Posted on 09/11/2019 5:58:09 PM PDT by BenLurkin
A comet first spotted by a Ukrainian amateur astronomer looks to be just the second known object to visit our cosmic neighborhood from beyond the solar system. What could be an even bigger deal is that this one was discovered as it's still approaching us.
The comet was found by Gennady Borisov of Crimea on Aug. 30, and went by the temporary name GB00234 until very recently. After being watched by several other observatories over the past few weeks, it was given the official name of C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) by the Minor Planet Center on Wednesday.
It appeared to follow a so-called hyperbolic trajectory, which means it doesn't orbit the sun and probably originates from far beyond our solar system.
This comet is still inbound, and won't reach perihelion (its closest pass by the sun) until Dec. 10.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnet.com ...
Catchy song. Baby.
The “DJ” at the beginning was their lead guitarist, Tony Peluso.
Last week, I showed that video to my daughter who graduated College in May.
She said, “What were they on?”
I said, “That’s the Carpenters.”
She said, “I know who the Carpenters are. But still what were they on?”
Tony Peluso: Guitarist whose solos on The Carpenters’ ‘Goodbye to Love’ ushered in the power-ballad era
EXCERPT:
The good-natured, versatile Peluso also provided the DJ voice linking the oldies medley on Now & Then in 1973 and introducing their version of Klaatu’s “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (The Recognized Anthem of World Contact Day)” on Passage in 1977.
The guitarist had drawn Richard’s attention to the eerie sci-fi-flavoured composition on the Canadian progressive rock group’s first album. “Next thing I know we’re recording it. Karen had a great time. We all did. It’s certainly not the kind of thing you expect from The Carpenters,” he mused, adding: “From a creative point of view, we all had a blast. Commercially? No, but I don’t think Richard cared.”
One of the first and best Catastrophism books I read when young. Imagine a 1,000 foot high tsunami wave coming at California.
I read it a while back as well. :^) I wonder if it was Pournelle or Niven who wanted the Russian/US alliance to nuke China included.
At the end the strongest, smartest men end up with the most beautiful women.
In the long run, the men who have the most descendants end up determining standards of beauty in a society.
And blue eyed blonds with wide hips became the European standard because in northern climes the fair absorb more Vitamin D from the sun on their skins and have hips wide enough to bear live young. One source of fair skin was probably the Neanderthal. The so-called Ginger Gene.
Odds of any impact of that nature happening are about 10,000,000,000,000,000 to 1 (rough and very low estimate - no, I’m not going to bore people with the math). Unlike in the movies, asteroid fields including our Asteroid Belt are actually very sparse with respect to significantly sized objects. Space even in our solar system is BIG. And I’m not even including the trajectory involved.
IOW it is not going to happen.
Yes, that is about 10 quintillion to 1. Not something I’d worry about.
Sorry, quadrillion.
:^)
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