Quote:Dec 28 (Reuters) - A comet blazing toward Earth could outshine the full moon when it passes by at the end of next year - if it survives its close encounter with the sun.

The recently discovered object, known as comet ISON, is due to fly within 1.2 million miles (1.9 million km) from the center of the sun on Nov. 28, 2013 said astronomer Donald Yeomans, head of NASA's Near Earth Object Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

(10-21-2013, 08:31 PM)zenmaster Wrote:

(10-22-2013, 12:49 PM)Ashim Wrote: Imagine not seeing the obvious.

(10-22-2013, 12:49 PM)Ashim Wrote: Imagine not seeing the obvious.
Right in front of your eyes.

http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=18&month=11&year=2013' Wrote:COMET ISON'S SUPER TAIL: Comet's ISON's recent outburst of activity has done more than simply brighten the comet. Whatever exploded from the comet's core also created a spectacularly-long tail, more than 16 million kilometers from end to end. Photographed on Nov. 17th by Michael Jäger of Ebenwaldhöhe, Austria. "The tail of the comet stretches more than 7° across the sky," says Jäger. It's almost as wide as the bowl of the Big Dipper.

Physically, ISON's tail is about 12 times wider than the sun. So, when the head of ISON plunges into the sun's atmosphere on Nov. 28th, more than 15 million kilometers of the comet's tail will still be jutting into space behind it.

Because so much gas and dust is spewing from the comet's core, it is impossible to see clearly what caused Comet ISON's outburst on Nov. 13-14. One possibility is that fresh veins of ice are opening up in the comet's nucleus, vaporizing furiously as ISON approaches the sun. Another possibility is that the nucleus has completely fragmented.

"If so, it will still be several days before we know for sure," says Karl Battams, an astronomer with NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign. "When comet nuclei fall apart, it’s not like a shrapnel-laden explosion. Instead, the chunks slowly drift apart at slightly different speeds. Given that ISON’s nucleus is shrouded in such a tremendous volume of light-scattering dust and gas right now, it will be almost impossible to determine this for at least a few days and perhaps not until the comet reaches the field of view of NASA's STEREO HI-1A instrument on November 21, 2013. We will have to wait for the chunks to drift apart a sufficient distance, assuming they don't crumble first."

* Parsons waits for zenmaster to call 'bullshit' on Bashar :p

(11-27-2013, 02:58 PM)Parsons Wrote: Thanks for posting that Melissa, that particular channeling has been on my mind nearly every time I consider this comet. I really hope the second possibility happens.

* Parsons waits for zenmaster to call 'bullshit' on Bashar :p

(11-27-2013, 06:45 PM)Gemini Wolf Wrote: I don't believe these comets or celestial bodies have an effect on our attunements or awakening. I don't see how such a weak gravitational attraction would have any bearing on that.

(11-28-2013, 12:32 AM)rie Wrote: hmmm I'm not sure if celestial events like comets do have any influence as astrological events do. I have not come across rigorous astrological studies (yes they do exist) on very temporary influences as comets. Asteroids (only some) have been shown to have influence… but very very few and ones that orbit solar system for very long time.

Quote:When a comet hovered over Jerusalem in 66AD, it prompted the historian Josephus to warn that it heralded the destruction of Jerusalem, which did indeed happen four years later.

William the Conqueror saw a bright comet, which we now know to be Halley's comet, in 1066. This was perceived by King Harold as a dire omen, but as a favourable one by William. Indeed, William's battle cry came: 'A new star, a new King'. Several months later, Harold was indeed killed at the Battle of Hastings and William had an image of the comet embroidered in the Bayeux Tapestry. A group of terrified Saxons is seen looking up at it; a legend reads, 'They are in awe of the stars.'

In 1301 Halley's Comet again appeared - after which the Italian painter Giotto di Bondare immortalised it by depicting it as The Star of Bethlehem in his painting the Adoration of the Magi in the Arena Chapel, Padua.

A 'black comet' was said to have preceded the Black Death in 1665 and another comet was said to preceed the Great Fire of London in 1666.

The appearance of a comet was also associated with the Great Constantinople Earthquake of 1556.

In 1456 opposing armies of Turks and Christians faced each other at the Battle of Belgrade, when Halley's comet appeared. Its tail, shaped like an avenging sword, pointed towards the Turks; the Christians won. At this time the Turks had become masters of Constantinople and were threatening to advance into Europe. Hence the appearance of Halley's comet was regarded by Christendom with superstitious dread. Ecclesiastical authority saw Halley's comet as an agent of the devil and led to the myth that the pope had excommunicated it. At this time a prayer was added to the Ava Maria: 'Lord save us from the devil, the Turk, and the comet.' (Chambers Encyclopaedia, 1887).

