Comet Unexpectedly Brightens a Millionfold

swordgeek writes "Comet 17P/Holmes, a relatively obscure and (until a few days ago) dim object, has suddenly flared to be literally a million times brighter, going from magnitude 18 to 2.8. It is just outside of the constellation Perseus, which puts it high in the sky and ideal for viewing at this time of year. The comet still appears starlike even in binoculars but should grow to several arcminutes across over the next few nights. The comet is now readily visible to the naked eye. This is a completely unexpected once-in-a-lifetime event, so get out your finest optics (even if it's just your eyes) and go comet watching!"

we need a comet, a big one

[circletimessquare]

i don't think we've seen a really big bright comet in how long? hasn't it been decades, or centuries even? anywhere in the world?

i mean a really big bright one that eats the whole sky

we need a big bright comet because history teaches us that warring factions oftentimes stop their fighting and lay down their arms when shocked at the sight

so we need a big bright comet pronto

Re:

[jcicora]

Does Halley's comet not count??

Re:we need a comet, a big one

[MBGMorden]

Forget Halley's. It was a dissappointment last time anyways. Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake were even more recent (within the last 11 years) and were spectacular.

Re:

[rossdee]

Pread that the 1910 appearance was pretty spectacular.

But I agree about the 1986 one - I could just make it out with binoculars

Re:

[EveryNickIsTaken]

Hale Bopp was both large, and bright. So.. not sure where you're going with this.

hale bopp large? bright? yoiu're joking, right?

[circletimessquare]

i'm talking like this [nasa.gov]

or this [nasa.gov]

Re:

[$RANDOMLUSER]

do not scale drawing

Re:

[GodfatherofSoul]

Not with our president. Bush would just point to the heavens and say, "See? God hates terrorism, too!"

Re:we need a comet, a big one

[laejoh]

Well yeah, we're talking about a comet that brightens, not a president!

Comet, comet, go away, don't come back other day

[SleptThroughClass]

If the comet reaches Earth it is a WMD.

oblig starship troopers

[Joe the Lesser]

Johnny Rico: I'm from Buenos Aires, and I say kill 'em all!

Re:

[lrohrer]

Actually Revelations/Ezekial talks about a poison raining down on the earth presumably from a comet. That assumes of course we are talking about the END TIMES.

careful

[circletimessquare]

you don't have to believe in fairy tales about armageddeon

but you should believe in the power of a bunch of assholes bringing about a self-realizing prophecy. that armageddeon is not true, but enough assholes believing in it makes it true

so you are not safe from their thinking after all

Re:we need a comet, a big one

[Sperbels]

[quote]i mean a really big bright one that eats the whole sky[/quote] Hyukatake had a tail that stretched across half the sky at its best. You guys don't know this because you live under a gigantic light bubble.

Re:we need a comet, a big one

[NormalVisual]

Bingo. There are a *lot* of people out there that don't know what a night sky really looks like. It's kind of saddening to read reports of people calling in during widespread power failures to report "a strange silvery band in the sky", when it's just that they've never seen the Milky Way before because of all the light pollution.

What the night sky *really* looks like

[patio11]

Nothing. Only when you get outside of civilization are you afflicted with the light pollution from stars hundreds of light years away. Don't worry, this pollution, while unsettling if you weren't expecting it, has no permanent ill effects and clears up again after you return to civilization.

Re:

[way2slo]

Actually, history has often looked upon comets a bad omens, like War and the death of Kings.

Re:

[ZeroExistenZ]

It'll take a few thousand years for their rocketts to reach earth. We're DOOOMED! DOOOOOMED!

Re:

[somersault]

You mean our great great great awesome grandchildren are

Re:

[blahlemon]

The reptillian over lord never did showup, but the comet returned and smashed into the planet!

Perhaps I'll go look.

[camperdave]

Perhaps I'll go look. Despite all the hype, Halley was a bust. Kohoutek may have been the comet of the century, but that was last century. I hope this one doesn't disappoint.

Re:

[rk]

I thought Hale-Bopp [wikipedia.org] was spectacular. You could clearly see the two tails and it was close enough that scientists discovered a third cometary tail.

And to the British guy who asked: I think the constellation Perseus is the same constellation in the UK. You may be screwed if you're in Australia though. I don't think you can see Perseus from there, but I'm not sure.

Re:

[hypnagogue]

Despite all the hype, Halley was a bust.

