A Harbinger of Doom this way Comes

Comet ATLAS was discovered on Dec. 28, 2019 as a faint speck but as it makes its way to orbit the Sun it has surprised astronomers with its rate of brightening leading to hopes that at it closes in on Sol at the end of May it could be visible to the naked eye ending our visible "comet drought" , or then again perhaps it won't but as we're overdue for a Harbinger of Doom it probably will.

But comets typically brighten as they approach the sun, and at its closest, on May 31, Comet ATLAS will be just 23.5 million miles (37.8 million km) from the sun. Such a prodigious change in solar distance would typically cause a comet to increase in luminosity by almost 11 magnitudes, enough to make ATLAS easily visible in a small telescope or a pair of good binoculars, although quite frankly nothing really to write home about.

Except, since its discovery, the comet has been brightening at an almost unprecedented speed. As of March 17, ATLAS was already magnitude +8.5, over 600 times brighter than forecast. As a result, great expectations are buzzing for this icy lump of cosmic detritus, with hopes it could become a stupendously bright object by the end of May.

The reason for its early brightening is a bit of a mystery that has experts scratching their heads.

John Bortle, who has observed hundreds of comets and is a well-known expert in the field, got his first look at Comet ATLAS through 15 x 70 binoculars on Sunday night (March 15). And he's stumped, he wrote. "For the first time in many years I am left at a bit of a loss as to what honestly worthy advice I can offer would-be observers. I really don't know quite what to make of this object."

The head (or coma) of Comet ATLAS is big, albeit "very faint and ghostly," Bortle said, which doesn't make sense. "If it's a truly significant visitor, it should be considerably sharper in appearance. Instead we see, at best, a quite modestly condensed object with only a pinpoint stellar feature near its heart."

Now, here is the conundrum regarding Comet ATLAS: Until a couple of weeks ago, it was brightening at an astounding rate. That brightening has slowed somewhat, but it is still an impossible rate of brightening to maintain. Were ATLAS to continue to brighten at this rate all the way to its closest approach to the sun at the end of May, it would end up rivaling the planet Venus in brightness!

"We should expect the rate of increase to slow again," Carl Hergenrother, an assiduous comet observer based in Arizona, said. "This is where it gets tricky for predicting just how bright it will get." Right now, no one can predict how long it will continue to quickly brighten and how dramatically that brightening will slow.
www.space.com...

With all the doom and gloom on this floating rock at the moment I'm sure the Universe has sent us a little something to make 2020 a little more interesting for the right reasons ... or it'll just fizzle out and we're left with just doom and gloom to remember 2020 for.

a reply to: gortex

Interestingly, in history plagues and comets are closely associated and there are lots of theories about it.

There are just so many plagues coinciding with major comet observations that it's worth noting although common sense would indicate there's no logical relationship.

I do find it very interesting though to research.

a reply to: gortex

Harbinger of doom!

I like to say that

Harbinger of doooom!

lol

a reply to: gortex

Ah good a breath of fresh air, a quick demise is certainly favourable.

a reply to: muzzleflash

Well unless the comet brings the plagues

Some doom and gloom always goes great with my early morning coffee! Thanks for this post, Gortex.

a reply to: gortex

Sweet looks like electric universe may be right about comets.

Interesting, a comet was observed in 1664 before the plague swept through Europe.

In 'London's Deliverance Predicted' July 1665 by John Gadbury , Gradbury draws a correlation between the comet and the plague.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: muzzleflash

Well unless the comet brings the plagues

Exactly. We need some panspermicide foam or jelly for protection.

a reply to: gortex

The head (or coma) of Comet ATLAS is big, albeit "very faint and ghostly," Bortle said, which doesn't make sense. "If it's a truly significant visitor, it should be considerably sharper in appearance. Instead we see, at best, a quite modestly condensed object with only a pinpoint stellar feature near its heart."

This is because it could be a "Shotgun comet" and I don't even want my name on that moniker.

Think about it: Diffuse at such a distance means Hell is coming.

No religion need be involved.

Gortex rocks....helluva detective....we were posting 4 days ago about the Earths new moon....that doesn't react to solar wind pressure as it orbits....they mentioned 2017 for when it got here......Gortex and I on the 16 object thread....idk4s

hey, you guys thinking somethings up

Signs in the Sun and Heavens....He said that FOR A REASON....suppose idk, wait....April 3rd....Venus =, representing Christ is bullseye with the 7 sisters.....take that

If you look up Earths new moon....you will read where the science boys think it's ...." ARTIFICIAL ".....

a reply to: GBP/JPY

Halley's put on a pretty good show.
Hale-Bopp was quite awesome.

Been nothing but disappointments since.

a reply to: gortex



🤘

a reply to: gortex
Sadly it looks as though I will miss the spectacle-
I've decided to put my self isolation time to good use,and have locked myself away in the greenhouse where I am working on a super hybid crossbreed of a giant Amaryllis strain I have aquired.
The plan is to insert octopus DNA into the plant to give it the ability to sort of crawl around in search of nutrients.
I have already spliced pitcher plant genetics into the seedlings,so they will also have other means of ingesting food.
If it all works out,it should be fully grown around the time the comet is at its brightest.

a reply to: gortex

I was always interested in the idea that biological microbes entered our atmosphere from space, riding on comets and asteroid debree.
Even as a kid I found it odd that almost every year durring certain major meteor showers would follow a bout of sickness in the communities like flu and common colds.
I am no expert on any of these subjects, just simple observation.

a reply to: gortex

We are all going to die …… !!! AWWWWWWWWWWW.....

That is if the corona virus doesn't get us first ………...

The plot thickens.

Wild times to be alive.

a reply to: gortex


Harbinger of doom? Not likely!
Orbit

a reply to: kloejen

Its orbit has nothing to do with it , Comets have for Centuries been seen as bad omens , Harbingers of doom.