Comet C/2012 S1 - ISON

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2012_S1 said:

Accounting for the solar radius of 6.955×105 km, the comet will pass approximately 1,100,000 kilometres (680,000 mi) above the Sun's surface. Its orbit is nearly parabolic, which suggests that it may be a new comet coming fresh from the Oort cloud.
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Preliminary calculations show that, on closest approach, the comet will pass about 0.07 AU (10,000,000 km; 6,500,000 mi) from Mars on 1 October 2013, and it will pass about 0.4 AU (60,000,000 km; 37,000,000 mi) from Earth on 26 December 2013.[8] Some of the orbital elements of comet ISON are similar to that of the Great Comet of 1680 which suggests the two comets may have fragmented from the same parent body.
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When the comet reaches its perihelion on 28 November it may be less than 1° from the Sun, making it difficult to see against the glare of the Sun.[12] The comet may become extremely bright if it remains intact, probably reaching a negative magnitude.[5] According to Astronomy Now, it may briefly become brighter than the full Moon.[7][6] But predicting the brightness of a comet is difficult, especially one that will pass so close to the Sun and be affected by the forward scattering of light.

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Data said:

Next year, around this time, an interesting comet will arrive. It is a sungrazing comet that is supposed to be coming directly from the Oort cloud (because of its nearly parabolic orbit) and may become brighter than the full moon. It could be quite a show!

I am curious what could make such an object 'fall' from the Oort cloud directly into the solar system's center.

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Incoming! Tunguska-class bolide to miss Earth by just 22,500km on 15 February 2013

An asteroid the size of a city block is due to come whizzing past Earth closer than any other of its size in recorded history in February next year, according to astronomers.

The asteroid, referred to as 2012 DA14, has a diameter of approximately 45m and an estimated mass of 130,000 tonnes. It was discovered at the start of 2012 and is set to travel between the Earth and our geostationary communication satellites on 15 February 2013. At a distance of just 22,500km this will be the closest asteroid 'fly by' in recorded history.

Asteroid and comet researchers will be gathering at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, U.S., to watch the event, but experts say there is no chance of a collision - this time.

"I think perhaps the most important thing about this asteroid is that it reminds us that the threat from such objects is very real," said Jonti Horner, an independent astronomer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

The destructive force of an atomic bomb

It is important to monitor all asteroids that pass close by in case any are on a collision course with Earth. NASA has identified 4,700 asteroids that are potential threats to us, some of which are up to two or three kilometres in diameter.

Any asteroid likely to collide with Earth must have its composition and structure analysed so that it can be deflected, according to a statement from UCF.

A collision with even a small asteroid could be disastrous, with an impact from 2012 DA14 estimated to equal the destructive force of an atomic bomb. "The world's most famous impact crater - the Barringer Crater in Arizona, U.S. - which is about 1,200m in diameter and 170m deep, was formed when an object thought to have been just 50m in diameter hit the Earth," said Horner.

"An incredibly near miss"

"While it's not unusual for asteroids to come close to the Earth, there are a couple of reasons the approach of this one is particularly exciting for astronomers," said Horner.

"Having a 45m space rock pass under 30,000km from the Earth is an incredibly near miss in astronomical terms, which should mean we can learn a great deal about it as it tears past the Earth," he said.

Asteroids offer valuable insight into the formation of our Solar System, according to Humberto Campins who is an asteroid and comet expert at UCF and led the first team to discover ice on an asteroid in 2010.

The asteroid will not pass through our atmosphere and so is unlikely to break up. However, "forces from Earth could change its shape if it is a rubble pile and not a single rock. At this time we do not know which of those two it is," added Campins.

Any change in the composition or shape of the asteroid has the capability to alter its path, which could see it come even closer to Earth in the future.

The asteroid will be too faint to see with the naked eye, although it will be visible through binoculars or a telescope. Additionally, live feeds from telescopes in Spain will offer the public the chance to witness the event.

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anart said:

Other than the orbit of Sol's brown dwarf companion?

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Data said:

anart said:

Other than the orbit of Sol's brown dwarf companion?

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I was trying to understand the mechanics in the outer regions of the solar system. I imagine that an approaching star would cause massive and numerous influx from the Oort cloud. I was wondering how single objects make it into the solar system center, like this one, without observing many others of the same kind. But then, when we look at the news reports about objects hitting the Earth, this comet is not really isolated, it is already part of something larger, even though most of the other objects are still small. I guess that if a brown companion is approaching, it would first disturb the outer, thinner regions of the Oort cloud, which would consist of mostly small particles and single larger ones, before progressing to the core, where more and more larger ones will be displaced. In any case, I find it fascinating to picture this visually.

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Data said:

anart said:

Other than the orbit of Sol's brown dwarf companion?

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I was trying to understand the mechanics in the outer regions of the solar system. I imagine that an approaching star would cause massive and numerous influx from the Oort cloud. I was wondering how single objects make it into the solar system center, like this one, without observing many others of the same kind.

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d said:

But then, when we look at the news reports about objects hitting the Earth, this comet is not really isolated, it is already part of something larger, even though most of the other objects are still small. I guess that if a brown companion is approaching, it would first disturb the outer, thinner regions of the Oort cloud, which would consist of mostly small particles and single larger ones, before progressing to the core, where more and more larger ones will be displaced. In any case, I find it fascinating to picture this visually.

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Naturalden said:

Has anyone at SOTT looked into what McCanney is saying about this comet?

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anart said:

Data said:

anart said:

Other than the orbit of Sol's brown dwarf companion?

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I was trying to understand the mechanics in the outer regions of the solar system. I imagine that an approaching star would cause massive and numerous influx from the Oort cloud. I was wondering how single objects make it into the solar system center, like this one, without observing many others of the same kind.

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I was thinking of it as a bigger rain drop than the ones we're already seeing...

d said:

But then, when we look at the news reports about objects hitting the Earth, this comet is not really isolated, it is already part of something larger, even though most of the other objects are still small. I guess that if a brown companion is approaching, it would first disturb the outer, thinner regions of the Oort cloud, which would consist of mostly small particles and single larger ones, before progressing to the core, where more and more larger ones will be displaced. In any case, I find it fascinating to picture this visually.

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Yep, pretty much, but it's my understanding that it went through the Oort cloud some time ago and these things are just now reaching the inner solar system, so it's really just barely begun. I could be wrong though!

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irjO said:

its supposedly because the gravity of another larger objetc is affecting it which make the Sun gravity to contract.. So i would say the dwarf star its near of the Oort cloud somewhere.. But again i could be wrong too..

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