Baloney. It was beautiful in March and April 1986, by far the best comet views in my lifetime, with a bright detailed tail 8 degrees long. Hyukatake and Hale-Bopp were good, but not that good.

Let me guess, you went out to see Halley in October or November of 1985, before perihelion, long before peak, when it was in the night sky. Sorry, the views were in the spring, in the morning sky. Just like they were telling folks on the news; no one listened.

Comet McNaught 2006 p1

[iamlucky13]

This comet isn't exactly one to get hyped about. It's not that bright. Magnitude 3 is about as bright as the Little Dipper. You won't see it from the city and you have to know where to look to identify it from better conditions.

Of course, naked eye comets always get a brief mention in the news, even when dim, but this one caught attention because of the dramatic increase in brightness. It's all the more surprising when you consider that this is a short period comet in a relatively circular orbit. It make

Why?

[squoozer]

Does anyone have any idea why this comet has suddenly got so much brighter? Presumably it is flying past a star but surely it would do this on a fairly regular basis.

Re:Why?

[jamie]

Well, the only star it's flying near is the big yellow one you see in the daytime. I haven't seen anything about the reason it got brighter, but my guess would be it has an icy core that has been gradually heating internally as it orbited closer to the sun, until suddenly it burst out as steam. If that's the case, maybe it'll get brighter as it gets closer and warmer... or maybe the lid's been taken off the pot and after a day of spewing a ton of stored-up H2O now it'll settle down and get dimmer.

(Like a balloon when something bad happens!)

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Nope. This comet made its closest approach to the sun back in May. It's now moving away from the sun. It also follows a relatively circular orbit compared to most bright comets, so significant changes in brightness are unexpected.

However, there may have been an unusually large pocket of vapor that form some reason burst out at this point (out-gassing), or it might have been hit by a smaller object.

Re:

[pedestrian crossing]

Does anyone have any idea why this comet has suddenly got so much brighter? Presumably it is flying past a star but surely it would do this on a fairly regular basis.

Comets appear bright because they start to evaporate as they approach the sun, and the sun illuminates the evaporating gas and dust.

The best guess as to why this one has suddenly brightened so much is that it has either broken apart or experienced a sudden outgassing for some other reason.

BTW, the comets we see are gravitationally bound to o

Re:

[Zocalo]

The reason thought most likely is that the core has broken up, so this may turn out to be the comet's last trip around the sun as anything other than a cloud of rocky fragments.

Re:

[ObiWanStevobi]

Obviously, It's coming right for us!

Re:

[SpacePunk]

It got brighter because it's firing retro rockets that'll put it on a collision course with Earth in 2012. /it would be soooo screwed up if I were right.

Thermal pulse

[mdsolar]

This comet orbits between 2.2 and 5.2 AU and it's last closest approach to the Sun was in May, 2007: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17P/Holmes [wikipedia.org]. An AU is the average distance between the Sun and the Earth.

Comet crusts, the dark stuff that is left over after the ice sublimates, are thought to conduct heat slowly. One theory on why we see outbursts as comets move away from the Sun, as this one is doing, is that the warming pulse from the closest approach takes time to sink down to a reservior of carbon monoxide gas which then sublimate internally and blows off fairly large chunks of the comet. Another theory is that the same thermal pulse reaches a reservior of amorphous water ice, which is more common in space than crystalline ice and thus might be present in comets since their formation. When amorphous ice is warmed, it will become crystalline and release energy because the ordered state of crystaline ice is a lower energy state. This can lead to a chain reaction of further crystallization and energy release that could lead to enough warming to cause sublimation in the interior and then do the same kind of thing as in the carbon monoxide scenario.
--
Get your power from the Sun for what you already pay now: http://mdsolar.blogspot.com/2007/01/slashdot-users-selling-solar.html [blogspot.com]

Edit

[mdsolar]

That should be "reservior of carbon monoxide ice"

Re:

[njfuzzy]

Flying past a star? Stars are too far apart for us to see anything flying between them. Even at the speed of light, it takes years to go between even the closest of star systems. Comets are small hunks of ice and dirt, orbiting our star in unusual orbits originating in a cloud of cold gunk way beyond the planets. More likely, it's physical composition was disrupted somehow, causing it to be more volatile.

Re:

[wximagery95]

Does anyone have any idea why this comet has suddenly got so much brighter?

Global warming.

Earth to comet: Y R U so late?

