Don Quixote Comet Found, 11 Miles Long And “Sopping Wet,” Third Largest Near Earth Object!

Researchers at Northern Arizona University using the Spitzer Space Telescope discovered that what was thought to be a large asteroid called Don Quixote is in fact a comet. Don Quixote, whose journey stretches to the orbit of Jupiter wandered its lone, intrepid path, passing before the eyes of scientists for 30 years.
The results of an ongoing project at NAU show that Don Quixote is not, in fact, a dead comet, as previously believed, but it has a faint coma and tail. In fact, this object, the third-biggest near-Earth asteroid known, skirts Earth with an erratic, extended orbit and is "sopping wet," said David Trilling of Northern Arizona University, with large deposits of carbon dioxide and presumably water ice. Don Quixote is about 18 kilometers (11 miles) long.

technabob.com...

www.astronomy.com...

11 Miles!!

How many more comets coming this year??

reply to post by nighthawk1954


By near earth does that mean we cross paths sometimes? By skirting, does that mean no chance of hitting us?

I'm mean, if our two balls met in this cosmic game of billiards it would be a ELE. Game Over

reply to post by nighthawk1954


That would be a sight to behold!

reply to post by nighthawk1954


Thank you for posting: One day we will get hit...just a matter of time... If the governments of the world actually cared about earth and it's people they would be working diligently on a defense; not just some paper exercise. Maybe they are and I am not seeing the whole picture... Helps to find them first and compute the orbits, I know.... However if tomorrow they found something like our 11 mile friend was going to impact in two or three months (year or two?) it is my understanding we just bend over and kiss our butts goodbye... Piss poor prior planning IMO especially when an extinction event like an impact of that magnitude is a real possibility.

reply to post by TDawgRex

Its orbit never crosses that of Earth. It gets close to that of Mars.
It poses no threat.
ssd.jpl.nasa.gov...

727Sky
reply to post by nighthawk1954

 

Thank you for posting: One day we will get hit...just a matter of time... If the governments of the world actually cared about earth and it's people they would be working diligently on a defense; not just some paper exercise. Maybe they are and I am not seeing the whole picture... Helps to find them first and compute the orbits, I know.... However if tomorrow they found something like our 11 mile friend was going to impact in two or three months (year or two?) it is my understanding we just bend over and kiss our butts goodbye... Piss poor prior planning IMO especially when an extinction event like an impact of that magnitude is a real possibility.

You have that right brother!

reply to post by 727Sky
its going to happen,russia last year proofed that,too small to see it coming but not much bigger it would have hit and hit with a whack,just a matter of time.

TDawgRex
reply to post by nighthawk1954

 

By near earth does that mean we cross paths sometimes? By skirting, does that mean no chance of hitting us?

They say a potential impact is extremely unlikely:

The implications have less to do with a potential impact, which is extremely unlikely in this case, and more with “the origins of water on Earth,” Trilling said. Impacts with comets like Don Quixote over geological time may be the source of at least some of it, and the amount on Don Quixote represents about 100 billion tons of water — roughly the same amount that can be found in Lake Tahoe, California.

Waiting for Electric universe/Electric comet proponents to post that 100 billion tons of water means it actually has no water at all and comets are all completely dry, in 3, 2, 1....

reply to post by Phage


I wonder whats going on with the Mars October 2014 Event.

An impact event on Mars can fling a load our way as well...
Maybe even create a ring around mars...

I often wonder - is it conceivable - our government/scientists are more advanced with higher technological capabilities out in space than the general public are led to believe?

Sometimes, when sky gazing and seeing anamoulous lights obviously outside our atmosphere - turn and pivot, slow and speed up, - I sometimes wonder. What are our actual capabilities out there in space.

It's just, it would seem contact by these travelling celestial bodies would be more common place - by that I mean contact with impact seems to me should be a lot more often than it is. What is it watching out for us that diverts such these from being more commonplace? Not even at an ELE level but more contacts like that which we saw in South America and Russia recently.

It's something I wonder, muse about often.

CdT

reply to post by AbleEndangered

An impact event on Mars can fling a load our way as well...

Not likely but debris from Mars wouldn't get here any time soon anyway.

Maybe even create a ring around mars...

Maybe a very faint one.

But the orbit of C/2013 A1 is well identified. The closest it will get to Mars is 51,000 miles. Which is very close but it will not collide. Perhaps the MSL will get some really amazing pictures for us.

reply to post by Phage


I think Mars is going to get Pummeled!

Even a glance with the tail will be harsh.

51,000 Miles, 1/5th from Earth to moon.

AbleEndangered
reply to post by Phage

 

I think Mars is going to get Pummeled!

Even a glance with the tail will be harsh.

51,000 Miles, 1/5th from Earth to moon.

A comet's tail is mostly gas and dust.
The mass of the tail is probably not enough to pummel Mars.

reply to post by Soylent Green Is People


Hehe, forgot Rocks!!

Yeah, maybe its nothing, Jupiter took it like a champ...

NBC Nightly News 6.3.2010 Jupiter takes hit from asteroid
www.youtube.com...


Progression of Jupiter's Impact Scar from July 19 - August 31, 200
www.youtube.com...


BBC: Jupiter Explosion - A Comet's Tale
www.youtube.com...

AbleEndangered
Yeah, maybe its nothing, Jupiter took it like a champ...

The difference may be that while Jupiter got hit, this comet C/2013 S1 is expected to miss Mars by 51,000 miles.

reply to post by Soylent Green Is People


Imagine the sun opening up the coma of the comet and loosening the whole structure. Its almost got a geyser on them, most of them. That Geyser is filled with Lots of Crunchies!!

Mars has very little atmosphere to burn up most of the crunchies.

So each spec, will be a new crater!!

reply to post by AbleEndangered

Those crunchies would continue to follow the original orbit of the comet.

reply to post by 727Sky


Hey Sky;
they have been working on something since 1947.. they are called (DEEP UNDERGROUND MILITARY BASES) D.U.M.B.s and they have 119 in the U.S. alone... They are as small as 3/4 cubic mile area, multiply level to over 3 cubic miles area multiply levels are starting at depths of 800 feet to 3 miles. They are stocked with fuel and food provisions for 2 years at each dependent on the size and population capacity. There is just one issue.. They're not enough of them to house every Citizen in the U.S. Only the Government, Military and a Selected Group will be allowed inside.
The D.U.M.B.s are connected by TUNNEL HIGHWAYS & by MAGNETO RAIL TRAINS from the west coast to the East coast and up to New England.
I got to ride with a trucker once for over 900 miles underground. Highways are two lane and can accommodate 18 wheelers, military wheeled vehicles, autos, really Super Highways.
You can confirm these facts by going to the archives of Jessie Ventura's Conspiracies Theory TV show that aired on True TV.

Just a note, Comet Ison and Asteroid Eros are traveling together and are expected to cross and parallel Earth's orbit around the sun.

reply to post by CirqueDeTruth


BEN RICH, THE HEAD OF THE "LOCKHEED SKUNK WORKS" at a speech at one of the California Colleges STATED THAT AT THAT TIME; "WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO TAKE E.T. HOME" AND WANDER THE GALAZY". ALSO THAT EINSTIEN HAD MADE A MISTAKE WHICH ENABLED THE ADVANCES TO BE ABLE TO TRAVEL "FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT". HE SAID THIS THE LATE 1990's.
THE BLACK BUDGETS AND SECRET SPACE PROGRAMS RUN BY THE NAVY 50-60 YEARS AHEAD OF ANYTHING WE CAN THINK OF..... STAR TREK AND STAR GATE ARE HERE NOW.....