Page 25 - 201311 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - November 2012

10 Facts Surrounding Comet Elenin Top 10 Facts Surrounding Comet Elenin 10: What is a Comet? In ancient history, comets were traditionally considered to be bad omens. They are small Solar System bodies (SSSB) that will display a visible coma (a thin, fuzzy, temporary atmosphere) when close to the Sun. The main difference between an asteroid and a comet is that a comet shows a coma. Asteroids are also thought to have a different origin from comets, having formed inside the orbit of Jupiter rather than in the outer Solar System. This gives the orbital history of comets more importance. The coma of a comet is formed when it passes by the Sun. The coma is generally made of ice and dust, and can grow to be incredibly large. In October 2007, comet 17P/Holmes briefly had a tenuous dust atmosphere larger than the Sun. It has been estimated that roughly one comet is discovered each year that is visible to the human eye. In some rare cases, a Great astronomer named Leonid Elenin, who was 6: Hopi Blue Star Comet can form which is brighter than any star born in 1981 and 17-years-old when Deep In early August of 2011, NASA decided in the sky. It has been estimated that one Great Impact came out. It is a coincidence that a man to get a picture of Comet Elenin, so they rotated Comet will appear every decade. named Elenin discovered a near-earth comet. the STEREO-B spacecraft and photographed it. The requirements for a Great Comet After the discovery was announced, In the picture, the comet appears to be a deep include a large and active nucleus, a close articles began to appear on the Internet with blue color. The color has caused people to make approach to the Sun, and a close approach to the acronyms for ELENIN, including extinction comparisons between the object and the ancient Earth. In 1996, Comet Hyakutake, which had a level event, near impact or extinction level Hopi Indian prophecy of the blue star. The similar sized nucleus as Comet Elenin, made an event nine (indicating 9 out of 10 on the danger legend states, “When the Blue Star Kachina extremely close approach to Earth. The Ulysses scale or the end of the ninth wave of the Mayan makes its appearance in the heavens, the Fifth spacecraft crossed the Hyakutake’s tail at a Calendar). Some said 11/9, as in November 9, World will emerge.” The Maya also have stories distance of more than 500 million kilometers when the debris tail of Elenin was predicted to of a dangerous blue star. The color of Elenin has (3.3 AU or 3×108 mi) from the nucleus, be closest to Earth. In Deep Impact, a black U.S. caused Richard C Hoagland to suggest it is the showing that Hyakutake had the longest tail president decides to send a mission to blow up Hopi Blue Star, a claim which has spawned a known for a comet. the comet with nuclear weapons. The mission number of articles. succeeds and the comet is separated into A man named Carl Johan Calleman, B%2/ 3;-8>/:@ sections. However, a piece still hits Earth. After who is a Swedish toxicologist that specializes in On December 10, 2010, an amateur the impact, the president declares martial law, Maya history, also claims that Comet Elenin and reveals that the government has been Russian astronomer named Leonid Elenin building underground shelters. In the end of the was the blue star featured in ancient history. discovered a long-period comet in the U.S. state movie, humanity is spared after the larger comet Calleman holds a different interpretation of the of New Mexico. The near-earth object was is demolished. Maya Calendar all together. He says that the given the name of Elenin and was estimated to calendar points to the date of October 28, 2011 be 3-4 km in diameter. Almost immediately (not December 21, 2012) as the most important, after the discovery was announced, articles 7: Predictions a day when people will experience a slow began to appear on the Internet that claimed the Since Comet Elenin was discovered, transformation of consciousness and reach a comet was dangerous to Earth. People began to NASA was adamant in the fact that the comet higher unity. Before the discovery of Elenin, make connections between Elenin and would not come close enough to strike or harm Calleman identified the time when the comet extinction level events. the Earth in any way. People responded by using passed by earth (end of October, 2011) as the It was originally estimated that the a collection of hypothetical scenarios for critical time. comet would pass within .24 Au (Astronomical disaster. For example, if Elenin was to hit an Units) of the Earth, which is pretty close. The asteroid while passing through the Main (Continued on Page 27) distance is closer than the Hale-Bopp Comet of Asteroid Belt, it could have been thrown off its 1997, which gained more media attention. The predicted trajectory and pushed toward an story reached a larger audience after it was imminent crash with Earth. People began to fear Listen and Watch the disclosed that while using the JPL Horizons the comet’s massive coma. system with an observed orbital arc of 235 days, By August, 2011, Elenin’s coma WorldWide the comet shows an orbital period of exceeded 200,000 km. (124,274 miles). It was 26 Hour LIVE approximately 11,800 years. In the history of predicted that on November 6, 2011, the Earth Earth, 12,000 years ago was a sensitive time and was going to pass through the comet’s debris Broadcast of the bridge between the Pleistocene and tail. People began to make a connection Holocene geological epochs. between the comet and its alignment with the The ‘X’ Zone 2012 Special earth, sun, and moon. Some felt that the 8: Deep Impact gravitational pull of Elenin caused a collection with Rob McConnell of earthquakes and geological events. The story One of the reasons Comet Elenin has Thurs Dec 20 2012 at 23 hrs EST received so much attention is that it holds reached a new level of popularity after the through March 11 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami similarities to the blockbuster movie Deep because a number of websites had published the Impact (1998). For starters, in the movie, the date of March 15, 2011 as an alignment event. Sat Dec 22 2012 at 01 hrs EST comet is found by a teenage boy named Leo and Comet Elenin was predicted to be closest to www.xzone2012.com referred to as Elle (extinction level event). In Earth on October 16, 2011 and the debris field reality, it was discovered by a young Russian arrived in early November.