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Unseen dark comets 'could pose deadly threat to earth'
Telegraph ^ | Thursday, February 12, 2009 | Kate Devlin

Posted on 02/12/2009 3:29:16 PM PST by SunkenCiv

The comets, of which there could be thousands, are not currently monitored by observatories and space agencies.

Most comets and asteroids are monitored in case they start to travel towards earth.

But Bill Napier, from Cardiff University, said that many could be going by unnoticed.

"There is a case to be made that dark, dormant comets are a significant but largely unseen hazard," he said

Scientists estimate that there should be around 3,000 comets in the solar system, but only 25 have so far been identified.

"Dark" comets happen when the water on their surface has evaporated, causing them to reflect less light.

Astronomers have previously spotted comets heading towards earth just days before they passed.

In 1983 a comet called IRAS-Araki-Alcock passed at a distance of just 5 million kilometres, the closest of any comet for 200 years, but it was noticed just a fortnight beforehand.

Tests on another comet, called Comet Borrelly, in 2001 revealed it to have large dark patches across much of its surface.

Steve Larson of the University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, which monitors comets, said the idea of an unknown number of "dark" comets circling earth had "merit".

But Clark Chapman from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, said that such comets "would absorb sunlight very well" and so could be detected by the heat they emit, reports New Scientist magazine.

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: bigsplash; catastrophism; comet; comets; godsgravesglyphs; louisafrank; louisfrank; notsogreatflood; originofoceans; originoftheoceans; patrickhuyghe; smallcomets; thebigsplash; water
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To: SunkenCiv

Hey...

This could be our big chance at that grant money. We could start by looking in the Hubble Archive. I think it was you that told me they had just found an extra-solar planet there. Probably plenty of dark comets too, just waiting to be discovered.

We could conduct this research in the safety of our own homes, within easy walking distance of the refrigerator. Some ACDC playing softly in the background, ya know, to help you focus. And even when you were staring off into space with a blank expression I’m thinking that still counts as research. Win-Win.


21 posted on 02/12/2009 5:27:29 PM PST by bigheadfred (Negromancer !!! RUN for your lives !!!)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·

 
Gods
Graves
Glyphs
To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

·Dogpile · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology · Biblical Archaeology Society ·
· Discover · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google ·
· The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·


22 posted on 02/12/2009 7:57:40 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: bigheadfred
Some ACDC playing softly in the background, ya know, to help you focus.
Wow, never tried that. Always crank it.
23 posted on 02/12/2009 7:59:22 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: rollo tomasi

Just goes to prove how slang changes over the years. When we were young, many, many years ago, AC/DC had a totally different meaning.


24 posted on 02/12/2009 8:35:48 PM PST by Dustbunny (Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged. The Gipper)
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To: SunkenCiv
Always crank it.

Yeah, so do I. But we're supposed to be WORKING

25 posted on 02/12/2009 8:44:00 PM PST by bigheadfred ("Working" only blinks in Firefox? Enquiring minds need to know!!!)
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To: SunkenCiv

Stupid title.

All comets are dark.
We don’t see the comet, we see the gas.

(not yur fault, though!!)


26 posted on 02/12/2009 9:56:51 PM PST by djf
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To: SunkenCiv
It's not worth worrying about some dark comet when we have a dark disaster already in running around Washington, DC right now.
27 posted on 02/13/2009 3:43:40 AM PST by Recon Dad (Marsoc Dad)
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To: SunkenCiv

Just enough truth in the story to scare the bejesuz out of people—and sell newspapers.


28 posted on 02/13/2009 4:50:32 AM PST by wildbill
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To: SunkenCiv

Zer0 will send Hillary on this mission. She can use some of that “smart diplomacy” with these dark comets.

Plus, she has been rendered invisible lately.


29 posted on 02/13/2009 4:54:31 AM PST by dforest
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To: Eaker
Here's a real one and it should be visable this month. I give you, Comet Lulin http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/35992534.html
30 posted on 02/13/2009 12:40:50 PM PST by wolfcreek (There is no 2 party system only arrogant Pols and their handlers)
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To: bigheadfred

It’s a long way to the top when you wanna crank AC/DC and can’t.


31 posted on 02/13/2009 6:30:03 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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‘Forensic evidence’ of undiscovered planets
Telegraph | February 19, 2008 | Nic Fleming
Posted on 02/13/2009 7:54:10 PM PST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2185379/posts


32 posted on 02/14/2009 8:13:46 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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