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The Last Word


Bazza

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Astronomy question time:

I'm reading in a book in in it, it makes a claim about the crossing of two comets.  

 - Hayakutake appeared in vicinity of Earth's obit in Feb 1996.

 - Exactly one year after Hayakutake, Hale-Bopp likewise.

 - Both comets crossed (formed a cross) in front of the star Algol.

 

Might be better if i quote the book: "We need to only consider that the comet Hale-Bopp crossed the path of Hayakutake at the star Algol exactly [book's italics] on the same day, April 10, as Hayakutake had reached this point one year before. That the paths of the two comets should cross is not unusual. Of course they would form a crossing-point somewhere. But that they should cross at that point exactly on the same day, exactly one year apart, is a sign to us that it is more than just coincidence. The probability of that being a random occurrence is very remote."

 

Is this claim verifiable? 

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Well, it is a coincidence: the two objects are wholly unrelated.

 

Or are you asking about the orbital crossing exactly at Algol? I think that could be tracked down and checked, though it'd be a PITA, I suspect.

the second part, about the crossing at Algol. It if is too much trouble (PITA as you say) I can understand -- sometimes it is handy having a friend who is an astronomer. :) 

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Astronomy question time:

I'm reading in a book in in it, it makes a claim about the crossing of two comets.  

 - Hayakutake appeared in vicinity of Earth's obit in Feb 1996.

 - Exactly one year after Hayakutake, Hale-Bopp likewise.

 - Both comets crossed (formed a cross) in front of the star Algol.

 

Might be better if i quote the book: "We need to only consider that the comet Hale-Bopp crossed the path of Hayakutake at the star Algol exactly [book's italics] on the same day, April 10, as Hayakutake had reached this point one year before. That the paths of the two comets should cross is not unusual. Of course they would form a crossing-point somewhere. But that they should cross at that point exactly on the same day, exactly one year apart, is a sign to us that it is more than just coincidence. The probability of that being a random occurrence is very remote."

 

Is this claim verifiable?

I have verified the claim is false. On Apr 9 on the two years the declinations of the comets are only half a degree different, but the right ascensions were different by 11 minutes of time, about 2.7 degrees. And half a degree off Algol in dec, 5 minutes (1.2 degrees) and 18 minutes (4 degrees) in RA on that date (which matches better than the coordinates for April 10; I assume the latter date is civil date US, which can be Universal Time date in the US evening.

 

For comparison, the Moon has an angular diameter of about half a degree, so he's being really sloppy with what he means by "exactly".

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I have verified the claim is false. On Apr 9 on the two years the declinations of the comets are only half a degree different, but the right ascensions were different by 11 minutes of time, about 2.7 degrees. And half a degree off Algol in dec, 5 minutes (1.2 degrees) and 18 minutes (4 degrees) in RA on that date (which matches better than the coordinates for April 10; I assume the latter date is civil date US, which can be Universal Time date in the US evening.

 

For comparison, the Moon has an angular diameter of about half a degree, so he's being really sloppy with what he means by "exactly".

okay cheers. thanks muchly. 

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Three of the family (not me, I was still taking antibiotics for the infection) went to give blood on Saturday, including my daughter for the first time. The bloood bank loves us: O-negative, B-negative, A-negative, and AB-positive. We're a walking heredity demo.

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