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Mars May Get Hit By a Comet in 2014
The Slate ^ | February 28, 2013 | Phil Plait

Posted on 03/03/2013 2:33:55 PM PST by JerseyanExile

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1 posted on 03/03/2013 2:34:03 PM PST by JerseyanExile
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To: JerseyanExile; KevinDavis

we saw what happens when a comet hits a gas giant with Shoemaker-Levy 9.... but hitting Mars would be an awesome sight. Could cause debris that becomes another small moon?


2 posted on 03/03/2013 2:39:40 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: JerseyanExile
I get an explosive yield of roughly one billion megatons.

That's a big twinkie. </obscure Ghostbusters reference>

3 posted on 03/03/2013 2:39:57 PM PST by PapaBear3625 (You don't notice it's a police state until the police come for you.)
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To: JerseyanExile
With respect to some possible future comet hitting Earth: some will say that deflecting something nine miles in diameter (or bigger) is impossible.

We don't need to deflect it. We just need to hit it with something that will cause it to fragment enough that most of the energy will be released in the upper atmosphere.

4 posted on 03/03/2013 2:44:32 PM PST by PapaBear3625 (You don't notice it's a police state until the police come for you.)
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To: JerseyanExile
Sorry Martians, but I'd love to see it collide. I'd love to see an apocalyptic explosion, from a safe distance, of course.
5 posted on 03/03/2013 2:45:34 PM PST by Vince Ferrer
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To: GeronL
Could cause debris that becomes another small moon?

I think it means we don't have to go to Mars. It will be coming to us.

6 posted on 03/03/2013 2:45:54 PM PST by bigheadfred
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To: JerseyanExile

Women and minorities to be hardest hit.


7 posted on 03/03/2013 2:46:56 PM PST by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Te?xas Eagle)
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To: GeronL
*Ow!*


8 posted on 03/03/2013 2:48:53 PM PST by Salamander (We're all kinds of animals comin' round here...occasional demons, too.)
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To: Vince Ferrer

Is Washington D.C. too close? Its right on the coast, so any ‘spatter’ would glance off into the Atlantic...


9 posted on 03/03/2013 2:49:33 PM PST by 45semi (A police state is always preceded by a nanny state...)
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To: Texas Eagle

Mars is the only planet inhabited entirely by beautiful, females, and now earth caused global warming has put them at risk if CNN is correct about global warming and events in outer space.


10 posted on 03/03/2013 2:54:16 PM PST by ansel12 (Romney is a longtime supporter of homosexualizing the Boy Scouts (and the military).)
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To: bigheadfred

lol.

that’d be bad


11 posted on 03/03/2013 3:01:50 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: Salamander

ouch


12 posted on 03/03/2013 3:02:06 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: JerseyanExile

Martians are all gonna die!


13 posted on 03/03/2013 3:03:58 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: GeronL
we saw what happens when a comet hits a gas giant with Shoemaker-Levy 9.... but hitting Mars would be an awesome sight. Could cause debris that becomes another small moon?

Shoemakekr-Levy 9 hit Jupiter on the side facing away from us. We saw the flash reflect off some of its moons though, and IIRC the fireball resulting from one impact was visible over the Jovian horizon as it spread into nearby space.

14 posted on 03/03/2013 3:03:58 PM PST by Steely Tom (If the Constitution can be a living document, I guess a corporation can be a person.)
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To: Revolting cat!

15 posted on 03/03/2013 3:05:46 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: JerseyanExile
In case you just can’t get enough impact news, it looks like Mars may actually get hit by a comet in 2014! As it stands right now, the chance of a direct impact are small, but it’s likely Mars will get pelted by the debris associated with the comet.
If only those darned Republicans hadn't caused the sequester to happen, this could have been avoided.
16 posted on 03/03/2013 3:07:40 PM PST by Bob
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To: Texas Eagle

Some one warn Sheila Jackson-lee


17 posted on 03/03/2013 3:07:54 PM PST by morphing libertarian
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To: dfwgator

18 posted on 03/03/2013 3:09:47 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: Steely Tom

didn’t Galileo get some pictures of the impacts?

I seem to recall that


19 posted on 03/03/2013 3:11:14 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: Steely Tom
And a Google search brings this up...

looks like Ganymede got hit once upon a time


20 posted on 03/03/2013 3:12:36 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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