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

I remember a group of people waiting for you. Some 32 people in some large farm house or something in California. All wearing some kind of black clothing and Nike shoes. They took your promise to come in 1999 or so and committed suicide but you are coming so late. OK atleast the rest of the believers can now die and meet you.

Re:Earth to comet: Y R U so late?

[jollyreaper]

I remember a group of people waiting for you. Some 32 people in some large farm house or something in California. All wearing some kind of black clothing and Nike shoes. They took your promise to come in 1999 or so and committed suicide but you are coming so late. OK atleast the rest of the believers can now die and meet you.

I can't take credit for the lyrics but they're still funny!

Song Lyrics:
Magic Comet Ride

(Parody of Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf)

I like to dream
Yes, yes
About flying around in a space machine
When a big blue ball appears in the night
Our leader says that the time is right
Hale Bopp draws near
Clean the house and pack that gear

Well, UFO is right behind
Why don't you come with me, boys and girls
On a magic comet ride
Well, UFO's got a extra seat
Why don't you take a trek with me?
Beam us up, we'll visit ET

Grab a ride, girl
Say good bye, world
Let Hale Bopp take you away

Last night I packed a travel sack
And said goodbye on video tape
Before the ship could come for me
Some witch doctor had to take my nuts away
I donned a gown
Brand new shoes from Niketown

Well, you won't know if you stay behind
Why don't you come with me, cyber geek
On a magic comet ride
We'll follow Doe and you will see
Why don't you go to sleep with me?
This plastic bag will set you free

Say goodbye, world
Log your last URL
Let the ship take you away

Well, UFO is right behind
Why don't you come with me, boys and girls
On a magic comet ride
Well, UFO's got an extra seat
Why don't you take a trek with me?
Beam us up, we'll visit ET (Marcus Tee)

Odd behavior

[Muad'Dave]

According to SpaceWeather.com [spaceweather.com], not only did the comet brighten unexpectedly, it "... has no tail, [and] a remarkable golden color ...". Unless the geometry of the sun-earth-comet trio is such that the tail is pointing directly away from the earth, you'd think there'd be a massive tail given the million-fold increase in brightness.

Re:

[Alioth]

Of course, we won't see the tail because what They are not telling us is that it's headed directly for us - and that means that you of course won't see the tail, and we are all going to be extinct by next Friday!

(In less paranoid mode, we've had a good long period of settled weather with nice clear skies. As soon as something new and interesting shows up in the sky? A week's unsettled cloudy weather is forecast! Typical.)

Re:

[MachineShedFred]

Don't worry, NASA is readying two shuttles right now, and Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis are on the way to the Cape as we speak...

Re:Odd behavior

[aadvancedGIR]

Just a few facts to ruin the joke.
-If a comet is heading directly for us, don't worry. If it is heading where we will be by the time it gets there, on the other hand...
-The comet tail is almost not related to its trajectory, but mostly to the direction of the solar wind hitting it, you can approximately draw a line Sun->comet->tail.

So odds are that if we ever have to collide with a comet, we will most likely be idealy placed to see its tail just before the collision.

Re:

[Tmack]

According to SpaceWeather.com [spaceweather.com], not only did the comet brighten unexpectedly, it "... has no tail, [and] a remarkable golden color ...". Unless the geometry of the sun-earth-comet trio is such that the tail is pointing directly away from the earth, you'd think there'd be a massive tail given the million-fold increase in brightness.

More proof that its no comet, but a spaceship firing retro rockets!

Tm

Re:

[khallow]

Recall that the comet used to be magnitude 18. It doesn't "have" a tail because you can't see that initial tail. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes some time for the material currently being ejected to sort into a tail. The solar wind has low density and this pulse of material initially will have a relatively high density. It will get blown out into a tail over time.

Re:

[dintech]

has no tail

That's because it's obscured. It's coming right for us!

Re:

[TexVex]

"... has no tail, [and] a remarkable golden color ..."

Maybe those Heaven's Gate folk drank the Kool-Aid for the wrong comet!

WARNING

[LiquidCoooled]

The comet is now readily visible to the naked eye.

WARNING
Do not look into the comet with your remaining eye.

Re:WARNING

[R2.0]

A coworker bought a balisong (butterfly knife) as a youth, and being a methodical chap, bought "The Balisong Book", or somesuch.

The instructions started out with "First, take off the blade of the knife prior to practicing, or you will cut yourself". Being young and cocky, he ignored it and started playing with it. After cutting his hand rather badly, he decided to consult the book again.

