Announcing Comet Machholz Posted on 01/04/2005 8:27:59 PM PST by missyme
A COMET that appeared in the night sky over Christmas has invited comparisons with the Star of Bethlehem.
But it is amateur astronomers with telescopes and binoculars who are pursuing the object rather than Wise Men bearing gifts.
Comet Machholz will be at its most visible tomorrow and Thursday. Even then it will be no more than a faint smudge of light difficult to see with the naked eye.
A pair of binoculars pointing south should pick it out near the Pleiades star cluster.
Comets have been proposed as an explanation for the star that guided the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem. Since comets make repeated visits with long intervals between, the tantalising question arises: "Is Comet Machholz the star mentioned in Matthew’s gospel?"
The answer appears to be no. Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, said: "You’d think a comet would be a good candidate for the Star of Bethlehem, but the Chinese, who were recording such events at the time, make no mention of one." Announcing Comet Machholz
Jan. 5-6, 2005. Comet Machholz, C/2004 Q2, is a comet that is barely visible with the naked eye, and is closest to earth on January 5-6 2005.
ping
More regarding the Current Comets:
Jan. 14, 2005. Cassini spaceraft orbiting Saturn has sent the Huygens probe to land on Saturn's moon Titan on Jan. 14 2005. This could be an important time for the world! This is big! Note that Titan in Greek totals 666. So this landing on Titan is likely connected with the Antichrist. Note that Titan/666/Antichrist revolves around Saturn/Satan. Note that the Cassini spacecraft passed close by earth in August 1999 as Putin rose to power in Russia to second in command. So there appears to be a holographic connection between the Cassini spacecraft's trip to Saturn/Satan and Putin's rise to power to be Antichrist. Watch to see if the crisis in the Ukraine worsens then; I think Putin will pull off some kind of dirty trick to make sure the his candidate wins the Ukraine election. Also note that this is just after Russian Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7 2005. And Saturn/Satan reaches opposition on Jan. 13 2005. So Putin is likely to reach full 666 Antichrist power in Jan. 2005. And note that both Mars and Pluto are in the horse/man sign Sagittarius then, indicating that the Death and War horsemen could be riding then. Worldwide SARS or Flu epidemic? Muslim terrorism? The Ukraine crisis?
Current Meteors:
Sept. 24, 2002. A meteor fall in Siberia, Russia, near Bodaybo and the and the Vitim River, that supposedly started a forest fire.
March 26, 2003. A meteor fall near Chicago, Illinois.
Sept. 27, 2003. A meteor landed in India, injuring two people and damaging several homes, in the province of Orissa, India. It was seen as a very bright fireball in the sky, with a very loud noise.
Jan. 2, 2004. A meteor strike in northern Iran, near the town of Babol.
Jan. 4, 2004. In northern Spain fireballs from a meteor or meteors were seen, and apparently some pieces reached earth; it must have been the breakup of a meteor.
March 18, 2004. A small 100 foot wide asteroid (2004 FH) passed very close to earth over the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, missing earth by about 26000 miles. This is about as close as they come without hitting. It would have made a big explosion if it hit, but no great disaster, unless it hit over a city.
April 1, 2004. A very bright meteor was seen in the town of Winton in Australia, causing a very bright light.
Sept. 29, 2004, Asteroid Toutatis passes by earth, a good distance away; but since it is a 3 mile wide planet killer, a reminder of earth's vulnerability.
Dec. 19, 2004. A meteor fall and explosion was reported in Jakarta Indonesia, just 7 days before the Magnitude 9 earthquake and tidal wave off Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2004
>>>Dec. 19, 2004. A meteor fall and explosion was reported in Jakarta Indonesia, just 7 days before the Magnitude 9 earthquake and tidal wave off Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2004
This is the one that caught my eye. Texkat pinged me to that one yesterday.
No wonder that I could not see the tail. The "fuzz ball" is visible with my naked eye, but even with binoculars, I could not see a tail.
Thanks, you just answered this very frustrated person's question.
EZ with binoculars... looks like a distant star shell with a parachute.
They're calling it The Green Comet, and it does look a tinge green, at that.
1,200 year orbit, with a parahelion a bit less than than an AU. Already on it's way out, I think, way, way out to the Oort Cloud.
I wonder why it's green.
Tomorrow is suppose to be the night to see it if you have a clear sky...
Motion sickness?
Thanks!
Yes great site.
"Is Comet Machholz the star mentioned in Matthew’s gospel?"
I think it's the same one. How can it be a different one? If it were a different one, it would not have appeared during Christmas. Logic.
Do you know the passage in Matthew? trying to find it
"I wonder why it's green."
Because green is the color of Christmas. This is a Christmas comet, therefore it's color could only be green.
Lights from the sky...
It's sponsored by Greenpeace.
It is very, very close to "straight up" here at 46.5 degrees north latitude.
My wife and I saw it through binoculars 2 nights ago. Since it was 6 degrees below zero, I decided not to fool with the telescope. City lights dimmed the view a bit, but it showed a pretty bright nucleus.
From what City and state?
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