Kryptonite" Comet Making Closest Approach to Earth.. October 20th, 2010

Daily Galaxy ^ | Sept 30th, 2010

[TaraP]

A pale green interloper among the stars of Cassiopeia, Comet Hartley 2 glows like an escapee from Krypton at the center of this exposure taken on the night of Sept. 28, 2010, by NASA astronomer Bill Cooke. Still too faint to be seen with the unaided eye, the comet was 18 million miles away from Earth at the time. Cooke took this image using a telescope located near Mayhill, N.M., which he controlled via the Internet from his home computer.

"Before mid-October, Northern Hemisphere observers will be able to see the comet nearly all night long in the northeast," Cook told National Geographic. "After mid-October it can be seen as early as 11:30 p.m. [local time] but is best just before dawn." Starting in late November observers in the Southern Hemisphere will have a good view of the comet as it heads away from Earth, Cook added

In 2007 the comet became the primary target for a NASA spacecraft called Deep Impact. That probe's first mission had been to launch a projectile into comet Temple 1 in 2005, kicking up a plume of ice and dust so that astronomers could study the comet's composition. After that mission ended, the Deep Impact "mothership" still had enough fuel for followup experiments, so NASA redirected the probe for an encounter with comet Hartley 2. UPDATE FROM SPACEWEATHER: APPROACHING COMET: Green comet 103P/Hartley 2 is approaching Earth for a close encounter on Oct. 20th. At that time, the comet will be only 11 million miles from Earth and should be dimly visible to the naked eye from dark sky sites. It already looks great through backyard telescopes. Italian amateur astronomer Toni Scarmato took this picture on Sept. 29th using a 10-inch reflector: http://www.spaceweather.com/

[yarddog]

I always wondered why no one seems to notice that Kryptonite glows when Superman gets near it. No one except Clark Kent that is.

Also what is it with the initials LL? Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Lex Luthor, etc.

[frithguild]

There’s an app for that

[frithguild]

the "pale green horse" has "come" a few hundred times since that was written

That puts my mind at ease a bit.

[yawningotter]

So THAT is why I haven’t been feeling good lately.

[OrangeHoof]

The October Surprise...

[null and void]

I’ll see your Spin Doctors and rais you a 3 Doors Down

“Kryptonite”

I took a walk around the world
To ease my troubled mind
I left my body laying somewhere
In the sands of time
But I watched the world float
To the dark side of the moon

I feel there is nothing I can do, yeah

I watched the world float
To the dark side of the moon
After all I knew it had to be
Something to do with you
I really don’t mind what happens now and then
As long as you’ll be my friend at the end

If I go crazy then will you still
Call me Superman
If I’m alive and well, will you be
There a-holding my hand
I’ll keep you by my side
With my superhuman might
Kryptonite

You called me strong, you called me weak,
But still your secrets I will keep
You took for granted all the times
I never let you down
You stumbled in and bumped your head,
If not for me then you’d be dead
I picked you up and put you back
On solid ground

If I go crazy then will you still
Call me Superman
If I’m alive and well,
Will you be there a-holding my hand
I’ll keep you by my side
With my superhuman might
Kryptonite

If I go crazy then will you still
Call me Superman
If I’m alive and well, will you be there
Holding my hand
I’ll keep you by my side
With my superhuman might
Kryptonite
Yeah!!

If I go crazy then will you still
Call me Superman
If I’m alive and well,
Will you be there a-holding my hand
I’ll keep you by my side
With my superhuman might
Kryptonite
Yeah!!

[Procyon]

The photo (Post #4) taken 30 September showed the comet in the constellation Cassiopaeia. It appeared just below the top center of the W-shaped asterism.

[Political Junkie Too]

A pale green interloper among the stars of Cassiopeia,

Cassiopeia is one of the polar constellations that never sets and circles the North Pole, if you're above the Tropic of Cancer. It looks like the letter "W" in the northern sky.

-PJ

[Political Junkie Too]

Also, North Pole = North Star, Polaris.

-PJ

[Dr. Sivana]

Hmmm... that group isn't up on their Jimmy Olsen. He always liked Lois' sister, Lucy. They actually DID get married in 1966, but it was annulled thanks to misbehaviour by Miss Mxyzptlk...it's a long story.

[dfwgator]

Good thing Jimmy Olsen didn't work in Nazi Germany:

Uberman: I am.. Uberman! I have superhuman powers, and I fight for untruth, injustice, and the Nazi way! And I have X-ray vision!

Lois Laneoff: X-ray vision? Can you see through my clothes?

Uberman: Ja! And through his, too. [ points at Jimmy Olstein ] He's a Jew!

Jimmy Olstein: No! No, it's not true! My parents were just very advanced in hygeine, that's all..!

Hitler: Silence! Guard, take this Jew away!

Uberman: No need! I'll drop him off at the camp on my vay to the Eastern front!

[colorado tanker]

Lex is smiling.

[TaraP]

Interesting..

Thanks! I never knew that...

[raybbr]

Just having fun here. This was bolded in your reply: and on Oct. 20, the comet will make its closest approach to Earth since its discovery.

Harrumph! Ha!

Exactly 39 years ago it came a lot closer.

Don't ask me how I know.

Okay, I'll tell you according to web site Hartley was only .084 AU from earth. This year it's scheduled to pass at .12 AU from earth.

AU = Astronomical Unit 92,955,807 miles.

[IYAS9YAS]

Yeah, but gold (AU) wasn’t worth as much back then... ;-)

[IYAS9YAS]

Okay, I'll tell you according to web site Hartley was only .084 AU from earth. This year it's scheduled to pass at .12 AU from earth.

That 0.084 AU was from Hartly to Jupiter.

[raybbr]

That 0.084 AU was from Hartly to Jupiter.

Spoilsport.

I didn't notice that. I just figured they were all in reference to earth.

[IYAS9YAS]

I didn't notice that. I just figured they were all in reference to earth.

I did, too. I was actually reading the distances wondering why they said it would be closest this year.