Comments on: Breaking up is easy to do. If you’re a comet.

By: Jon Hanford

Jon Hanford — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 01:43:11 +0000

“Now we think Holmes collided with a small asteroid…..”

I’ve also seen work that models the outburst from Comet Holmes as a rapid, explosive sublimation of material from just beneath the comet’s surface (and could also account for a second outburst from Holmes at discovery in 1892):

http://arxiv.org/pdf/0901.2739.pdf

http://arxiv.org/pdf/1001.4161v2.pdf

Btw, I too was lucky enough to see Holmes’ 2007 cruise through Perseus under the light dome of Tampa. Quite a memorable sight.

(edit)

I can also remember back to high school days and observing the breakup of Comet West in 1976: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_West#Breakup

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:08:46 +0000

Its worth mentioning that the split was first discovered by an amateur astronomer on his lunch break at work (Nick Howes – I think). He describes the discovery in a recent 365 days of astronomy podcast.

By: Chet Twarog

Chet Twarog — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 01:04:34 +0000

Can we do without up/down words such as in: “Its orbit goes out to about that of Jupiter’s, and reaches DOWN into the inner solar system about as far as Mars.”
Where the heck is “down in the inner Solar System”? It didn’t “go UP out to about that of Jupiter’s [orbit]“.
Just getting tired of drivers blowing through STOP signs or “up Norths and down Souths; sun UP or sun DOWN.” We live on a planet rotating on its axis that’s spiral orbiting a star orbiting…. . Why are we unable to think that way?

By: Christoph Zurnieden

Christoph Zurnieden — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 23:39:23 +0000

The fourth fragment is hard to detect in the Gemini picture (or I’m getting older faster than I wish , so I tried some enhancements. Couldn’t get much but you might look for yourself.
http://deamentiaemundi.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/comet-168p-hergenrother/

By: Ragutis

Ragutis — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 23:21:33 +0000

So, after the icy materials are all gone, we have dark chunky clouds of rocky stuff in cometary orbits? Also, does the loss in mass comets undergo every cycle noticeably affect the period or trajectory?

By: Nic

Nic — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 20:47:16 +0000

Aaah..
So we are in a warm, nay hot climate! This boy has been cruising around for a long long time, and calves now..

It is hot here.

It’s 2C/35F outside. Blistering for a comet!

Thanks Phil, I will continue to follow you on your new site.
Be well.

Nic

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:22:38 +0000

Something to note. Even though it is brighter, it is still around a magnitude 8, so unfortunately you can’t see it with the naked eye.

By: Phil

Phil — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:03:04 +0000

Cool, but no video?

By: Bill T

Bill T — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:58:16 +0000

“So sometimes enough ice turns into a gas and escapes that the comet gets substantially weaker, and big chunks of it can dislodge, falling away.”

Or a crack crew of oil jockies flew up there, drilled a hole into the comet, planted a nuclear bomb and blew it apart.

One of the two.