Elenin update / Three inbound comets - Elenin / Honda / Levy

[reddog1]

More comet news, apparently there are THREE inbound comets.
The comets will come close to the Earth in the following order...

Comet Honda - Aug. 18, 2011 will be 0.077 AU from Earth.
Comet Elenin - Oct. 18, 2011 will be 0.232 AU from Earth.
Comet Levy - Jan. 7, 2012 will be 0.045 AU - CLOSEST OF ALL!!!
One "AU" or Astronomical Unit is equal to the distance from the Earth to the Sun or approximately 93 million miles. So, the comets will come as close as 7 million, 22 million, and 4 million miles respectively to Earth. To give you an idea of distance, the moon is 240,000 miles from Earth and Venus is 24 million miles with Mars being 36 million miles from Earth at its closest.

Here are the current trajectories:

I will update as information becomes available

 

[Pulp]

I reckon it's about time to dust off the old telescope.

 

[HMFIC]

your little swirly thing-a-ma-jig just hip-no-tized me.

 

[grizzly97]

If the closest one is going to be 7million miles away, and our moon is only 240,000 miles, what's the big deal? Am I missing something? Is it just that comets don't get that "close" or something? Please edumicate me cus i b ignant.

 

[Shootin 4 Fun]

Better start stocking up on MREs.

 

[reddog1]

If the closest one is going to be 7million miles away, and our moon is only 240,000 miles, what's the big deal? Am I missing something? Is it just that comets don't get that "close" or something? Please edumicate me cus i b ignant.

I have no idea, just reporting the facts here.

Closest one will be 4 million (Levy), then Elenin @ 22 million, then Honda @ 7 million

Astronomers say a 1.5 million mile pass would be catastrophic to both the Earth, and a comet.

 

[grizzly97]

I have no idea, just reporting the facts here.

Closest one will be 4 million, Levy then Elenin @ 22 million, then Honda @ 7 million

Astronomers say the a 1.5 million mile pass would be catastrophic to both the Earth, and the comet.

Oops, my reading comprehension sucks. lol. I wonder how it would be catastrophic. Maybe it would mess up the gravitational pull, rotation of the earth, our orbit around the sun...... Guess it's time for me to do some interweb research. lol.

 

[reddog1]

Oops, my reading comprehension sucks. lol. I wonder how it would be catastrophic. Maybe it would mess up the gravitational pull, rotation of the earth, our orbit around the sun...... Guess it's time for me to do some interweb research. lol.

If you remember Shoemaker Levy9 back in 1995, as it passed over Jupiter, the planets' gravity broke the comet up into large chunks, and eventually Jupiter got slamed multiple times. 21 times to be exact.

 

[n423]

Interesting.......thankx for update

 

[grizzly97]

If you remember Shoemaker Levy9 back in 1995, as it passed over Jupiter, the planets' gravity broke the comet up into large chunks, and eventually Jupiter got slamed multiple times. 21 times to be exact.

Wow! That's crazy sh**!