Another very large asteroid on its way

[7HEAVN]

Thanks for doing that dal that was simply amazing. Might see if I can pop down to the abc shop sometime soon and pick up a copy of the DVD. It's nice to read an interesting thread on PF they have been far and few between as of late.

[GSRman]

im gonna go buy the DVD

[Blind_Goat]

Im gonna go buy that DVD aswell, looks awesome

[rowdytoot]

I knew that ABC shop voucher would have a use someday...... :D

Rowds

[Tex]

Haha, damn, looks like I should struck up some deal with the ABC shops for some commission. :D

Tex

[Andrew Bolt]

Thanks for that Tex.....I finally got to see it. I'd forgoitten how good the score was.
I believe the Hiroshima bomb ("Little Boy") was approximately 20 KT, so the Crossroads Baker shot was a mere half the strength.

[AJC13B]

Wow, awesome thread!

God dammit! Can't play that avi file! Damn work PCs!

Will get it at home...

[Warpspeed]

Here is the latest on the comet, very strange indeed, are NASA playing silly buggers with the data again?

http://www.exopolitics.org/CometNeat.htm

To get an idea of the scale of that thing, the white circle in the centre is the diameter of the suns disk. This comet is by far the largest object in the solar system at the moment, apart from the sun itself.

[jimmythe7th]

If the comet is a big as you say it is and it comes with in 0.8AU of earth will it effect earths orbit?

[Tex]

gianttomato, Little Boy was closer to 16 KT, Fat Man was about 21. And yes, the score is very atmospheric! No pun intended. :D

And on this whole Comet NEAT thing - what's the ruckus about? I can't be bothered reading all the conspiracy theories, but what do people think's going to happen?

Tex

[Warpspeed]

Yes jimmy, that is exactly the point.

This thing has an orbital period of about 3,650 years, and just keeps coming back. There are ancient writings and pictures that have been dated, also geological history show massive sudden earth changes at regular periods.

It has been expected for a while, long before it came into view just before Christmas. A slight wobble in the orbits of the outer planets enabled its probable orbit and mass to be calculated.

As you say it is so huge, the gravitational pull will effect all the planets to some degree, even if it does not come anywhere near.

The great worry is that the earths orbit or tilt may change creating enormous permanant climate changes. Ocean currents may stop or reverse, polar ice caps melt, and re form somewhere else. The earths magnetic field is weakening, and the magnetic field of the earth may flip. This has happened before.

Molten volcanic rock stores a history of the earths magnetic field as it solidifies. From ancient volcanic rocks it has been determined that the earths magnetic field has suddenly reversed many times in the past.

Well Tex, it is easy to believe it is all a lot of new age loony religeous BS, but SOMETHING has caused the earth to switch into and out of ice ages suddenly at irregular intervals. I believe we came out of the last one about 10,000 years ago. This is still unexplained, but what else could it be besides a sudden and dramatic change in earths orbit ?

Then again maybe nothing is going to happen.

[Coffin]

Finally went thru and read this whole thread and it has been a very interesting read .. well done guys

Now have to go read up on supercavitation, solitons and the comet thing now

[jimmythe7th]

What would happen if the Earth's magnetic field switched ?. 0.1 AU is pretty close to the sun in astronomy terms I think. It must have effected Mercury pretty bad. If this thing hit the sun (or it could melt depending of what it is made from ect?) that would cause havoc in our whole solar system.

[No-Logic]

scary

[Tex]

Surely the sun would completely eradicate a big snowball before it got near enough (to the sun itself) to cause any trouble?

Tex