Big comet plunging toward our Sun

Spaceweather.com ^ | 4-16-04 | Orlando

[Orlando]

Comet Bradfield is plunging toward the sun; at closest approach on April 17th it will be well inside the orbit of Mercury. Sun-approaching comets sometimes break-apart. Will Comet Bradfield survive? No one knows.

[ninenot]

this will be blamed on SUVs Bush

[RicocheT]

O M G ! the mother ship is out of control and plunging into the sun! We Aurellians will never be rescued!

[Poohbah]

It's Bushes fault!

STAY OUT OF DA BUSHES!

[socal_parrot]

That sort of low realization that we're doomed is going to get us all killed. Be quicker next time!

[Rummyfan]

We're doomed! DOOMED!

[N. Theknow]

Sorry

Does this make up for my tardiness?

[Constitution Day]

AAAAAH!!!

[Orlando]

lol, Does anybody out-there know the size of this comet ?
I know the little circle in the soho image represent the Sun size. hmm?

[Ignatz]

Yes, I know that. Could pieces of the comet hitting the sun cause the coronal mass ejections?

[patriot_wes]

I can hear the tour guide on the comet now.....here comes the sun, do en do do, here comes the sun and I say - it's all right......

[isom35]

Will the Enterprise reach it in time? Its the only ship in the quadrant!

[bert]

I wonder if this comet is going to hit the sun ?
.....

The comet will be assimilated as will all other matter orbiting the sun.

Gravity is inexorable.

[msdrby]

ping

[Izzy Dunne]

Could pieces of the comet hitting the sun cause the coronal mass ejections?

I suppose it's possible they would trigger one, but since CMEs happen already without comets, it wouldn't be a cause.

You might be interested in SpaceWeather.com.

[Truth666]

Historical photo document, April 16 2004 - largest comet ever hitting the sun

[safeasthebanks]

Women, children and minorities hit hardest...

[socal_parrot]

I have replaced the F12 key on my keyboard with this...

[kayak]

From the linked article:

Telescopes on Earth can't see the comet because of the sun's glare. But the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a spacecraft with sun-blocking coronagraphs, can. Comet Bradfield entered SOHO's field of view earlier today.

If Comet Bradfield survives and emerges from the sun's glare, northern sky watchers can see it beginning April 24th. It will join Comet LINEAR (C/2002 T7) in the constellation Pisces, just above the eastern horizon at dawn. Both comets could be visible to the unaided eye.

[searchandrecovery]

I don't want to cause a panic here or anything, but what if the comet extinguishes (or in layman's terms, "puts out") the sun? That's all for now, going to the store to pick up some extra lightbulbs just in case.

[Poohbah]

I don't want to cause a panic here or anything, but what if the comet extinguishes (or in layman's terms, "puts out") the sun?

We'll launch a Titan IV out of Vandenberg with a really big match...