Mars Could Be Hit By Comet C/2013 A1 With Billion-Megaton Impact

[marcus300]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013...ncid=webmail11


Mars could be hit by a comet with the power of a billion megatons in 2014, astronomers have said.

The comet C/2013 A1 was discovered earlier this year by Robert McNaught at Siding Spring Observatory in Australia.

While discovered between Jupiter and Saturn, it was projected that it would make a close pass by the planet next year.

But according to a new recalculation, the comet may hit our nearest planetary neighbour after all.

Researcher Leonid Elenin said there is now a slightly higher chance of the impact occurring - even if the actual odds are still quite low.

In fact the path of the comet is so uncertain it may still end up more than a million kilometres from its surface.

The movements of comets are difficult to predict, because as they approach the sun their structure is affected by increases in temperature which can throw it off course.

But if it were to hit the planet, the result could be major disruption. It has a speed relative to mars of about 56 kilometres/second, and could leave a crater about 500km across and 2km deep.

Either way, it appears that the rovers currently on Mars - including Curiosity - as well as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter could capture a view of the ball of ice and dust as it passes by - or into - the planet.

[cherrydrpepper]

Scientists believe an asteroid capable of a billion megatons impact may hit mars but in reality its a deuce from Chuck Norris

[lovbyts]

Well you do realize that when cNN reports it they will say it's all part of global warming.

[warmouth]

Well you do realize that when cNN reports it they will say it's all part of global warming.

You are 100% right, and I'm sick of hearing about that crap.

What does interest me, and I hope he sees this, is jascs take on what this might do to our atmosphere if it does hit mars (assuming is is catastrophic).

[warmouth]

Jasc, where are you?!

[jasc]

Jasc, where are you?!

You rang?

I know a guy who knows a guy that knows some guys on the comet. I'll ask them to redirect.

crisis averted

[jasc]

In reality, my Avi/title have nothing to do with space, rather a DJ. Kind of an evolved inside joke from a while back.

Not to say I'm not interested in the universe, I 'm just not that knowledgeable on the topic.

Thanks for the thought though

[--->>405<<---]

i tell u wat i think is funny is that war automatically assumed jasc knew about this comet and space shit cuz he has some robot/space looking thing for an avatar.. LOL

[--->>405<<---]

jasc im actually disappointed cuz ive been looking forward to ur enlightening post regarding the capacity this comet has to devastate not only mars but also earth! (dammit!)

[warmouth]

In reality, my Avi/title have nothing to do with space, rather a DJ. Kind of an evolved inside joke from a while back.

Not to say I'm not interested in the universe, I 'm just not that knowledgeable on the topic.

Thanks for the thought though

Spacewhore?

[jasc]

i tell u wat i think is funny is that war automatically assumed jasc knew about this comet and space shit cuz he has some robot/space looking thing for an avatar.. LOL

I know right. It's like looking at your avi and assuming you know how to train legs haha j/k

[gbrice75]

I know right. It's like looking at your avi and assuming you know how to train legs haha j/k

Bahahahah!!

[jasc]

jasc im actually disappointed cuz ive been looking forward to ur enlightening post regarding the capacity this comet has to devastate not only mars but also earth! (dammit!)

In my professional opinion, if a comet were to have such an impact and destroy Earth, it would be very bad for mankind.

enlightening enough?

[--->>405<<---]

i did watch a show last night on mars' climate and weather and stuff.. pretty hostile environment..

[--->>405<<---]

I know right. It's like looking at your avi and assuming you know how to train legs haha j/k

hahahahahahaa!!! (funny guy)

[dan991]

hahahahahahaa!!! (funny guy)

See... just me saying it is joking; two of us saying the same now shows you need to get in the gym..... fat ass.

[warmouth]

See... just me saying it is joking; two of us saying the same now shows you need to get in the gym..... fat ass.

Dans back.

[--->>405<<---]

See... just me saying it is joking; two of us saying the same now shows you need to get in the gym..... fat ass.

i thought something stunk around here..

[Flagg]

Have you read some of the comments on the Huffington Post?

One guy claims that Mars will blown into a billion pieces and a mini black hole will form which will suck our solar system into!

[Bio-Active]

Have you read some of the comments on the Huffington Post?

One guy claims that Mars will blown into a billion pieces and a mini black hole will form which will suck our solar system into!

I highly doubt that could it would happen. It takes a huge star collapsing to creat a black hole. Needs to be so dense that light cannot escape it. That being said I find myself watching the science and history channel to much. I love all that space stuff

[JD250]

Have you read some of the comments on the Huffington Post?

One guy claims that Mars will blown into a billion pieces and a mini black hole will form which will suck our solar system into!

I hope he's right, I need to try out my new GoPro....... it would be awesome to have video of yourself and the entire solar system being sucked into a black hole........

[Flagg]

I highly doubt that could it would happen. It takes a huge star collapsing to creat a black hole. Needs to be so dense that light cannot escape it. That being said I find myself watching the science and history channel to much. I love all that space stuff

Of course it wouldnt happen. We know stars collapse on themselves and 'can' create blackholes. The only way that could happen to a planet is if it was simply erased in the blink of the eye, then the space it previously occupied wouldn't be there. Of course a comet is not going to destroy Mars, and even if it did, a blackhole would not form and it would just shatter into large fragments.

I think the guy who posted that comment has watched too many videos of the Death Star blowing shit up.

