Newly Discovered Comet May Hit Mars: Watch for Two Others Near Earth

Science World Report ^ | 4MAR2013 | Catherine Griffin

[Jack Hydrazine]

This year seems to be one for comets. In addition to the two projectiles that will zoom near Earth, a third one has recently been discovered. The newest one, though, won't fly by our planet. Instead, it will pass uncomfortably close to Mars in 2014.

Named C/2013 A1, the comet will fly near the Red Planet on Oct. 19, 2014 according to preliminary orbital prediction models. The icy missile is thought to have first originated from the Oort Cloud, which is a hypothetical region containing billions of cometary nuclei located around our solar system. Comets have struck planets in the past. In fact, it's thought that some of Earth's water was partly created by comets crashing into our planet. Due to the uncertainty in predicting the path of this particular comet, though, NASA scientists are unsure whether the comet will sail harmlessly past the Red Planet or will slam into it.

Yet this comet isn't the only one that's due to sail through our solar system. On Tuesday, the comet PANSTARRS will zoom past Earth, flying about 100 million miles distant in its trajectory toward the sun. Although it will be closest on Tuesday, you may want to wait for stargazing. The comet will gain in brightness as it closes in on the sun over several days. The comet itself should be visible just above the western horizon as early as March 6 through 8, but you'll need a superb view in order to actually see it.

Fortunately, it will be visible higher in the sky later this month, though it will be slightly dimmer. On March 10, it will dip inside the orbit of Mercury and by March 12, it will emerge from the sun's glare and could be visible close to the western horizon shortly after sunset.

If you miss this one, though, don't worry. Comet ISON will arrive this November and is predicted to be both higher in the sky and very bright.

[Jack Hydrazine]

You have to read the comments on this article. They are hilarious!

[Husker24]

I wonder if something has disturbed the Ort Cloud?

[KC_Lion]

I wonder if something has disturbed the Ort Cloud?

Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding. There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign.

Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they chose to call us is irrelevant. We simply... are.

Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal, the pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything.

Confidence born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken. The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance, and at the apex of their glory they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They mere found them - the legacy of my kind. Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays. Our technology. By using it, your civilization develops along the paths we desire.

We impose order on the chaos of organic life. You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it. My kind transcends your very understanding.

We are each a nation - independent, free of all weakness. You cannot grasp the nature of our existence. We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure.

We are legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom.

[Defiant]

I hope our flag is safe.

[Slyfox]

Mars is receiving a guest probe?

[UCANSEE2]

Please return to your homes. There is nothing to worry about. All your questions will be answered if you just look ..right here.

[rktman]

Wait. It was written by “Catherine Griffin”? Although I can’t stand that nasty skank,(the comedienne?) the responses are funnier.

[newheart]

Seriously, why should we worry. Obama is President. Nothing can harm us. And anything that does is the Republican's fault. Sleep well.

"I got this."

[Vince Ferrer]

Love the comments. Give them no quarter.

This comet is supposed to be travelling faster than the escape velocity of the sun, which is really cool. Either it is actually coming in from beyond the solar system, or it is from the nether reaches of the Oort cloud , still within the solar system, but got a gravity assist from Jupiter or Saturn, which accelerated it past the escape velocity. Very few objects have been measured going that fast.

[staytrue]

A watery comet hitting Mars would be the best thing to happen to the planet.

Probably water, co2 and methane would be deposited possibly making it more suitable for life.

[50sDad]

Certainly, if it does hit, it was Bush’s Fault, the result of our cars and lavish lifestyles, and would not have happened if only we stopped burning coal. And women and minorities will be most hurt by it.

[Bob]

If only the Republicans would compromise on the sequester, these things could be prevented. :=)

[Jack Hydrazine]

Comet Pan-STARRS Headed for North American Viewing by March 12-13th Near Crescent Moon.

“Despite bad light and smog pollution, the Pan-STARRS comet nucleus was clearly visible to the naked eye as well as a small part of the tail.” - Carl Gruber, Melbourne, Australia, March 2, 2013



Observers in the southern hemisphere say they can see Comet Pan-STARRS near magnitude 2 with the unaided eye in the evening sunset sky, such as Melbourne, Australia image above © 2013 March 2, by Carl Gruber with Canon 50D, 140mm, f4.0, ISO1600, 3.2s exposure. On March 5th, Comet Pan-STARRS makes its closest approach to Earth (1.09 AU), followed on March 10th by its closest approach to the sun (0.3 AU). By March 12th and 13th, the comet will reappear in the sunset skies of the northern hemisphere not far from the crescent Moon.

[BradyLS]

Oh, yes. The comments are golden! And you won’t hear any of them on Letterman or Leno.

[steve86]

Taken from Chile:

[GeronL]

what an awesome picture

[Windflier]

Can we please get a conservative presidential candidate who talks to the libs that way?

[CyberAnt]

GOD THROWS ROCKS

Nahum 1:6 - Who can stand before His indignation, and who can abide in the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire (volcanos), and the ROCKS are thrown down by Him.

Hmmmmm ..?? With the latest Meteor just buzzing our planet and a few more coming our way, is God sending a shot across America’s bow ..?? or the world in general ..??

[CyberAnt]

I hate to disappoint you but “Catherine Griffin” is not Kathy Griffin (the comediane).

[null and void]

ping