Old Comets for a New Year

[Bianca]

                                                   Old Comets for a New Year





Joe Rao
SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist
SPACE.com
Fri Jan 4, 2008
 
As we kick off the year 2008, Comet Tuttle is putting on a nice show for backyard skywatchers. It had not been seen since 1994, but you'll have an excellent opportunity to pick it up with binoculars or small telescopes during the next two weeks.
 
Tuttle can even be glimpsed by sharp-eyed observers under pristine skies without any optical aids, for it is one of the brightest of the short-period comets, those that orbit the sun often enough to be seen again and again from Earth and identified as such.


And speaking of short-period comets, Comet Holmes continues to delight observers more than two months after its stupendous explosion to naked-eye visibility.

[Bianca]

Discovery


As we all know, Halley's was the first comet-to be recognized as periodic, but it had been seen on many previous returns before Edmund Halley announced that fact in the year 1705. Similarly, although Encke's comet was discovered in 1786, it was observed on three more returns before Johann Franz Encke determined that it had an orbital period of 3.3-years.


The object that we today call Comet Tuttle had a similar history.


On Jan. 9, 1790, the renowned Parisian comet hunter Pierre Méchain discovered a fairly bright telescopic comet in the western evening sky. His friend and rival Charles Messier described it on the following night as resembling an unresolved star cluster or nebula without a nucleus. It was followed for just over three weeks; just not enough time for a sufficient number of observations to determine an accurate orbit.


Astronomers assumed that the object was traveling in a parabolic orbit and would never be seen again, and entered the literature simply as "Comet 1790 II." It wasn't to be seen again for nearly 70-years.

[Bianca]

Tuttle's turn


Horace P. Tuttle, an assistant at Harvard College Observatory, discovered three comets by telescope during the year 1858. Tuttle found the first of them on Jan. 4 in the constellation Andromeda. Still approaching the perihelion point of its orbit (its least distance from the sun), the comet was favorably placed relative to the Earth, and this made possible a long series of positional measurements.


Comet Tuttle was brightest during February at about magnitude 7, meaning it was just below the threshold of naked eye visibility, though a relatively easy object to see with binoculars or a small telescope.


Tuttle himself was among the first to suggest that his object was identical with Comet 1790 II. A 13.7-year period was proposed by several astronomers, and it soon became clear that Comet Tuttle of 1858 had been missed at four intervening apparitions. At three of those returns (1803, 1817, and 1844) it was too close to the sun in the sky to be seen, while conversely, in 1830 it should have been an easy object in the morning sky but was somehow missed.


Comet Tuttle became the eighth comet to be recognized as a periodic object hence it is now designated as 8P/Tuttle.


The perihelion distance of 8P/Tuttle places it just outside of the Earth's orbit at 95.5 million miles (153.6 million kilometers). Also, around Dec. 22 of each year the Earth passes through the dusty trail left behind by the comet from its previous visits. This encounter gives rise to an annual display of meteors known as the Ursids, which appear to diverge from near the bright star Kochab in the bowl of the Little Dipper.


Because 8P/Tuttle was observed at each return following its 1858 rediscovery except in 1953, this time around will go down in the record books as its 12th observed apparition. And as it turns out, this apparition will be among its very best.

[Bianca]

Where and when to look


On New Year's Day, 8P/Tuttle passed closest to Earth; a distance of 23.5 million miles (37.8 million kilometers). Although it is now slowly moving away from the Earth, it will continue to slowly approach the sun, passing closest to it on Jan. 27. Comets are most visible when they near the sun, which lights up material that boils off the comet.


So, during these next two weeks, the comet will hold nearly steady in brightness at around magnitude 6. For those blessed with clear, dark skies far from significant light pollution, the comet might be even glimpsed with the unaided eye. But good binoculars or a small telescope will easily bring 8P/Tuttle into view if you know where to train them; it should appear as a small fuzzy star possibly sporting a faint, narrow tail.

The comet will be situated against the rather dim stars that compose the so-called "watery region" of the sky, passing through eastern Pisces (the fishes) into Cetus (the whale) during the night of Jan. 6-7. On that night, it will lie not far to the west from one of the brightest stars in Pisces: fourth magnitude, Al Rischa, located at the point where the two fish are tied. In fact, the name comes from the Arabic word for "cord."

