Obscure Comet Brightens Suddenly, page 4
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ATS Members have flagged this thread 26 times


reply posted on 1-11-2007 @ 07:20 AM by Copernicus
reply to post by fiftyfifty


What if its not a comet...

I made a post with some speculative theories in the other thread.

Are my theories possible? We know NASA lies constantly. What if they lie about this thing being the same comet that was discovered 1892 and that orbits us every 7 years...

What if its approaching us and they lie about the orbit? Is it possible for private astronomers to calculate its orbit to verify what NASA says?


[edit on 1-11-2007 by Copernicus]


reply posted on 1-11-2007 @ 07:28 AM by fiftyfifty
reply to post by Copernicus


I'm not sure what's possible but looking at the photos, although it may be an optical illusion, am i alone in thinking that it looks like a very large sphere? The "coma" is actually the main body and the "nucleus" looks like a reflection of the sun in the same way you get a reflection off of any round shiny object.

I just can't get my head around it. If it has exploded and is expanding, then why is it not dispersing and scattering like tuttle earlier this year? Why the tail anomolies? And how the hell can they call something 7 times the size of jupiter a comet?!


reply posted on 1-11-2007 @ 07:40 AM by Copernicus
reply to post by fiftyfifty


Not sure, but keep your eye on this "comet"... I have a feeling it will continue to grow. Just look at what has happened to it in 8 days...

Is there any way for independent astronomers to calculate its orbit?



[edit on 1-11-2007 by Copernicus]



reply posted on 1-11-2007 @ 09:14 AM by Hal9000
reply to post by Rilence

I appreciate the compliments, but to tell you the truth I didn't use astro jargon because I am still learning it myself.


reply to post by fiftyfifty

What they mean by the size of the comet, is the size of the coma, not the size of the comet nucleus. The nucleus is a very small semi/hard object, but it has emitted a lot of gas and vapor to create the huge coma which is now many times larger than Jupiter. That is how big it would be if you were to travel out to the comet and get close. That is incredible just to imagine.

Originally posted by Copernicus
What if its approaching us and they lie about the orbit? Is it possible for private astronomers to calculate its orbit to verify what NASA says?

I'm sure some could, but I'm also sure the orbit has been confirmed by other professional astronomers across the globe. NASA does not have a monopoly on Space and has no control over what other astronomers in other countries say. Your theory is interesting, but I have not seen anything to support it, and believe me if I did, I would be the first to post it.

edit to add: According to Wikipedia, they say the nucleus of the comet is 3.4km, which is very small, but if it were to hit the Earth, depending on the velocity could cause devastation, but it is NOT heading toward us. So just to clarify, the comet nucleus is not the size of the Moon, just the coma which is made of gas and vapor.

Based on orbital computations and luminosity before the comet's 2007 outburst, its nuclear diameter is estimated at 3.4 km [8]. In late October 2007 the diameter of its coma increased from 3.3 arcminutes to over 13 arcminutes[9], about half the diameter that the Moon subtends in the sky.

en.wikipedia.org...


[edit on 11/1/2007 by Hal9000]


reply posted on 1-11-2007 @ 12:24 PM by disownedsky
reply to post by Copernicus


What makes you think that NASA is saying that? There are lots of non-NASA astronomers world wide observing this comet and trying to understand its eruption.

I don't think there's any reasonable doubt left that it is a comet.


reply posted on 1-11-2007 @ 02:39 PM by disownedsky
reply to post by zorgon


No, the comet is very tiny compared to Jupiter. What you see is a very diffuse cloud of bright erupted material (probably ice) reflecting sunlight. This is just a function of the fact that because it is so small, it has little gravity and any erupted material escapes to form a large cloud.

All over the world, astronomers are taking spectra of the comet. Preliminary scientific results (you know - evidence?) should start rolling in soon.

And no, it's not going to hit the Earth.



reply posted on 1-11-2007 @ 02:42 PM by Hal9000
reply to post by Copernicus

So Copernicus if this comet was headed right at us and about to hit the Earth in a few days, which it isn't, what difference would it make if NASA told us or not? There would be nothing anyone could do to stop it and in the end it wouldn't matter if you knew a few hours ahead of time, now would it?

If you want drama, please take it to the other thread.


reply posted on 1-11-2007 @ 03:37 PM by Copernicus
reply to post by Hal9000


I would like to know the truth. I believe it would not be a good idea to tell the public, but Im a curious guy and it would be nice to get some extra time to tell my friends and say goodbye to people.

I do not plan on taking it to another thread. I suggest you stop reading my posts if you dont like them.


reply posted on 1-11-2007 @ 05:25 PM by Hal9000
reply to post by Copernicus

You welcome to post if you have questions about the comet, and I don't mind if you talk about your theory, but I do mind when you don't accept an explanation because you don't like it.

If you don't like the answer, then don't ask the question.
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