Lonan3 Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 HEAVENLY LINK A comet discovered by a Scottish astronomer has transformed southern hemisphere skies this week. Thousands of people have gathered in Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and South Africa to watch Comet McNaught, the brightest comet seen from Earth in more than 40 years. It is one of very few comets that can be seen by the naked eye in daylight and is around 140 million kilometres (87 million miles) from the Earth. The comet consists of a head bigger than Mount Everest and a tail that stretches 30 million kilometres into space. I would really love to see something as spectacular as that, but I have the depressing feeling that I probably never will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
When Skies Are Grey Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Typical....just get back from Oz and this happens!! Spectacular pictures though...this type of thing never ceases to amaze. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 I would really love to see something as spectacular as that, but I have the depressing feeling that I probably never will. The fewer the better as far as I am concerned. Less chance of one hitting us then. Suppose a comet/meteorite impact strikes the Earth every 500,000 years which wipes out half the Earth's population. Assume the human lifespan is 100 years - then there is a 1/5000 chance of it happening in your lifetime, and a 1/10,000 chance of you dying. Modern humans have only been around for 500,000 years. To put it in perspective - you have a 1 in 14000000 chance of winning the weekly jackpot on the national lottery, a 1 in 80 chance of being in a car crash in your lifetime, and exactly the same odds as being killed by an impact as being killed by falling off a ladder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." - Hamlet; Act II, scene ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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