Archive for the ‘Meteors’ Category
Comet Elenin: A Coming Attraction
May 28th, 2011 | 
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Trajectory of comet Elenin. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
You may have heard the news: Comet Elenin is coming to the inner-solar system this fall. Comet Elenin (also known by its astronomical name C/2010 X1), was first detected on Dec. 10, 2010 by Leonid Elenin, an observer in Lyubertsy, Russia, who made the discovery “remotely” using the ISON-NM observatory near Mayhill, New Mexico. At the time of the discovery, the comet was about 647 million kilometers (401 million miles) from Earth.
Over the past four-and-a-half months, the comet has – as comets do – closed the distance to Earth’s vicinity as it makes its way closer to perihelion (its closest point to the sun). As of May 4, Elenin’s distance is about 274 million kilometers (170 million miles).
“That is what happens with these long-period comets that come in from way outside our planetary system,” said Don Yeomans of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program Office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “They make these long, majestic, speedy arcs through our solar system, and sometimes they put on a great show. But not Elenin. Right now that comet looks kind of wimpy.”
How does a NASA scientist define cometary wimpiness?
“We’re talking about how a comet looks as it safely flies past us,” said Yeomans. “Some cometary visitors arriving from beyond the planetary region – like Hale-Bopp in 1997 — have really lit up the night sky where you can see them easily with the naked eye as they safely transit the inner-solar system. But Elenin is trending toward the other end of the spectrum. You’ll probably need a good pair of binoculars, clear skies, and a dark, secluded location to see it even on its brightest night.”
Comet Elenin should be at its brightest shortly before the time of its closest approach to Earth on Oct. 16 of this year. At its closest point, it will be 35 million kilometers (22 million miles) from us. Can this icy interloper influence us from where it is, or where it will be in the future? What about this celestial object inspiring some shifting of the tides or even tectonic plates here on Earth? There have been some incorrect Internet speculations that external forces could cause comet Elenin to come closer.
“Comet Elenin will not encounter any dark bodies that could perturb its orbit, nor will it influence us in any way here on Earth,” said Yeomans. “It will get no closer to Earth than 35 million kilometers [about 22 million miles]. ”
“Comet Elenin will not only be far away, it is also on the small side for comets,” said Yeomans. “And comets are not the most densely-packed objects out there. They usually have the density of something akin to loosely packed icy dirt.
“So you’ve got a modest-sized icy dirtball that is getting no closer than 35 million kilometers,” said Yeomans. “It will have an immeasurably miniscule influence on our planet. By comparison, my subcompact automobile exerts a greater influence on the ocean’s tides than comet Elenin ever will.”
Yeomans did have one final thought on comet Elenin.
“This comet may not put on a great show. Just as certainly, it will not cause any disruptions here on Earth. But there is a cause to marvel,” said Yeomans. “This intrepid little traveler will offer astronomers a chance to study a relatively young comet that came here from well beyond our solar system’s planetary region. After a short while, it will be headed back out again, and we will not see or hear from Elenin for thousands of years. That’s pretty cool.”
NASA detects, tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets passing relatively close to Earth using both ground- and space-based telescopes. The Near-Earth Object Observations Program, commonly called “Spaceguard,” discovers these objects, characterizes a subset of them, and predicts their paths to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.
JPL manages the Near-Earth Object Program Office for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Posted in 2012 Asteroid, Meteors | 
Tags: Closest Point, Comet, Coming Attraction, Don Yeomans, Earth Object Program, Hale Bopp, Image Credit, Inner Solar System, Ison, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Leonid, Mayhill New Mexico, Million Miles, Naked Eye, Nasa Jpl, Nasa Scientist, Night Sky, Period Comets, Planetary System, Wimpy | 
No Comments »Mass bird and fish deaths stoke curiosity
The Daily Cool: December 31st, 2010
Your daily list of all that is cool and interesting from The Independent and around the web. We surf so you don’t have to.
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The Daily Cool: December 31st, 2010
Your daily list of all that is cool and interesting from The Independent and around the web. We surf so you don’t have to.
Read more on Grand Island Independent
Mass bird and fish deaths stoke curiosity
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Five thousand dead blackbirds rained from the sky on the first day of the New Year in Arkansas. Then more dead birds fell in other states. Then huge fish kills were discovered in multiple US waterways.
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Mass bird and fish deaths stoke curiosity
Five thousand dead blackbirds rained from the sky on the first day of the New Year in Arkansas. Then more dead birds fell in other states. Then huge fish kills were discovered in multiple US waterways.
