How to Watch July 4 Comet Impact

This is pretty cool, I had no idea this was even happening
kind of freaky experiment though, I guess they are doing this for a real threat in the future?

www.space.com...
In early July, NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft will deploy a tiny impactor to smash into the nucleus of a small comet. The idea is to excavate a sizable crater and provide valuable insight into the true nature of comets.

For skywatchers here on Earth, it should also produce a large cloud of ejected material that should cause the comet to significantly brighten enough to become visible with binoculars and perhaps even with the unaided eye.


The comet that has been chosen for the task was discovered by a Frenchman in the mid-19th century. Known as Comet Tempel 1, it already has a rather checkered history. Soon, however, it will go down in history books.

Please click the link for the rest of the article, I think this is pretty exciting space news...btw even though I'm mod and I used the search feature, please let me know if this has been covered here before.

Yeah it has several times, and I used the search function too and came up with nuthin ... but anyway the projectile they are firing at it is soft copper that will "splatter" on the surface of the comit, chipping away some of the surface material to see what the composition is underneath the "skin" of the commit.

It will most likely not cause it to deviate from its current orbital path. Would a BB fired from an Air Rifle derail a train? Thats what this experiment is like in a nutshell.

[edit on 3-6-2005 by sardion2000]

strange how I can't find anything either, I'll leave it the mods of this forum to find it for me, but until then...

oh so it's nothing big then, so why do they think we will be able to see something, what are they expecting? fireworks? or nothing at all?

here's the NASA link to Project Deep Impact btw...

www.nasa.gov...

Wow, thanks worldwatcher...it sounds like the best Independence Day fireworks we've had yet!

Originally posted by worldwatcher
I guess they are doing this for a real threat in the future?

Nope, just doing it so we can better understand comets. That's about it really. Before anyone mentions it though, the probe will not be able to affect the path of the comet. The scale, in terms of mass, of it is something like a VW Bug trying to stop a freight train.

And as far as I know, it hasn't been talked about in a bit. So you're good on not having a repeat.

Originally posted by cmdrkeenkid

Originally posted by worldwatcher
I guess they are doing this for a real threat in the future?

Nope, just doing it so we can better understand comets. That's about it really.

and....i'll breathe a sigh of relief, when, in the future-
the data and processes of tracking and positioning the two fast moving objects (comet & the probe)
are utilized as guidelines and protocols to be followed ....
as we on earth find a need to 'zero in'
on that pesky asteroid we call Toutatis (the tumbling mountain)

...isn't it wonderful! that 'pure science' exercise of shooting & hitting a moving comet, back in 2005,
sure comes in handy now! (my thought balloon in 2008)

imho, nothing is as simple & straight forward as it seems

Originally posted by St Udio
... as we on earth find a need to 'zero in'
on that pesky asteroid we call Toutatis (the tumbling mountain)...

You don't have to worry about Toutatis, since it'll be passing about 4 times farther away from Earth than the Moon is.

Well at least the end of the world is not coming to a theater near us anytime soon.

So this will be very interesting, will be looking at the sky for it.

Originally posted by sardion2000
...projectile they are firing at it is soft copper that will "splatter" on the surface of the comit, chipping away some of the surface material...

It won't "splatter", it literally explodes.

Remember that projectiles used by MBTs against "hard targets"= other MBTs rely purely on kinetic energy. (penetration capability of these rounds is around one meter of steel)
In this case speed of impactor (actually speed difference between impactor and comet) is ten times higher. Amount of kinetic energy is so big that hit causes instant and pretty much complete vaporization of impactor and considerable amount of comet's material.

Explosion itself wouldn't be visible, it's all that matter blown away by explosion (and possible fast evaporation of volatile matter from new exposed surface when sun heats it) which would cause increase in brightness.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by The Block
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Ah, a past thread has been found! It's more than 10 days old though, so no big deal. Thanks though!