• From: US.VA
  • Registered: 2004-03-27

Topic: Comet/NEO Research

After observing the activity of comets and asteroids relative to the inner solar system from 1990 to 2015 (per the Starry Night Pro computer program - with comet/asteroid data updated today, 6/12), the only strikingly obvious near-earth cometary encounter(s) are with a comet called Comet Encke (P/2).  It is quite clear that turning on the Asteroid data yields a large number of inner solar activity, and this changes so frequently that there is no particularly accurate way for someone without connections which originate with a telescope to uncover a future NEO encounter.

Looking into comet Encke, however, was an useful exercise, so I thought I'd share some here.

Here's the info given by Starry Night (I notice here the obvious reference to Oort Cloud objects being 'thrown' into alternative orbits):
http://homepage.mac.com/bluearc21/encke_desc1.jpg

- and -

http://homepage.mac.com/bluearc21/encke_desc2.jpg

Here's an image of Encke [Copyright©1997 by Gordon Garradd (Australia)].

http://cometography.com/pcomets/002p_19970506gg.jpg

As well, for those able to watch streaming video, I put together a short video of Encke's passes.  There are three passes in the video, one after another.  The first is during July 1997, the second December 2003, the third October 2013.  Encke has an orbital year of around 3.3 years.  So, there are other passes during the period of 1997 - 2013, it's just that these three passes come closest to planet Earth.

(From the orbital work of Kazuo Kinoshita)

  *  0.91 AU from Jupiter on 1903 May 31
  *  0.48 AU from Earth on 1904 December 12
  *  0.06 AU from Mercury on 1905 January 11
  *  0.32 AU from Earth on 1908 June 16
  *  0.29 AU from Earth on 1914 October 27
  *  0.31 AU from Earth on 1931 July 13
  *  0.27 AU from Earth on 1937 November 15
  *  0.42 AU from Earth on 1947 October 20
  *  0.90 AU from Jupiter on 1962 September 28
  *  0.33 AU from Earth on 1964 July 13
  *  0.42 AU from Earth on 1970 December 1
  *  0.36 AU from Earth on 1974 June 14
  *  0.28 AU from Earth on 1980 October 28
  *  0.19 AU from Earth on 1997 July 5
  *  0.26 AU from Earth on 2003 November 17
  *  0.48 AU from Earth on 2013 October 17
  *  0.91 AU from Jupiter on 2022 January 27
  *  0.27 AU from Earth on 2030 July 11

Further Ephemerides data.

Feel free to post news and events relative to cometary or NEO research here.

MU'06
  • montalk
  • montalk
  • forum-keeper-upper
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  • Registered: 2004-03-24

Re: Comet/NEO Research

This story on Yahoo discusses a "surprise" meteor shower expected for late June, particularly June 22-23 and 26-27. Explanation given is that this is the sheddings of Comet Pons-Winnecke almost a hundred years ago. I find the explanation possible, but pretty farfetched and contorted.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s … ibleinjune

As I mentioned in another post, between June 20-30, particularly on June 26 - we will be passing through the debris field left behind by comet LINEAR's tail. That means increased meteor sightings. This Yahoo article makes no mention of that, and assigns a different reason to explain a surprise meteor shower on those same dates. If their explanation is correct and not a cover-up, then we'll be affected by TWO debris fields, one by Comet Pons-Winnecke and one by Comet LINEAR.

Acquiring fringe knowledge is like digging for diamonds in a mine field.

montalk's Website

  • montalk
  • montalk
  • forum-keeper-upper
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  • Registered: 2004-03-24

Re: Comet/NEO Research

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/s … 40617.html

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Strange Comet Unlike Anything Known

The comet, examined in a close flyby in January by NASA's Stardust spacecraft, has towering protrusions and steep-walled craters that seem to defy gravity. More than a dozen jets of material shoot out from its insides. Dust swirls around the comet in unexpectedly dense pockets.

Only two other comets have been seen up close, but both appeared fairly smooth and were nowhere near so heavily cratered. Nor do the pockmarked surfaces common to asteroids and moons bear much stylistic resemblance to the shapes seen on Wild 2.

Brownlee told SPACE.com that Wild 2 could represent a unique class of comet. He and his colleagues had expected it to be relatively featureless with a dusty, charcoal-like coating. Instead they found a place riddled with apparently ancient impact craters. Broad mesas and steep canyons stand out clearly.


Craters on Wild 2, presumably caused by run-ins with smaller objects, are strangely free of the powder, rocks and other debris commonly seen in impact craters on other bodies. Brownlee thinks this is because the comet is a bit like hard, frozen dirt that takes a hit but is brittle, so material flies out.


Question:how does a comet nucleus like this suffer so many impacts? Where does the impacting debris come from?

Suggestion: this comet must be part of - or must have encountered - a comet cluster. Comet clusters carry with them a dense cloud of debris from impacts at formation and during transit. Any comet from such a cluster, or one passing through it, would be pelted by a shotgun blast of debris.

Implication: if this one was sighted in January, then whatever cluster created its cratered surface may be relatively nearby. Combine this with the increased meteor sightings lately, which may partially be due to the leading filament of a comet cluster's outer debris field, and probabilities are high that the comet cluster theory is valid - and that these clusters will appear in our skies within 10 years.

Not to be alarmist or anything, just sharing some clues.

Acquiring fringe knowledge is like digging for diamonds in a mine field.

montalk's Website

  • From: US.VA
  • Registered: 2004-03-27

Re: Comet/NEO Research

montalk wrote:

This story on Yahoo discusses a "surprise" meteor shower expected for late June, particularly June 22-23 and 26-27.

I think I saw a few last night... or were they shooting stars?  Not much to see overall, maybe tonight it will clear up a bit more.

MU'06
  • From: terra incognita
  • Registered: 2004-03-25

Re: Comet/NEO Research

Seems like I'm not the only one who got a bug up their bum about Asteroid 25143 Itokawa.

http://www.rense.com/general54/arth.htm

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
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Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we might as well dance.
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If you spin around on your chair really fast, things around here will make a lot more sense.

lol