Read more on The Age
Mass bird and fish deaths stoke curiosity
WASHINGTON: Five thousand dead blackbirds rained from the sky on the first day of the New Year in Arkansas. Then more dead birds fell in other states. Then huge fish kills were discovered in multiple US waterways.
Read more on Channel NewsAsia
Posted in Meteors | Tags: Afp, Bird, Bird And Fish, Blackbirds, Channel Newsasia, Curiosity, Dead Birds, Deaths, Fish, Fish Deaths, Fish Kills, Grand Island Independent, MASS, New Year, Sky, stoke, Waterways | No Comments »Research and Markets: Ireland Telecommunications Report Q1 2011
France Buys Heavy Trucks, Missiles
The French government has handed a $214 million contract for 200 heavy trucks for the French army to Italy’s Iveco, denying a bid from domestic producer Renault.
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In the first half Sunday, the UNC Asheville offense took care of the ball but shot poorly. More Explore our area’s history through photographs. More
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Battle of Hastings gets acclimated for Fort Lauderdale
Fresh from capturing the Grade 3 River City Handicap on Breeders’ Cup weekend at Churchill Downs in his first try for trainer Greg Fox, Battle of Hastings will run Sunday at Gulfstream in the Grade 3, $100,000 Fort Lauderdale Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
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Research and Markets: Ireland Telecommunications Report Q1 2011
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Ireland Telecommunications Report Q1 2011″ report to their offering.
Read more on Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance
Research and Markets: Ireland Telecommunications Report Q1 2011
DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c075ac/ireland_telecommun) has announced the addition of the “Ireland Telecommunications Report Q1 2011″ report to their offering. Ireland Telecommunications Report provides industry professionals and strategists, corporate analysts, telecommunication associations, government …
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Posted in Meteors | Tags: 2011, Asheville Citizen Times, Battle Of Hastings, Breeders Cup, Churchill Downs, Corporate Analysts, Daily Racing Form, Domestic Producer, Finance Research, French Army, French Government, Grade 3, Greg Fox, Gulfstream, Heavy Trucks, Industry Professionals, Ireland, Ireland Dublin, Markets, Q1, Report, Research, Strategists, Telecommunications, Unc Asheville, Yahoo Finance | No Comments »User account
The Daily Cool: Conditions favorable for meteor shower tonight
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The Daily Cool: Conditions favorable for meteor shower tonight
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Posted in Meteors | Tags: Account, Grand Island Independent, Independent User, Mammoth Times, Meteor Shower, Password That Accompanies Your Username, user | No Comments »Sunrise Solar Eclipse to Grace Parts of the Globe
Partial Solar Eclipse Amazes Skywatchers in Europe
A partial solar eclipse of the sun on Jan. 4 amazed skywatchers in parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.
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Stick an analog stick to your iPad
First there were the Tactile+ Plus stickers. Now, there’s an exciting new development in the field of fake buttons for touchscreens! The Fling is an analog stick designed to be placed on an iPad’s screen, over the virtual joystick. Unlike the Tactile+ Plus, there’s no adhesive to apply to your screen — it uses suction cups. The transparent design (with a small accent in your choice of three …
Read more on Joystiq
Fling joystick lets you get physical with Super Megaworm on the iPad
You know, some people take gaming very seriously, and there’s no doubt that a good portion of them will be picking up this new peripheral from Ten One Design . For $24.95, the Fling tactile game controller promises to enhance some iPad games by overlaying their virtual D-pad with a physical mini joystick. And that’s not it — the funky spiral mechanism also provides resistance to simulate force …
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Add a Removable Joystick to Your iPad for $25 [Video]
# ipadaccessories Gaming on the iPad can be awkward at times due to the gadget’s lack of a physical joystick or directional pad, but thanks to products such as the Fling controller, that may be an annoyance of the past. More »
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Sunrise Solar Eclipse to Grace Parts of the Globe
The moon will take a bite out of the sun Tuesday during the first solar eclipse of the year.
Read more on SPACE.com
Posted in Meteors | Tags: Accent, Annoyance, Directional Pad, Eclipse, Eclipse Of The Sun, Eclipse Parts, Europe Africa, Fling, Gadget, Game Controller, Globe, Grace, Ipad, No Doubt, Partial Solar Eclipse, parts, Parts Of The Globe, Skywatchers, Solar, Spiral, Stickers, Suction Cups, Sunrise, Transparent Design, Virtual Joystick | No Comments »