The next line read "Now that you have bandaged your hand, tape off the knife edge like the previous instructions said".

It's The COMET EMPIRE!!!

[saudadelinux]

Where's the Argo/Yamato? Tell 'em to power up the Wave Motion Gun to deal with this intergalatic menace!

Weather or not.

[russotto]

so get out your finest optics (even if it's just your eyes) and go comet watching!"

It's raining and overcast here, you insensitive clod!

(and always is for any significant astronomical phenomenon)

Magnitude scale incorrect on Wikipedia?

[RandoX]

I'm not familiar with the scale used to measure magnitude so I looked it up in Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparent_magnitude [wikipedia.org] Can anyone explain to me why it goes -1.7, -0.7, 0, -0.24, 3, 4.6...?

Re:

[Bob54321]

My guess is wikipedia has a mistake. Unlikely I know, but there have been rumors of one or two cases of misinformation previously. Well at least that link clear up why going from 18 to 2.8 is getting brighter.

Re:Magnitude scale incorrect on Wikipedia?

[Myrano]

Magnitude is a log scale, with brighter objects having lower magnitudes. Like so much in astronomy, the reason is historical: when the first guy (Greek, probably) decided to categorize stars by brightness he said the brightest stars should be first magnitude, the next brightest second, and so on. Because of the nature of the human eye, the scale is logarithmic. Objects brighter than what this guy considered first magnitude thus have a magnitude of less than one, or even less than zero.

The numbers are funny (rather than -1, 0, 1, 2) because they're giving you sample objects so you can get an idea about the range of the scale.

Hope that helped!

Re:

[RandoX]

I get that, but why is -0.24 between 0 and 3?

Er, where?

[sm62704]

...high in the sky and ideal for viewing at this time of year.

On what part of the planet? Northern hemosphere or southern? The Americas or Asia? What time of night (or day)?

In 1974, the American media were excitedly predicting a very bright comet named Kahoutek, and then when it appeared wrote how dissapointing the show was, that it wasn't even visible.

I was in Thailand that year, Kahoutek drowned out all the stars in half the sky there.

Some of you folks need to learn that the internet is a global phenomena and not restricted to your own country. Is this thing visible in my country (US)? What part of the sky, and what time? If I can see it, people in Australia can't.

-mcgrew

Re:

[Riktov]

The summary says it's in the constellation Perseus. If you can figure out where Perseus is, there are simple ways to figure out when and where you'll be able to see it from your location.

On the other hand if you don't know where Perseus is, no amount of additional information will help you find the comet.

Re:

[papasui]

Fuck man you are too old to be on this website.

Re:

[Don853]

I'm curious how that worked, since unless the comet was only bright during a 12 hour window it shouldn't have been any more visible in Thailand than America. TFA also mentions that the comet was viewed in Barcelona, New Mexico, and Yokohama, and explicitly states that it should be visible in the entire northern hemisphere.

When?

[Riktov]

The clock time during which a celestial object is in the sky on any day is essentially the same anywhere in the world. The angle of its path relative to the horizon, and thus rising and setting time, varies with latitude, but the time it reaches its highest point (zenith) in the sky will be at the same clock time. Just like the sun at noontime.

Depending on latitude, its path through the sky may be entirely below the horizon and thus invisible. For example, the Little Dipper "rises", "sets", and "reaches zen

Ill watch

[Anon-Admin]

Ill have time this weekend, I think ill get the telescope out and see what I can see.

It is always fun to check out new objects that show up in the sky. ;)

Unexpected Sudden Brightening?

[clickety6]

You think that's unexpected?

Wait until it suddenly changes direction!

Now thatwill be unexpected!

Re:Unexpected Sudden Brightening?

[Alsee]

You think that's unexpected?
Wait until it suddenly changes direction!

Oh yeah? You think that's unexpected?

Wait until it starts an Inquisition!

Now that will be unexpected!

-

I got a photo of it through my telescope

[yeremein]

here [flickr.com]. There was no visible tail, just a fuzzy circle.

Wow! A once in a lifetime event!

[east coast]

So that's why it's going to be cloudy over my area for the foreseeable future?

Never fails.

Another Explanation?

[argStyopa]

It's firing at us?

Great scale

[sacrilicious]

literally a million times brighter, going from magnitude 18 to 2.8.

Dr Evil: ... and so we will demand... one million dollars! (*laughs evilly*)
Henchman: Um, well, it turns out that a million dollars isn't so much money any more.
Dr Evil: Hmm. In that case... we will demand... fifty cents!!!

