Super comet

Ric · #1 31-12-2007, 08:44 AM

Hi all, did anyone see the Documentary/Drama called "Supercomet" last night on SBS?

I thought it was quite interesting in the way it dealt with the impact of an 8 kilometre sized comet upon the Earth. It covered all aspects from discovery to impact and then the after effects of the impact.

I thought it was quite well done without all the hype of Hollywood and no Mr Willis to save the day. I would be interested to hear what other members thought of it.

Cheers

rwong · #2 31-12-2007, 09:11 AM

Hi Ric

I saw it too and think it is a fantastic documentary. A bit depressed though. We shd never underestimate the power of nature.

Cheers

CoombellKid · #3 31-12-2007, 09:41 AM

Yup! the effect of such an impact look to be very impressive. Looking
forward to the next part.

regards,CS

CoombellKid · #4 31-12-2007, 09:54 AM

btw, part two is on tonight

regards,CS

OneOfOne (Trevor) · #5 31-12-2007, 10:21 AM

Haven't seen it yet. I recorded this, the doco on Stem Cells after it and another doco called "Watch the Skies"...didn't say what it was about so I just recorded it in case... Must say, these were the only things on TV for the whole day that was worth watching.

Ric · #6 31-12-2007, 12:36 PM

Thanks Rob, I didn't realise there was a second part to it. Geez I would have been spitting chips if I had of missed it.

Cheers

Outbackmanyep · #7 03-01-2008, 06:55 PM

I'd like to know if a comet that size could be pulled apart in Earth's Roche limit, and a comet being a relatively soft body and low density, how much of a difference would it make compared to the density of an asteroid?? I havent seen that show so i wouldn't know....

Is it possible to get Duncan Steel on IIS to elaborate on this??

Cheers!

OneOfOne (Trevor) · #8 03-01-2008, 08:09 PM

It was nice to see a show where the comet/asteroid was not "larger than the state of Texas"! Of course, the reality is that a comet of this size would almost certainly be discovered a long time before it got as close as they say in the show, and they wouldn't put all their eggs in one basket and launch a single nuclear warhead to divert it....only to miss. Of course, if they would have no story if they hit it!

Otherwise, it was a great show.

Outbackmanyep · #9 03-01-2008, 10:34 PM

Its the comets you can't see that are the dangerous ones! I reckon 8 months warning wouldn't even be enough, just look at some of the discovery dates of some comets and perihelion can be much sooner rather than later, a comet like P1 McNaught....Discovered 5 1/2 months before perihelion!
Doesn't give us much time to prepare!

CoombellKid · #10 03-01-2008, 10:40 PM

Actually I thought the warhead looked a little unfactual. I mean if the
Comet was 8kms dia, to me the explosion it looked a little small.

Apart from that I really enjoyed the program, wouldn't mind the DVD.

regards,CS

Ric · #11 03-01-2008, 11:29 PM

The aftermath was very interesting, it is pretty much how I would imagine things to proceed. We would all have to start from scratch again.
I don't like that EM pulse though, that means no GOTO on the scope

but then again it won't matter with that sort of cloud/dust cover.

Cheers

xelasnave · #12 04-01-2008, 08:29 AM

We need to build battle stars and have the opportunity of moving someplace else... one day it will happen ..the dinasours although around for 150 million years were presumed ( and there is fair evidence) to have had their rein ended by a blow from heaven and being the first species to have the potential to move we do little other than wring our hands...
alex

astro_nutt · #13 09-01-2008, 08:50 AM

I enjoyed the program..and it is a sobering reminder to the human race that we are at the mercy of greater forces which we can only bear witness to....Detection, time remaining and point of impact is what we can achieve now..but deflecting or stopping the threat..and if that fails...a plan to ensure preserverence is what we need to work on...
Just an open question...if we knew that an impact was to happen in 6 months..how would any of you prepare to cope with the changes that may happen?

higginsdj · #14 09-01-2008, 04:11 PM

I didn't see the show but by the sounds of the descriptions above it is rubbish.
1. It is a known fact that ANY nuclear missile attack on such a body is a complete waste of time. The only effect such a weapon will have is to irradiate the target. Nuclear bombs explosive power comes from pressure waves - ie air. There is no air in space so no shockwave....

2. Anything over 1km in size will most likely kill all life on earth. The debris raised into the outer atmosphere (and beyond) will rain back down over the entire surface at temperatures exceeding 1000c raising the ambient temperature of the earth atmosphere well beyond that capable of turning the earths surface into a cinder.

Have a read of Ducan Steeles book - Rogue Asteroids and Doomsday Comets. (I don't think I exaggerated anything - but I am working from memory - I do know that the Nuclear Missile bit is correct)

Cheers

CoombellKid · #15 09-01-2008, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xelasnave

We need to build battle stars and have the opportunity of moving someplace else... one day it will happen

They're having a hard enough time building a little space station let alone
a battle star lol. And we would probably need to mine materials from else
where in the solar system to build one big enough. But then I guess it'll
come down to the have's and the have not's. The have's will wreck the
Earth completely and leave it for the have not's.

regards,CS

higginsdj · #16 09-01-2008, 07:03 PM

Hey they can travel out to the comet and mine it!

CoombellKid · #17 09-01-2008, 07:43 PM

Yeah! and turn it into a meteor and save the world

regards,CS

Kal (Andrew) · #18 10-01-2008, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by higginsdj

2. Anything over 1km in size will most likely kill all life on earth. The debris raised into the outer atmosphere (and beyond) will rain back down over the entire surface at temperatures exceeding 1000c raising the ambient temperature of the earth atmosphere well beyond that capable of turning the earths surface into a cinder.

I think you may be a little off here. Impacts of the 1 kilometer in size (asteroids and/or comets) occur on earth about once every million years (several sources on the internet will state this, including a NASA link here).

A supercomputer simulation of a 1 kilometer impact can be read here as well. While devastating, it most certainly won't kill off all life on earth.

Ric · #19 10-01-2008, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astro_nutt

Just an open question...if we knew that an impact was to happen in 6 months..how would any of you prepare to cope with the changes that may happen?

If the impact was going to occur in Australia I cant see any point in doing much at all as our time is probably up. If the impact is further away and the chance of survival is better I would stock up with vegetable seeds of as many varieties as possible. That way after everything clears I could grow my own food.

Cheers

higginsdj · #20 10-01-2008, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kal

I think you may be a little off here. Impacts of the 1 kilometer in size (asteroids and/or comets) occur on earth about once every million years (several sources on the internet will state this, including a NASA link here).

A supercomputer simulation of a 1 kilometer impact can be read here as well. While devastating, it most certainly won't kill off all life on earth.

Although modern theory may suggest that larger targets are required to devastate the earth (scientists have been arguing for years over size) the 1km limit was chosen by the majority of scientists and adopted for Spaceguard purposes. I didn't see any reference in either article stating that a 1km object would not cause global catastrophe!

But arguing over size is rather irrelevant as it is just theory (and supercomputers don't know any better than the theory they are fed)

Cheers