Saw this:
Joe
and then this, which is a scientific study conducted in 1998 by the Oxford Uni Dept. of Physics and Armagh Observatory and only released recently to the public (for purchase):http://eoas-dreric1kansas.blogspot.com/2006/12/history-channel-meteors-fire-in-sky.html
History Channel "(Meteors) Fire in the Sky" &"Comets: Prophecy of Doom"
I know it is History Channel and it has some shows that are historical but in this case they are mostly science, astronomy, geology and more, in my way of thinking. Well the two shows "(Meteors) Fire in the Sky" and "Comets: Prophecy of Doom" snuck up on us late 12/28 when my wife noticed it on the HC. It had played earlier that evening so I hope some of you saw it or may see it.
(Meteors) Fire in the Sky included meteorite harvesting in Antarctica, finding ancient meteor craters in Europe, the comet discovery and hit by Comet Shoemaker- Levy on Jupiter, Near Earth Objects (NEOs) and demise of the dinosaurs.
"Comets: Prophecy of Doom" showed information about the history of Comet appearances in the sky and impact with the Earth. It starts off the simulation/ scenario in which pieces of a approaching unseen comet flake off the start to hit Los Angeles. Includes differences and likeness of meteors, meteorites, comets and asteroids.
Both are well done and include real and simulated footage, footage by scientists, astronomers including David Levy, Carolyn Shoemaker and others.
both of which may be indicative of 2007 being the year when comets come center stage, to one extent or another. Time will tellGiant Comets, Evolution and Civilization
Evidence for the periodic incidence of large-scale terrestrial phenomena has grown substantially during the past 70 years. The periodic value '.26 million years, moreover, is strikingly close to the interval between successive Solar System crossings of the Galactic plane, a fact which suggests that there might exist a predictable celestial mechanism which exerts a control over such fundamental processes as the evolution of life. In spite of its scientific and human importance, however, it is only during the last quarter of the present century that the physical aspects of the galacto-terrestrial relationship have ceased to be enigmatic.
Thus, whereas until the mid-1970's, the Oort cloud was generally thought of as a stable, primordial system essentially not influenced by its Galactic environment, it now appears that sequences of giant comets perturbed into Earth-crossing orbits by periodically varying tidal forces of Galactic origin are the probable key to terrestrial evolutionary processes
Joe