 |
Green Comet Lovejoy - Cometeers Coming From Below?
Comet Lovejoy, discovered just last week by Terry Lovejoy of Thornlands, Australia, is on its way into the solar system. The existence of this lovely green comet was confirmed by John Drummond of Gisborne, New Zealand.
(Comet Lovejoy 16-Mar-2007; 16" f5.2 Meade Newtonian
[Photo credit: John Drummond])
A green comet, you say? If you're a science fiction fan, I know what you're thinking - what about Cometeers?
In his excellent 1936 novel The Cometeers, author Jack Williamson recounts the story of what appears to be a strange green comet entering the solar system.
"Perhaps it's a comet." Still frowning, Bob Star swung back toward the observatory. "It looked like one - it was a short streak of that queer, misty green, instead of the point a star would show..."Inside the chilly gloom of the observatory, Bob sat down at the telescope. Its mechanisms whirred softly, in swift response to his touch. The great barrel swung to search space with its photoelectric eyes, and the pale beam of the projector flashed across to the concave screen.
...He stepped up the electronic magnification. Vindemiatrix and the fainter stars slipped out of the field. The comet hung alone, and swiftly grew. Its shape was puzzling - a strangely perfect ellipsoid. A greenish football, he thought, kicked at the System out of the night of space - by what?
It turns out that they are seeing an alien force field millions of miles in extent, containing worlds enslaved by the Cometeers, an alien race of energy beings.
Sure, you're skeptical. Sometimes a green comet - is just a green comet; cyanogen and diatomic carbon in the coma cause the green color. But what if I told you this green comet is sneaking up from below the solar system?
Comet Lovejoy's orbit is almost perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. At present (20-Mar-2007), the comet is approaching the solar system from below, moving from southern to northern skies. Comet Lovejoy is expected to brighten to 7th magnitude (not quite a naked-eye object), at the point in its orbit when it is closest to Earth (.44 AU - about 41 million miles).
This sounds underhanded to me; it's just the sort of thing you'd expect from the Cometeers. Fortunately, the Aussies (and Kiwis) are obviously alert.
Read more at SpaceWeather and Possum Observatory; thanks to Fred for the tip.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 3/20/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 2 )
Related News Stories - (" Space Tech ")
Finding A Habitable Planet
The perfect book for those of us who would like to go 'looking for our own piece of real estate.' As RAH once said.
NASA's Reconfigurable Space Suit
110 years after the basic idea is described, NASA is still working out the design. Now, they're reconfigurable and plug-n-play.
WeCU Mind-Reading Scanners For Airports
Which does more of a number on your privacy - a full body scanner that leaves nothing to the imagination, or a mind-reading machine?
'Space Diver' To Leap From 121K Feet
120,000 feet is not quite as high as sf movies depict, but when done in reality, will be quite high enough.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
Put MercuryHouseOne Anywhere
Perhaps looking out through the spray of Victoria Falls.
Computational Wood: Grow Circuits In Living Trees
Just tap into the information tree.
SIRI Virtual Assistant Like Pohl's Joymaker
Man Forrester! Your joymaker is ready.
Liquid Glass Universal Spray-On Protectant
Also used to protect galactic way stations.
WIND Wearable Robot Controller
Robot wirelessly sense, robot do.
Gesture Cube Touch-Free Input
Just think of the gestures you'll use!
IMPASS Robot 'Smart Wheel' Video
I love it when good robot research comes together.
Predator, Prey Robots Evolve
Humanity must make a choice about robot evolution.
Mind-Control Lights At Vancouver Olympics
Bringing The Game to the Olympic Games.
PALRO Companion Robot
Who's your favorite companion robot?
Wasabi Smoke Alarm Now Available
It's an odalarm!
Spyder Olympic GS Suit With d3o
An impact suit made with a shear thickening material.
First Transistor That Mimics Brain Synapse
The Nexus Six phone will need a Nexus-6 brain.
Legged Squad Support System Monster BigDog Robot
A robotic pack mule for soldiers.
Implantable Energy-Harvesting Rubber Sheets
Take a deep breath, and power up that cell phone!
Bose Ride System Smooths Your Ride
Ride the spaceways - uh, roads - in comfort.