In 1607 Halley's comet was sighted by American colonists, who were subsequently plagued by rampant diseases, hostile Indians and near-starvation.

The penultimate appearance of Halley's comet in 1910 coincided with the death of King Edward VII and the accession of George V. By this time most people had lost their superstitious dread of comets, but other fears had arisen. An astronomer reported that spectroscopic analysis showed that the comet's tail, through which the Earth would pass, contained a poisonous gas, and charlatans made a small fortune selling 'comet pills', guaranteed to protect people from harm.

In 1997 fantasists believed that a Saturn-shaped spaceship was hiding behind Comet Hale-Bopp, ready to invade Earth. This led to the mass suicide of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult!

http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=28&month=11&year=2013' Wrote:COMET ISON, R.I.P.: Evidence is mounting that comet ISON did not survive its brush with the sun earlier today. At 01:45 EST on Nov. 28th, Thanksgiving Day in the USA, the comet was supposed to pass a little more than a million miles above the surface of the sun. As a new movie from SOHO shows, the comet had already disintegrated. Click to set the scene in motion, and pay careful attention to the head of the comet:

In the movie, Comet ISON is clearly falling apart as it approaches the sun. Researchers working with the Solar Dynamics Observatory report that they are saw nothing along the track that ISON was expected to follow through the sun's atmosphere.

Quote:CANCEL THE EULOGY ... FOR NOW: Comet ISON flew through the sun's atmosphere on Nov. 28th and the encounter did not go well for the icy comet. Just before perihelion (closest approach to the sun) the comet rapidly faded and appeared to disintegrate. This prompted reports of ISON's demise. However, a fraction of the comet might have survived. Click on the image below to see what emerged from Comet ISON's brush with solar fire:

In the movie, Comet ISON seems to be falling apart as it approaches the sun. Indeed, researchers working with NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory said they saw nothing along the track that ISON was expected to follow through the sun's atmosphere. Nevertheless, something has emerged. Whether this is a small scorched fragment of Comet ISON's nucleus or perhaps a "headless comet"--a stream of debris marking the remains of the comet's disintegrated core--remains to be seen.

(11-29-2013, 03:15 AM)zenmaster Wrote: Clearly, that must mean aliens are living in it with a message for humanity.

(11-29-2013, 03:52 AM)zenmaster Wrote: The awkard Star Trek fetish betrays the attempt at levity.

(11-29-2013, 04:10 AM)Ashim Wrote:

(11-29-2013, 03:52 AM)zenmaster Wrote: The awkard Star Trek fetish betrays the attempt at levity.

What's "awkard" ?

Quote:COMET ISON LIVES (UPDATED): Cancel the funeral. Comet ISON is back from the dead. Yesterday, Nov. 28th, Comet ISON flew through the sun's atmosphere and appeared to disintegrate before the cameras of several NASA and ESA spacecraft. This prompted reports of the comet's demise. Today, the comet has revived and is rapidly brightening. SOHO coronagraph movie of the solar flyby (updated Nov. 29 @ 1800 UT):

Before the flyby, experts had made many predictions about what might happen to the comet, ranging from utter disintegration to glorious survival. No one predicted both.

Karl Battams of NASA's Comet ISON Observing Campaign says, "[colleague] Matthew Knight and I are ripping our hair out right now as we know that so many people in the public, the media and in science teams want to know what's happened. We'd love to know that too! Right now, here's our working hypothesis:

"As comet ISON plunged towards to the Sun, it began to fall apart, losing not giant fragments but at least a lot of reasonably sized chunks. There's evidence of very large dust in the long thin tail we saw in the [SOHO coronagraph] images. Then, as ISON plunged through the corona, it continued to fall apart and vaporize, losing its coma and tail completely just like sungrazing Comet Lovejoy did in 2011. What emerged from the Sun was a small but perhaps somewhat coherent nucleus that has resumed emitting dust and gas for at least the time being."

Battams emphasizes that it is too soon to tell how big the remnant nucleus is or how bright the resurgent comet will ultimately become. "We have a whole new set of unknowns, and this ridiculous, crazy, dynamic and unpredictable object continues to amaze, astound and confuse us to no end. We ask that you please be patient with us for a couple of days as we analyze the data and try to work out what is happening."

Astrophotographer Babak Tafreshi has edited an HD video that compares views of ISON from both of SOHO's coronagraphs. "It seems the comet could become a naked eye object with several degrees of scattered tail by Dec 2nd or 3rd," he predicts. "It's not the comet of the century for sure, and fainter than the Lovejoy sungrazer in Dec. 2011, but an interesting imaging target is just a few nights away!"