when Earth crosses the plane of a comet’s orbit when the comet is relatively close to the Sun. Under these circumstances, the cometary dust, which lies in a thin sheet and lags behind the comet, may be seen edge-on as an antitail.

If you can’t see ANY tail, does that mean it’s headed straight for you?

[wolfcreek]

According to the museum, it took 28.5 million years for Comet Lulin to revolve round the Sun on its own axis.

In other words, museum astronomers said, the last time Comet Lulin came to the inner part of the solar system, human beings had just evolved from monkeys, the ice caps of the North and South Poles had just formed, the globe’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas, had just appeared upon a ground breaking orogenic movement, and Taiwan was still deep in the sea.

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=829685&lang=eng_news

[Jeff Head]

Closest approach is supposed to be .41 AU. No need for financial planners to worry about this one.

[wolfcreek]

Lulin will pass 0.41 AU (Astronomical Unit) from earth and reach the closest distance to Earth on Feb. 24 — about 14.5 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. One AU is the distance between Earth and the Sun.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2009/01/05/190558/Comet-Lulin.htm

I don’t know. That seems a little close for comfort. (especially since they don’t know how it will react as it approaches the Sun.)

[BerniesFriend]

if a comet is heading towards the earth..we had better evacuate..obama will tap caroline to lead the evacuation..

[SlowBoat407]

In other words, museum astronomers said, the last time Comet Lulin came to the inner part of the solar system, human beings had just evolved from monkeys, the ice caps of the North and South Poles had just formed, the globe’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas, had just appeared upon a ground breaking orogenic movement, and Taiwan was still deep in the sea.

Someone remembers...

[ZX12R]

I don’t know. That seems a little close for comfort. (especially since they don’t know how it will react as it approaches the Sun.)

Maybe we'll get lucky and pass through part of the tail, and have the meteor shower of a lifetime.

[Hatteras]

"Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy." - Joe Biden

[SlowBoat407]

In honor of the inauguration of our new president, it will be re-named the “obamet”.

[cripplecreek]

I vote to call it an Obamaroid.

[silverleaf]

How many people woould pay their mortgages if they knew we were facing extinction in 3 months? Hmmm.

[wolfcreek]

That would be Kewl!

Although: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6dOoyghxb0