Obscure Comet Brightens Suddenly

Comet Holmes is somewhere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and is almost on the other side of the Sun from us.

Whilst any talk of Space Shuttles firing probes at the comet is total BS, I have to point out that the comet is currently on the same side of the Sun as Earth.

Hey hal9000,

on the radio news this morning, 5:30 am,
our local talk radio host said that a comet is breaking up

i wonder if he's meaning this comet on this thread,

i half tried to look for space related newswire releases but couldn't find any

You seem more connected on this topic & where to find breaking news.


thanks

reply to post by St Udio

There were rumors of the nucleus breaking up but turned out to be background stars. That was the image that was described as having two eyes. I even thought so myself which I said in this post, but that was last week. Other than that I haven't seen any news of it breaking up.

Are you sure they didn't say that it was one of the possibilities that caused the comet to get brighter?

edit: This is the latest article I have found which describes the sinkhole theory as the reason for the comet to get brighter.

Scientists speculate the comet has exploded because there are sinkholes in its nucleus, giving it a honeycomb-like structure. The collapse exposed comet ice to the sun, which transformed the ice into gas.

news.yahoo.com...

[edit on 11/5/2007 by Hal9000]

reply to post by Mogget


You are correct. Thank you for the correction.

Comet Holmes was nearly on the oppsoite side of the Sun than the Earth during the comet's closest approach to the Sun back in early May, but the Earth and the comet are both on the same side of the Sun right now.

In fact, the two object are only 15 degrees off of being in a straight line with the Sun, thus if there was a tail, it would be difficult to see since it would be on the far side of the comet from us.

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People
In fact, the two object are only 15 degrees off of being in a straight line with the Sun, thus if there was a tail, it would be difficult to see since it would be on the far side of the comet from us.

Yep, its tail points always directly away from Earth right now.

The tail, which color photos show to be blue, looks like the aftermath of a terrific explosion. Indeed, Comet 17P/Holmes did explode on Oct. 23rd, brightening a million-fold to naked eye visibility. But the appearance of the tail is probably not a consequence of that blast. Why not? It's our point of view. Usually we see comet tails from the side and they make a long graceful arc through space. The tail of Comet Holmes, however, points almost directly away from Earth. Instead of seeing it from the side, we're seeing it end-on, resulting in its peculiar frayed appearance.

SpaceWeather.com

Here is its current position and its moving in a counterclockwise direction.





[edit on 5-11-2007 by Copernicus]

reply to post by Hal9000



thanks for posting that info,
that sounds like what the shows host was talking about,
the comet 'exploding'...
i was imagining a scenario like that Shoemaker Levy severl years ago.


thanks

reply to post by Copernicus

Nice image.

The tail of a comet always points away from the Sun due to solar wind and not behind the direction it is traveling, which I explained earlier in this post along with this image and since we are in between the Sun and the comet, it is difficult to see the tail.


reply to post by St Udio

No problem. Yeah, I also expected to see it break up considering the result of the outburst. I hope some detailed images are taken with Hubble that may give us a clue as to what happened.

Well it looks like some are calling the comet the "Jellyfish Comet" because of the streams coming off of it. There is also a movie clip from 8 hours of exposures that show the tentacles in motion. Very cool.

www.spaceweather.com...

From: www.spaceweather.com...

Use this link after 11/06/2007 to view the article.

reply to post by Hal9000


Yeah, its a cool comet.

I keep checking in on it every day at the moment...always fun to see if it has done something new. And yeah, I saw those images on spaceweather... awesome.

Glad I found this thread. I was wondering what the hell it was I saw in the skies above the jungle I was camping in last week. Didn't want to say anything to my fellow campers, lest I disturb [something]. Follow the jungle laws and you won't get hopelessly lost, is what the old folks say...

reply to post by St Udio


spaceweather.com is doing a nice job of covering this, and has some excellent images up.

Originally posted by Hal9000
Well it looks like some are calling the comet the "Jellyfish Comet" because of the streams coming off of it.

LOL You gotta love NASA....

I have been saying for years that NASA knows about "Giant Space Critters"

Doug Zubenel of DeSoto, Kansas, sees a different likeness. "It looks like an alien creature from the 1960s TV show the Outer Limits. The episode entitled Moonstone, which first aired on March 9, 1964, features a white sphere found by lunar explorers which houses creatures of great intelligence. The resemblance to Comet Holmes is striking."