All Hail!

[Red Pointy Tail]

All Hail Galactus, Devourer of Worlds!

Re:

[njfuzzy]

Everyone is saying how Radd it was when the comet was Heralded. The danger will be Fantastic, but hopefully Ultimately it will be Nullified.

No, it's probably just Dahak again

[PortWineBoy]

taking out another million or two Aku'Ultan.

Another explanation

[HangingChad]

has suddenly flared to be literally a million times brighter,

It's the Silver Surfer! Aaaaah, we're all gonna die when the giant cloud-thing comes and eats our planet.

Last call.

It's Obvious

[trongey]

The comet hasn't brightened. What you're seeing is the afterglow from the nuclear explosion that Bruce Willis set off yesterday.

Our new Overlords

[kmahan]

Obviously a ship starting its deceleration burn.

A "Millionfold" is not the same as a Million times

[N0GNU]

The /. title "Comet Unexpectedly Brightens a Millionfold" demonstrates a common mistake.

  Each "fold" means a doubling, or 2 to the n'th power. For example, three-fold is 8-times. Take a piece of paper and fold it three times- unfold it and count the number of rectangles outlined by the creases. This is where the expression actually came from...

  People incorrectly use the "fold" term because they think it sounds more intelligent, but they demonstrate their ignorance by misusing it.

  A brighting of 2 to the millionth power would be so massive that we and our entire solar system would be almost instantly vaporized and blown away by the photons striking us.

ron

Re:A "Millionfold" is not the same as a Million ti

[swordgeek]

Just to be clear on something, I never used the word millionfold in my submission. That was kdawson editing my post for his own glory.

Incidentally, the term has been used both ways, and has etymologically distinct roots, so millionfold meaning 'a million times' is valid.
I can't link directly to it, at the sixth entry (-fold) at Miriam Webster's [m-w.com].

Nonetheless, it wasn't my word. Neither was the claim that the comet is 'starlike in binoculars.'

kdawson, quit putting words in my mouth!

[swordgeek]

I'm slightly appalled.
I write up what I consider to be an interesting story for /. readers, check my grammar and links, and then click submit. Lo and behold, it gets accepted. Cool!

Then I read what I supposedly wrote, and find that words have been put in my mouth. Specifically:

"The comet still appears starlike even in binoculars but should grow to several arcminutes across over the next few nights. "

I did NOT write that. I didn't suggest it. The comet does NOT appear starlike in binoculars at all--it's quite a clear extended disk. ONE person quoted in Sky & Telescope believes that it will expand to several arcminutes in size, but that's strictly conjecture.

Furthermore, I didn't use the word "millionfold" in my subject line. That was kdawson again. /. editors: If you're going to actually edit submissions (and why start now, after ignoring fundamental grammatical errors and duplicate stories for a decade?) then get it right!

Doesn't matter

[pedestrian crossing]

What about in the UK? Where would I need to look to see this thing? I know /. is American centered but the world is a pretty big place and those of us not in that continent might like to know where we can/can't see things.

It doesn't matter, it will be in the same place in the sky no matter where on Earth you are.

Re:Doesn't matter

[jimstapleton]

Actually, Latitude+time-of-year will make a difference.

But given that the UK and US are on the same hemisphere, that shouldn't be a problem, and if it is... Train + Rome...

Re:

[Kozar_The_Malignant]

This time of year, Perseus is visible all night from anywhere in the northern hemisphere. Since this is /., I should qualify that by saying you have to go outside to see it. The comet is bright enough to be naked-eye visible in even heavily light-polluted cities.

Re:

[Riktov]

Yes, but the sky will be in a different place above you depending on latitude.

Re:Doesn't matter

[bcattwoo]

Yes, but the sky will be in a different place above you depending on latitude.

I am at 35.778889 N and the sky is up. Can you post your latitude and sky direction for comparison?

Re:UK?

[Anonymous Coward]

When the clouds clear up, and the rain stops.

Oh, right, UK.

Never.

Re:

[teh kurisu]

I'm bemused by the CIA World Factbook's statement on the UK page that says, "more than one-half of the days are overcast". Is this unusual in the rest of the world?

Re:

[blincoln]

"more than one-half of the days are overcast". Is this unusual in the rest of the world?