For the next couple of weeks both Pisces and Cetus can be conveniently found well up in the southern sky between 6 to 8 p.m. local standard time.

Comet 8P/Tuttle will appear to skid south in its orbit against the background stars of these two constellations. After moving through Cetus, 8P/Tuttle will pass into the dim, shapeless constellation of Fornax (the furnace) on Jan. 16. It will continue to plunge south thereafter, gradually becoming unfavorably placed for viewers in the Northern Hemisphere, although those living south of the equator will be able to follow the now fading comet right on into February.

[Bianca]

A reminder about Comet Holmes!

While the spotlight is now on Comet Tuttle, we should not forget about our old friend, Comet Holmes which continues to be dimly visible to the unaided eye as a diffuse, circular cloud, roughly twice the apparent diameter of the moon against the stars of the constellation Perseus.

This comet was no brighter than magnitude 17 in mid-October — that's about 25,000 times fainter than the faintest star that can normally be seen without any optical aid. But late on Oct. 23, the comet's brightness suddenly rocketed all the way up to magnitude 2.5, brightening nearly one million times in less than 24 hours!

In attempting to explain why Comet Holmes exploded, comet expert, John Bortle suggested that this comet's nucleus consists of low-density material that, over time developed into a large region with a very tenuous structure, like a honeycomb. At some point, the highly fragile bonds connecting the honeycomb of material reached a failing point and a sudden crushing collapse occurred, expelling a gigantic volume of dust into space, making this dim comet suddenly appear impressively bright.

Back in 1892, Comet Holmes suffered two major outbursts separated by about 75 days. This leads to the question as to whether this comet will undergo a similar "cosmic aftershock" in the wake of its recent late October explosion.

Bortle thinks it's a possibility, based on the theory that there may be a large amount of residual instability which might lead to a second major collapse of material on the comet nucleus. If what happens now parallels what happened in 1892, another possible explosive outburst may be imminent, so it might be wise to keep a close watch on Comet Holmes in the coming days ahead.




Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.

[BlueHue]

Dear. . . BIANCA,


About " Comet " NIBURU,
NIBURU  is supposedly an ancient Comet or wandering Planet too, but in such a long heliacal orbit that it visits Earth within Eons, not centuries.

However the new-age sentiment tries to prove that -Whats his name- ? Nostradamus has forecasted it's close passage by Earth for: 2010 as a Planet that is made out of ADAMANT ( a sort of Olivin or iron-amalgament ? ? )

But it is in the nature of wandering Planets that they come and go !

I got it from hearsay, that NIBURU is actually not babylonian but Egyptian , meaning NEB- HORUS which is ofcourse the Planet MERCURY.

MERCURY was named HERMES in greek and what was his most eyecatching property ! ? ?  He( The Planet !) was a " Messenger" of the GODS !

You can call this mere ' Allegory' and not ' scientific' fact, but to me the Fabled NIBURU was Planet Mercury that had not yet settled in this Solar System !

Why was Planet NIBURU not crushed, in the outer regions of the Planetary orbits,  like so many Earth shearing Objects?

The STORY goes( by Plutarch.) that at one time, the Planet Mars was wanting to start a liasion with planet Venus/ MINerva !

But he was afraid to stammer in her presence( not unlike me.) so, he asked planet ANNA-perenna, to act as " Go between"( which means that the MOON was once a " wandering-Planet" too in the same period/ epoch as planet  Mercury.)

BUT, to cut this short, the next morning, MARS, did not find VENUS in his Bed but old ANNA who sneaked in, almost invisibly, coverred with Venus' gown !

Yet, the FRUIT, of their liasion, was the Planet Mercury !
Mercury means " Son of Mars "  Dr. Velikovsky thought of Mercury as a " Son-of- Venus ". but I tend to disagree with that particular notion.

Anyway, the ASTRO-PHYCICISTS, Call P;anet  MARS, a :" ball of Flint coverred with a veneer of Iron-oxide particle-dust,"
MERCURY, is reckonized as a " Ball of IRON-ore, coverred with a veneer of Sillicate-particle-dust " !

