Violent Meteor Storm Heads For Earth

Ananova ^ | 11-11-2001

[blam]

Violent meteor storm heads for Earth

A violent meteor storm is edging closer to Earth.

Space Shuttle flights are being cancelled and astronauts in the International Space Station are bracing themselves.

It's set to be the most powerful meteor storm to hit in decades.

Some of the 600 communications satellites orbiting Earth are also at risk.

The meteor is travelling at 160,000mph and will pass close to Earth later this week.

Nasa has already taken steps to protect the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope.

And the three astronauts in the space station are set to make their final space walk until the storm has passed.

The cosmic fireworks will begin as the Earth begins to cut across the orbit of Comet Temple-Tuttle, and into the blizzard of meteors.

The shower known as the Leonids, is an annual event but this year Earth will cut across an especially dense part of it.

Some parts of the world will be able to see the spectacular light show in the sky.

Story filed: 11:00 Sunday 11th November 2001

[RadioAstronomer]

You have freep mail.

[RadioAstronomer]

it doesn't take much . . . .

So true, however, this event will occur when most people are asleep, so I don't anticipate any panic. :)

[RJL]

Also, don't be afraid of the size of the showers, it is simply an optical illusion. The meteorites you see are smaller than a grain of salt...

Tell that to the dinosaurs! LOL.

[PoorMuttly]

Please sir, I would like to purchase a handgun which shoots a grain of salt at 160,000 miles per hour. Then I shall carry it aboard a commercial airliner, without incident...right ?

Perhaps the rocket scientist who characterized this "harmless" would volunteer to stand in front of it.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Because the seasons are reversed from the northern hemisphere to the southern, that change could occur from a polar shift ...a reversal of poles, the earth reeling like a drunken man

That would be putting some spin on the matter wouldn'tcha think? Make the whole world flip out!

(When the Revelation happens, it will be quite clear that it is not a "natural" disaster)

[HiTech RedNeck]

Hmm, you suppose maybe Hubble could be turned earthward and used to help our military reconnaissance in Afghanistan? Why let its cameras go idle while the meteorite shower is in progress?

[timestax]

Yeah, they say this about ten times a year.

[Dan Day]

What are the chances of anything hitting the earth? Could any of these be bolides? These are reported to be small, but so are some bullets...and as a certain ex-somebody once said, "bullets kill people."

FYI, due to the laws of geometry and physics, if you see a meteorite tracking across the sky, it won't hit you.

What you do need to worry about are the ones which appear to sit in one spot of the sky without moving and simply get brighter, because they're coming straight at you.

[timestax]

What you do need to worry about are the ones which appear to sit in one spot of the sky without moving and simply get brighter, because they're coming straight at you. 88 posted on 11/12/01 11:45 PM Pacific by Dan Day

OUCH !

[womanvet]

Oh, no! Art Bell has a bad back, how will I ever get the truth about this?

[HiTech RedNeck]

No arcing trajectories?

[rockfish59]

that's the one! maybe bin laden will hitch a ride too. here's your kool aid uncle bin!

[womanvet]

Because the seasons are reversed from the northern hemisphere to the southern, that change could occur from a polar shift ...a reversal of poles, the earth reeling like a drunken man

Does this mean we go back to "spring" here in Florida? I better start planting my March veggies... Yuck, more okra...

[GOPcapitalist]

I wonder what the Taliban will make of this? (Hee, hee)

If history teaches us anything, they'll probably build a giant black cube to house any meteorites in and then start praying to it.

[Mark17]

"Nasa has already taken steps to protect the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope"

What did they do? Put it in a garage?

I was kind of wondering the same thing.

[Celtic Conservative]

meteors:

160,000 mph is not just a good idea, it's the LAW (of inertia)

LOL !

CC

[Dan Day]

No arcing trajectories?

At those speeds, no. It's pretty much a mathematically straight line, unless one of them breaks into two or more pieces, in which case the chunks can deflect off of each other.

[2sheep]

>>>(When the Revelation happens, it will be quite clear that it is not a "natural" disaster)

The Flood was a "natural" disaster on a catacylsmic scale. The events of the book of Revelation are of worse scale:

Mt 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
...
Mt 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.