Posted on 08/31/2011 10:00:43 PM PDT by djf
Whenever astronomers discover a comet headed inbound toward a close encounter the Sun, there's always buzz among observers about how bright it might get. That was certainly the case last December, when Comet Elenin (C/2010 X1) made its debut. Many hoped it would become easily visible to the unaided eye as it rounded perihelion nine months later.
By April, that initial enthusiasm had waned a bit, as it became clear that Comet Elenin was small and intrinsically faint.
The keys to its peak visibility were the closeness it would eventually have to the Sun on September 10th (0.48 astronomical unit, about 45 million miles) and to Earth in mid-October (0.23 a.u.). In fact, amateur observations through July and early August suggested that this interloper might even be ahead of schedule, brightness-wise. The hearts of comet observers everywhere raced a little faster.
Now all bets are off. Within the past week the comet's brightness has declined by 50%, dropping a half magnitude between August 19th and 20th, according to Australian observer Michael Mattiazzo. (The comet's current location in western Virgo makes it virtually unobservable from northern latitudes.)
Worse, images show Comet Elenin's bright core becoming elongated and diffuse — the telltale signs that its icy nucleus has either broken in two or disintegrated altogether.
One veteran comet-watcher who's not surprised is John Bortle. Four months ago, based on Elenin's performance to that point, he cautioned, "The comet may be intrinsically a bit too faint to even survive perihelion passage." And his words have proved prescient, as the fading continues (estimates are near 9th magnitude) and there's speculation that this object or its remnants might not be around much longer.
I guess all those pseudoscientific bloggers who predicted planet-altering encounters with a cosmic visitor bright enough to be seen in broad daylight will just have to find something else to worry about.
I agree. Definately something weird.
Ping!!
So the center of the debris cone will be 0.23 a.u. away. How wide will the cone be when it crosses our orbit?
Bush’s fault.
Comet Elenin EXPLODES HI1-B August 31st 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fDjO9Nhslo&feature=player_embedded
Comet Elenin appears to be hit by a pulse or explosion and possibly breaks into two pieces?
Not sure.
But no doubt if it’s breaking apart and spreading out, that increases the chance it might hit something important.
Hope it’s not my backside!!!
Warp core breach.......Just guessing :^)
Maybe it’s supposed to break apart now, so as to release the ET bio-agents contained therein so as to best infect the Earth? Hmmm...
Somebody ping Weird Algore. Obviously humanity is causing Galactic Cooling.
It’s dead, Jim...
Right from the deep freeze into the oven. And it broke... That is weird. Wonder why....
Stress fractures in ice due to sudden change in temp? Nah... that's too easy.
BTW, the local junior college will probably let you audit a cosmology class for free. Just don't get it confused with the cosmetology classes, unless you need a haircut.
/johnny
Wait, I thought WE were the ET bio-agents?
/johnny
Not sure what to say about that! That stuff sure isn’t “normal”!
Lately, we’ve been hearing all these stories and plans about some space agency trying to blast an asteroid out of it’s path to stop it from hitting us.
Maybe the “stories” aren’t just stories.
Maybe it’s actually happening right now.
I remember watching the original orbital path projections, and seems to me it came one heck of a lot closer than .23 AU
It's deeper than you think... There are layers here, you have to peel the onion. We were the bio-agent, but now a new bio-agent is coming to eliminate the first. The vaccine has been released, and we're the infection!
See, I could do this Coast To Coast thing!
Josephine The Plumber wasn’t worried.
I was on my way to Russia to settle in one of their 500 underground bunkers.
Wonder if I can get a refund....or maybe I should now wait for planet X!
Meh... meet me down at the corner of Main and Elm when you find another race that keeps carnivores as pets.
We're still the meanest, baddest hominids on the planet.
Only thing tougher than us is the roaches, rats, virii and some of the prions.
And we have opposable thumbs. (no claims to great intellegence for the species. I've met my new son-in law)
/johnny
Look at the bright side. Maybe it’s just regrouping. :)
I’ve been watching this Elenin event after seeing this vid posted on Mar 8th
She predicts a major event between Mar 11th thru 15th due to Elenin alignment.
Japan’s quake hit on the 11th
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95zMdTvoqcQ
Now that Elenin was blown away, I guess the predictions for earth quakes
on the 27th of September are out the window.
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