Somehow, in TIME  &  SPACE the Planet MARS, was " attacked" or accosusted by the Planet MOON, which true collision resulted in Planet MARS, losing its Iron Core, which first " Floated" to neighbouring Planets and Earth, before it beiing captutred in Orbit by the SUN.

THIS must have been when the Babylonians " recorded" this Planet as the Wandering Planet " NIBURU".  thus the BIRTH of MERCURY, was wittnessed in historical Times !

But the Writer/Priest who stored this astronomical Tablett in the Library of King Assurbanipal( died:  620 bc.)never had the chance to correct it when " Niburu/ Mercury " was permanently in orbit around the SUN !

So, when this Astronomical/ Solar-system tablett was unearthed 1.000 yers later, the supposedly " Cometary Fliht predictions " pointed to a near Earth Collision for the Year 2010, indeed IF Mercury were still
a wandering Planet !   But most NIBURU adepts chose to ignore these facts and continue to expect any near Earth collision in 2010 !

I think that this little story of mine, has" Solved" the 1.000 years old " Mystery" of that " COMET - NIBURU ".  Good luck with more answers !

Sincerely     " BlueHue ".  dd 4 Jan. 2008 

[Bianca]

Blue Hue,

I only consider ancient Mesopotamian religions in passing. So, Nibiru etc. that fascinate so
many people hold no great attraction for me.  Sadly, you sort of lost me there in your dis-
cussion.

Beside the fact that I am an Astrologer, I also consider myself deeply involved in Graeco-
Roman Mythology - just like we are taught in Italian schools.  As they are not of any use
to me in my Craft, I am only slightly acquainted with other Myths.  You could say  I don't
know too much about them.










                                                      H E R M E S 




 
Hermes  in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures, of invention, of commerce in general, and of the cunning of thieves and liars.




The Homeric hymn to Hermes invokes him as the one

"of many shifts (polytropos), blandly cunning, a robber, a cattle driver, a bringer of dreams, a watcher by night, a

thief at the gates, one who was soon to show forth wonderful deeds among the deathless gods."




As a translator, Hermes is a messenger from the gods to humans, sharing this with Iris. An interpreter who bridges the boundaries with strangers is a 'hermeneus'. Hermes gives us our word "hermeneutics" for the art of interpreting hidden meaning. In Greek a lucky find was a 'hermaion'.

Hermes delivered messages from Olympus to the mortal world. He wears a hat with wings on it and uses that to fly freely between the mortal and immortal world.

Hermes, as an inventor of fire, is a parallel of the Titan, Prometheus.

In addition to the syrinx and the lyre, Hermes was believed to have invented many types of racing and the sport of wrestling, and therefore was a patron of athletes.

According to prominent folklorist Meletinskii, Hermes is a deified trickster.

Hermes also served as a psychopomp, or an escort for the dead to help them find their way to the afterlife (the Underworld in the Greek myths). In many Greek myths, Hermes was depicted as the only god besides Hades and Persephone who could enter and leave the Underworld without hindrance.

Along with escorting the dead, Hermes often helped travelers have a safe and easy journey. Many Greeks would sacrifice to Hermes before any trip.

In the fully-developed Olympian pantheon, Hermes was the son of Zeus and the Pleiade Maia, a daughter of the Titan Atlas. Hermes' symbols were the rooster and the tortoise, and he can be recognized by his purse or pouch, winged sandals, winged cap, and the herald's staff, the 'kerykeion'. Hermes was the god of thieves because he was very cunning and shrewd and was a thief himself from the night he was born, when he slipped away from Maia and ran away to steal his elder brother Apollo's cattle.

In the Roman adaptation of the Greek religion, Hermes was identified with the Roman god Mercury, who, though inherited from the Etruscans, developed many similar characteristics, such as being the patron of commerce.




                                                                M E R C U R Y




In Roman mythology, Mercury (pronounced /ˈmɝkjəri/, Latin: 'Mercurius')) was a messenger, and a god of trade,

profit and commerce, the SON of MAIA MAIESTAS and JUPITER.



His name is related to the Latin word merx ("merchandise"; compare merchant, commerce, etc.). In his earliest forms, he appears to have been related to the Etruscan deity Turms, but most of his characteristics and mythology were borrowed from the analogous Greek deity Hermes.

