Big Breakup: That's The Way The Comet Crumbles

Science News ^ | 5-7-2006 | Ron Cowen

[blam]

Catastrophism ping?

[tomnbeverly]

Its all Bush's fault....

[Dreagon]

OH NOES!!! THE EARTH SHALL PASS THROUGH IT'S TAIL AND WE SHALL ALL BE BLINDED AND OVERRUN WITH TRIFIDS!!!

[BenLurkin]

We know what happens next:

[BenLurkin]

OR ... ... ...

[GSlob]

Nah... The Earth will collide with the celestial axis.

[cmsgop]

DOOMED !

[null and void]

"How can a body as weak as meringue come together on a kilometer scale, then fall apart?"

*shrug* We have politicians like that...

[agere_contra]

I for one welcome our new Norman overlords.

[Strategerist]

I haven't looked, but I presume the usual assortment of Apolcalpytikook and Junk "science" sites are proclaiming that the comet chunks are going to hit earth on some specified date, but this knowledge is being "covered up" by NASA, etc?

If they aren't I'm pretty disappointed in them......

[BenLurkin]

Good one!

[thoughtomator]

Just another pass of the comet Gop...

[shorty_harris]

DOOMED !

In 1994, I was part of an observing team which recorded the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with the planet Jupiter.

You should have heard all the dire predictions then!

[BenLurkin]

This looks like genuine data (no doom predictions - just locations?)It may be of interest to those FReepers who are smarter than me (of which there are many):http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/0073P/2006.html

[true_blue_texican]

...In 1994, I was part of an observing team which recorded the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with the planet Jupiter...

Hey, I wonder if that new Red Spot is in the same hemisphere where the comet parts collided? Or even in the same band as some/most/all(?) of the parts collided?

[BenLurkin]

And more: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Comets/0073P.html

[BenLurkin]

And more: "Chasing Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann"

http://www.skyhound.com/sh/73P.html

"May 4: Component B continues to evolve quickly. There are reports that it has faded and become more diffuse. Bob King, observing with a 10-inch, reports "Using 357x I resolved a compact cloud or condensation immediately following the nucleus of B that made the nuclear region look like a very close, fuzzy double star."

May 3: there are as yet unconfirmed reports that B is in outburst (which means it may have brightened significantly) as well as an abrupt change in morphology of the nucleus.

May 2: images are once again showing a double nucleus in component B

May 1: C is naked eye, B is obvious in binoculars, G is difficult, R is in outburst and now visible in an 8-inch telescope. See the Current Appearance section below for more info.

April 30: Component C is a confirmed naked-eye object. "

[UnklGene]

[RightWhale]

What this could be is the beginning of a meteor shower. Some meteor showers follow the orbits of comets, and some seem to have no comet anymore. Once this comet is totally fragmented the earth can pass through the debris trail with no other effect than a mid-May meteor storm, but the more the debris is distributed along the orbit the less intense the storm will be.