Jellyfish? Alien intelligence? Form your own opinion after sunset when Comet Holmes pops into view in the northern constellation Perseus:

Spaceweather






No? Hmmmmmmmm

[edit on 6-11-2007 by zorgon]

Originally posted by zorgon

Originally posted by Hal9000
Well it looks like some are calling the comet the "Jellyfish Comet" because of the streams coming off of it.

LOL You gotta love NASA....

It wasn't NASA that named it, it was...

Italian astronomer Paolo Candy has christened Comet Holmes "the Jellyfish Comet."

Originally posted by zorgon
I have been saying for years that NASA knows about "Giant Space Critters"

I figured you would like the part about the alien creature.


Just a note for those posting pictures. I've noticed this page takes longer to load, so lets keep our dial up buddies in mind and keep images to a minimum and just post links to them.

[edit on 11/6/2007 by Hal9000]

in the pictures looks like a planet haha
wonder what this comet really is and what it is for.

More info on the comet.

According to Chris Peterson of cloudbait.com, he says the comet is now twice as big as the sun, which makes it the largest object in the solar system. Pretty amazing.

cloudbait.com...

He also gives a dust release velocity of 1100 meters per second, which would mean particles from the comet should reach us in about seven years. That is a rough calculation and still need to subtract the relative velocity at the time of the outburst.

I wonder if we will see a meteor shower when it does reach us?

Originally posted by Hal9000
I wonder if we will see a meteor shower when it does reach us?

So effectively this 'cloud' of 'comet material' is spreading over the entire solar system? And its still visible?

That really is amazing... I am surprised there is so little main stream media coverage...



Maybe it's a solar system wide 'chem trail' I don't think tin foil hats will stop this one

Has anyone calculated the force needed for such a release of material?

The other thing is... if it was like an explosive release would we not be seeing more of a ring instead of a full sphere filled with material? I suppose it may be in fact just that and expanding spherical shockwave... but still seems like a lot of material from such a small object (3.5 kilometers I believe was the original size.

[edit on 8-11-2007 by zorgon]

Originally posted by zorgon
So effectively this 'cloud' of 'comet material' is spreading over the entire solar system? And its still visible?

Yes it is expanding, but it is becoming dimmer. You can still see it naked eye, but soon it will dim so we can't see it without binoculars or a telescope. I also expect that another outburst may happen in the future, because the first time it brightened in Nov. 1892 when it was discovered there another that followed in Jan. 1893.

Originally posted by zorgon
Has anyone calculated the force needed for such a release of material?

I haven't seen any, but that is a good question.

Originally posted by zorgon
The other thing is... if it was like an explosive release would we not be seeing more of a ring instead of a full sphere filled with material?

I think it is because it is more like opening a shaken bottle of champagne. It continues to fizz out when the cork is unplugged.

Originally posted by zorgon
I suppose it may be in fact just that and expanding spherical shockwave... but still seems like a lot of material from such a small object (3.5 kilometers I believe was the original size.

I agree it seems like a lot of material, but when you think about it, comets have been spraying material when they get close to the sun since the beginning of the solar system and they haven't run out of material yet.

Originally posted by zorgon
but still seems like a lot of material from such a small object (3.5 kilometers I believe was the original size.

I was watching a Science Channel show about comets the other day and it put up this amazing factoid:

If you took all the material that's in the coma and tail of a comet, you could fit it into a suitcase and still have room for a change of clothes.

[Palance]
Believe it... or not.
[/Palance]

A comet that is twice the size of the sun? That kind be very common, can it...

This comet is special, and it may be Blue Kachina.

An ancient Hopi Indian prophecy states, "When the Blue Star Kachina makes its appearance in the heavens, the Fifth World will emerge". This will be the Day of Purification. The Hopi name for the star Sirius is Blue Star Kachina. It will come when the Saquasohuh (Blue Star) Kachina dances in the plaza and removes his mask.

Source.

Pretty cool stuff. And the Maya 5th Night begins November 18...

reply to post by Copernicus

If that were true, why didn't the "fifth world" emerge the first time the comet brightened in 1892?

I know, I shouldn't ask questions like that.

The Hopi prophecies are interesting indeed, but from what I read just in your quote the Hopi are referring to the star Sirius. I don't know much about them, but I do know they had remarkable knowledge of the stars.