Mercury has influenced the name of a number of things in a variety of scientific fields, such as the planet Mercury, the element mercury, and the plant mercury. The word mercurial is commonly used to refer to something or someone erratic, volatile or unstable, derived from Mercury's swift flights from place to place.

Mercury did not appear among the numinous 'di indigetes' of early Roman religion. Rather, he subsumed the earlier Dei Lucrii as Roman religion was syncretized with Greek religion during the time of the Roman Republic, starting around the 4th century BC.

From the beginning, Mercury had essentially the same aspects as Hermes, wearing winged shoes 'talaria' and a winged 'petasos', and carrying the 'caduceus', a herald's staff with two entwined snakes that was Apollo's gift to Hermes.

He was often accompanied by a cockerel, herald of the new day, a ram or goat, symbolizing fertility, and a tortoise, referring to Mercury's legendary invention of the lyre from a tortoise shell.

Like Hermes, he was also a messenger of the gods and a god of trade, particularly of the grain trade. Mercury was also considered a god of abundance and commercial success, particularly in Gaul. He was also, like Hermes, the Romans' psychopomp, leading newly-deceased souls to the afterlife.

Additionally, Ovid wrote that Mercury carried Morpheus' dreams from the valley of Somnus to sleeping humans.

Mercury's temple in the Circus Maximus, between the Aventine and Palatine hills, was built in 495 BC. This was a fitting place to worship a swift god of trade and travel, since it was a major center of commerce as well as a racetrack. Since it stood between the plebeian stronghold on the Aventine and the patrician center on the
Palatine, it also emphasized the role of Mercury as a mediator.

Because Mercury was not one of the early deities surviving from the Roman Kingdom, he was not assigned a flamen ("priest"), but he did have a major festival on May 15, the Mercuralia.

During the Mercuralia, merchants sprinkled water from his sacred well near the Porta Capena on their heads.



ROME:

REMNANTS OF THE WALL AT PORTA CAPENA



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QUOTE from Blue Hue:

"The STORY goes( by Plutarch.) that at one time, the Planet Mars was wanting to start a liasion with planet Venus/ MINerva !"


That's hard to believe, Blue, because Plutarch would know that Venus/Minerva were NOT the same goddess.

VENUS (Latin) = APHRODITE (Greek)

MINERVA (Latin) =  ATHENA (Greek)

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As for Nostradamus, well, I'll keep my opinions to myself.  He is not what I consider a subject I wish to
argue about.  As you probably know, his admirers can be a bit 'intense'.   Let's say, his predictions
do not matter to me.


But as an Astrologer, I would like to point out that there are some pretty ominous configurations of
the Planets coming in the next few years. 

That is TRUE!!



Well, Blue, after all this time that YOU have told ME where you are coming from, now you know where
I am coming from......

It is very difficult for me to follow your train of thought of other Mythologies.  Talking to me about them
is really a bit of a waste of time.



BTW, what does the sky show where you are?  Can you see Comet Holmes and the same Meteor
Showers that we do, at the same time?

Bianca


'CHI VA PIANO, VA SANO E VA LONTANO"





P.S. 


".......The priest, the soldier and the prostitute are thought to be the members of the three oldest professions in the world. However popular this myth may be, it is incorrect.

There is a fourth 'oldest' profession, one that is in fact older than the ancient institutions of church, army and brothel.

This fourth profession is that of the Astrologer.

Believe it or not, believe in it or not, Astrology has been around since the beginning of the 'civilized' world and probably originated long before human beings began to live together in cities (the meaning of the word 'civilization')......."





See my Astrology work (3 pages) here:


http://atlantisonline.smfforfree2.com/index.php/board,199.0.html

[BlueHue]

Dear].............BIANCA,
The Cosmic disasters known in Greek Myths, as
TITANO- Machia & GIGANTO- Machia which caused
 Seismic Waves *& Tsunamies, was promoted by the
MOON & MARS in Conjunctions with Sun & Earth!

So logically, it stands to reason, that the recent Seismic Waves
and TSUNAMIE occured during present MARS & MOON Conjuctions!

Could You find that out or verify that ! ?         May 14, 2008