Interesting fact, people have seen pictures of a our galaxy and see how it is a swirling shape. That's cause the centre, the Galactic Core, is a Mega Black hole which is actually slowly sucking everything into it. trillions of years in the future, our galaxy probably wont even exist anymore.

[Times Roman]

shit

yo momma so fat, she change the orbital path of that comet just by getting out of her chair

[lovbyts]

What no one has mentioned that would be interesting (maybe not) is if hit hard enough to knock mars out of it's current orbit even a little and change the alignment of our planets. If it got bumped hard enough maybe it would end up a lot closer to us and cause all sorts of havoc??

They say that is what happened to the moon. At one time it may have been able to sustain life until it got plastered by meteors or asteroids knocking it out of it's orbit and causing it to no longer spin.

[cherrydrpepper]

Have you read some of the comments on the Huffington Post?

One guy claims that Mars will blown into a billion pieces and a mini black hole will form which will suck our solar system into!

Can you imagine what a mind fuk it would be that the planet has been around millions of years and we just happened to live when it was being destroyed

[Flagg]

Can you imagine what a mind fuk it would be that the planet has been around millions of years and we just happened to live when it was being destroyed

Well the meteorite shower in Russia back in January coincided with that asteroid passing, and both were unrelated to each other so that was a pretty big mind fvck. But I know what you mean, space is so, SO massive that seeing anything exciting happening in it is very rare.

[marcus300]

It's amazing all this stuff, it blows my mind so much

[Times Roman]

It's amazing all this stuff, it blows my mind so much

that's nothing.....

....try getting your head around the idea of a super massive black hole (dozens of millions of solar masses) rotating/spinning at almost the speed of light. what do you think happens to the sh1t around it?

[Armykid93]

i thought something stunk around here..

x100

[ac guy]

Try to figure what the universe is expanding in since scientists say it is expanding. Now that is a mind fvck. Another one that gets me is if a big bang created the universe, where did the materials to create the big bang come from? It's endless (the questions you could ask). You can spend a lifetime in a trance trying to wrap your head around this stuff.

[Bio-Active]

Try to figure what the universe is expanding in since scientists say it is expanding. Now that is a mind fvck. Another one that gets me is if a big bang created the universe, where did the materials to create the big bang come from? It's endless (the questions you could ask). You can spend a lifetime in a trance trying to wrap your head around this stuff.

One theory is that there are multiple different universes floating around in what they call membranes. When they bump up against each other other universes are created. What is holding all that together. Does that mess with your brain

[Armykid93]

I'm on a 24 hour duty and id appreciate if you guys don't give me crazy things to think about the whole time.

[marcus300]

that's nothing.....

....try getting your head around the idea of a super massive black hole (dozens of millions of solar masses) rotating/spinning at almost the speed of light. what do you think happens to the sh1t around it?

I cant get my head around it, where does it all go?

[Honkey_Kong]

Can you imagine what a mind fuk it would be that the planet has been around millions of years and we just happened to live when it was being destroyed

Can you imagine Obama addressing the nation after Mars gets destroyed? He'd be like "bet you guys are glad now that we didn't waste that money on a mission to Mars."

[Times Roman]

I cant get my head around it, where does it all go?

there is a time dialation effect, the closer you get to it, time slows down.

1) watching some one get closer and they begin to slow/stop to where they look like they are frozen in time

2) as you get closer, those further away speeds up. ridiculously so. like fast forwarding a film. and as you get even closer, you get to watch people born then die. even closer, and civilizations rise and fall. even closer, you get to see the earth spin around the sun faster than you can keep track. even closer still, and you get to watch the birth and death of stars.

[marcus300]

there is a time dialation effect, the closer you get to it, time slows down.

1) watching some one get closer and they begin to slow/stop to where they look like they are frozen in time

2) as you get closer, those further away speeds up. ridiculously so. like fast forwarding a film. and as you get even closer, you get to watch people born then die. even closer, and civilizations rise and fall. even closer, you get to see the earth spin around the sun faster than you can keep track. even closer still, and you get to watch the birth and death of stars.

Times, you lost me -your going to have to slow down and explain this more in detail because my head hurts - tell me again what would happen

[Times Roman]

Times, you lost me -your going to have to slow down and explain this more in detail because my head hurts - tell me again what would happen

as the rotational speed of the spinning black hole approaches that of light, it drags space/time in with it. as we all know, one's internal clock slows down as one approaches the speed of light. so the traveler would not have to be traveling fast to enjoy the benefits of time dialation in this case, as he, along with his own internal clock, is being affected by the spinning black hole.

as his own internal clock slows down as he gets closer to the spinning black hole, to him, those not as close as he, will appear to be speeding up. In this scenerio, the traveler could literally watch stars being born and die (go nova) and it would only seem like moments to the traveler.

[marcus300]

as the rotational speed of the spinning black hole approaches that of light, it drags space/time in with it. as we all know, one's internal clock slows down as one approaches the speed of light. so the traveler would not have to be traveling fast to enjoy the benefits of time dialation in this case, as he, along with his own internal clock, is being affected by the spinning black hole.

as his own internal clock slows down as he gets closer to the spinning black hole, to him, those not as close as he, will appear to be speeding up. In this scenerio, the traveler could literally watch stars being born and die (go nova) and it would only seem like moments to the traveler.

Amazing, I had to read that 4 times

[Bio-Active]

Amazing, I had to read that 4 times

Yeah crazy stuff but i love it

[Times Roman]

Yeah crazy stuff but i love it

most black holes wouuld spin pretty damn fast just by definition...............