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Comet Outburst

2 September 2016
Astronomy

Both WISE and FERMI have revealed a correlation in emissions from a black hole that is so wide it is detectable on both infra red and gamma ray telescopes. The field of light is so wide that it is now being called a blazar (something extraordinary bright and energetic). See http://phys.org/print391270471.html

While at http://phys.org/print391239773.html … what had been thought to be seasonal evidence of water on Mars has now been shot down in flames. A darkening of the ground extends downhill in finger like flows at various parts of Mars surface during spring and early summer. This darkening fades away in autumn and winter months as if the flow of water had ceased or was absorbed. It has been found the ground where it darkens was very dry which tends to put paid to the idea of seasonal moisture flows – and the search is on for another theory. It is now thought hydrated salts may be the culprit.

   At http://phys.org/print391346115.html … back in February 2016 Rosetta's wide angle camera captured an outburst on Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko (see above). One explanation involves a landslide but is this kind of thing to be expected in the electric universe model of comet activity? The outburst went on for a couple of hours but the data analysis has now been published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (August 2016).

   The authors seem to be concerned with how outbursts are triggered and it is interesting to note they could see no obvious evidence of jets bringing up material from the inside the comet, as had been expected. They therefore had to rummage around for an alternative explanation and hove in on the idea of a landslide throwing up a lot of dust and debris. This, they think, might have exposed fresh water ice and volatiles to solar illumination (sunlight). The ice, they think, would have quickly melted and released various gases and in turn this may have dragged the surrounding dust to produce a debris cloud. There is no mention in the abstract of the solar wind inter acting with the comet – just the warmth of sunlight. It is clear the mystery still exists.

 

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