It varies. Is it unusual for Seattle or Vancouver, BC? No. In Vancouver it actually rains on more than one-half of the days every year. Is it unusual for the southwestern part of the US? Probably. I have never seen so much unclouded sky and bright sunlight as I did in southern California and Arizona. I assume Mexico is the same way, since it's even closer to the equator.

Re:

[afidel]

Well, based on this [worldfactsandfigures.com] table I would say almost ALL US cities have half overcast days since only 8 listed have more than 188 days of sunshine.

You forget the heat waves

[SmallFurryCreature]

That instantly parch a country that has been soaking the rest of the year, apparently not enough rain falls in the UK to fill the reservoirs enough for those short periods of dryness.

It is kinda amazing this country once ruled the world. Says a lot about the world really.

Re:UK?

[Mushdot]

Looking at the last link in the summary I think we ought to be able to see it

Look for Cassiopeia ( a big and fairly obvious W or M in the sky) and track your eyes downward from it. It's going to be just down to the left of the bright star Mirfak in Perseus.

I wonder what the reason for the brightening is? Maybe it hit Voyager.

Re:

[Rei]

To expand on this, in the night sky, Perseus looks like a rough square with four curvy lines jutting out of it, and with the northward side of the square "bent" out by a bright star. That star is Mirfak. Perseus isn't as obvious as Cassiopeia, or even Andromeda (just south of Cassiopeia), so if you're in a city and are unfamiliar with the night sky, you might have trouble locating it (just a couple miles out of town should be enough to get a clear enough view). To help orient yourself, the "feet" of Pers

Re:UK?

[gomiam]

Fortunately for you, Earth has this weird movement called rotation that guarantees the anybody at the same latitude will be able to watch the same phenomenon as long as it is independent of Earth movement and lasts at least a rotation ;-)

This is not an eclipse, so you should be able to watch it from the UK, clouds permitting. If you are worried about latitude, you can check the low-cost flights to Spain and come to watch it from here over the weekend. I think you can see Perseus from the UK, anyway.

Re:

[clickclickdrone]

Sorry old bean but the comet will be hidden by the smog dontcha know.

Re:

[DocSavage64109]

Last I heard, the Earth rotates, and since we are both in the Northern hemisphere and even roughly the same latitude, you should be able to use the same chart -- http://media.skyandtelescope.com/images/Comet+Holmes+Finder_l.jpg [skyandtelescope.com]

Re:

[razorh]

?? I don't see ANY of those lines when I look into the sky at night, is there some filter/layer I need to turn on somewhere?

Re:

[kurzweilfreak]

Try hitting Ctrl-;

Re:

[famebait]

Well, umm, the UK and the US are not that different in latitude, and as for the east-west thing, last I checked the earth makes a complete revoluion every day.

Re:

[Dunbal]

If you're in the UK you won't see it, due to the permanent cloud cover and rain, so don't worry about it!

However it should be pretty much overhead in the middle of the night in the NE sky, look for the Perseus constellation. Everyone in the northern hemisphere should be able to spot it according to TFA.

Re:UK?

[mrjb]

What about in the UK? Where would I need to look to see this thing?
Regardless of country - You would need to look up.

Re:

[blahlemon]

I would just like to take a moment to remind you... "It's a small world after all" DISCLAIMER: I am not a Disney Employee or in any way conected to the Disney Company. This quote has been used purely for entertainment purposes and I am not making any money off of it's use. The preceeding comment may not reflect the views or opinions of the poster or Slashdot. This post is copyright and can not be used without prior approval from the poster. All violations will be deal with harshly and possible in accord

Re:

[jollyreaper]

If that dumbas folk singer is to be believed, he'll be found on a bus. Just like one of us.

Depends on the singer you're listening to. Mine says he was born in a cheap hotel at the end of Route 66, he lived a dark and twisted life and came right back just to do it again.

Re:

[Lane.exe]

I once wrote a short story about Jesus living his life in a cheap motel on the edge of Route 66. It was dark and twisted.

Red Sox blowout Rockies 13 to 1

[mdsolar]

This portends the collapse of the National League. The curse of the Bambino is lifted in spades!

Re:

[WormholeFiend]

Were there any obscure cults waiting for something like this? One similar to Heaven's Gate perhaps?

I doubt anyone will commit suicide over this comet, since there's no spaceship with it this time.

Re:

[trongey]

You realize, of course, that being able to make a connection to a Sci-Fi book that was just published last year means your chances of ever getting a date are pretty much non-existent.