Prep roundup: Comets do their part, top Morgan – The Independent

WESTLIBERTY WestCarter finally put some distance between itself and MorganCounty on Monday night.

As a result, the Comets and Elliott County are neck-and-neck.

WestCarter forced a coin toss for the 62nd District Tournaments top seed by pulling away from a tight game late to win, 80-69, at Morgan County.

HadynRoe had 39 points and 18 rebounds and Ben Jordan dropped in 13 and 11 for the Comets (19-5, 5-1 district seeding). EthanAdkins notched 12 points and DaltonBrown pitched in 10.

Blake Evans collected 36 points, knocking down nine 3-pointers for the Cougars (8-18, 0-6 seeding), who lost their seventh straight game. Jake Helton added 12 points.

The coin toss to determine the tournaments top seed will be held Thursday.

W. CARTER 22 9 23 26 80

MORGANCO. 16 18 14 21 69

WestCarter (80) Jordan 13, Roark 3, Evans 3, Roe 39, Adkins 12, Brown 10, Johnson, Glancy. 3-Pt. FG:5 (Roe 3, Adkins, Brown). FT: 19-28. Fouls: 20.

MorganCounty (69) Evans 36, J. Fay 8, G. Adkins 7, Helton 12, Gullett 2, J. Adkins 4, Gilliam. 3-Pt. FG:(Evans 9). FT: 12-17. Fouls: 19.

Ashland 79, Rose Hill Christian 44

ASHLAND Chase Villers tallied 20 points and Devaunte Robinson put in 19 as Ashland rolled past Rose Hill on Monday.

Hunter Copley chipped in 11. Ashland (11-14) buried eight 3-pointers on the night, including four by Villers.

The Royals (9-18) got 12 points from Marcus Boyd.

ASHLAND 27 25 22 5 79

ROSE HILL 9 14 13 8 44

Ashland (79) Villers 20, Copley 11, Robinson 19, Lucas 8, Adkins 7, Mays 2, Dowdy 2, May 3, Hudson 5, Heaberlin 2, Rogers, Jordan, Hester. 3-Pt. FG:8 (Villers 4, May, Hudson, Lucas 2). FT:13-20. Fouls:16.

Rose Hill (44) Boyd 12, Barber 4, Hale 9, N. Hamilton 17, Dillon 2, Yates, Pennington, E. Hamilton, Frazier, McDaniel, Woods. 3-Pt. FG:3 (Boyd, Hale, N. Hamilton). FT:11-14. Fouls:12.

GIRLS

East Carter 57, RowanCo. 37

MOREHEADBailee Brainard dropped in 10 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, Milena Clarke scored 13 points and provided shutdown defense on the LadyVikings AllysonCallahan, and Haley Hall totaled 13 points as the LadyRaiders prevailed on the road.

Shelby Ricer led RowanCounty (10-15) with eight points. Callahan, averaging 20.3 points per game coming in, accounted for five points and was harried into going 2-for-22 from the field.

EastCarter improves to 18-7.

E. CARTER 19 18 5 15 57

ROWANCO. 12 8 2 15 37

EastCarter (57) Mayo 4, Brainard 10, Paynter 4, H. Hall 13, Clarke 13, T. Hall 5, Greene 4, Gallion 2, Gamsby 2. 3-Pt. FG:3 (Clarke, T. Hall, H. Hall). FT:4-5. Fouls: 20.

RowanCounty (37) Rogers 2, Rose 5, Cross 7, Callahan 5, Payton 3, Ricer 8, Purdy 7. 3-Pt. FG: 2 (Rose, Peyton). FT: 11-17. Fouls: 12.

Fairview 52, Hannan (W.Va.) 27

HANNAN, W.Va. Without top scorer Mackenzie Humphrey (ankle), Fairview still had no trouble with Hannan (West Virginia) on Monday.

Jordan Rakes tossed in a team-high 14 points. Madison Hanshaw had 10. Mamie Mullins netted 10.

Fairview (12-14)is going up against Greenup County at home on Saturday.

FAIRVIEW 12 16 11 13 52

HANNAN 4 9 11 3 27

Fairview (52)Mullins 10, Wilkes 9, Hanshaw 10, Meeks 4, Shaffer 5, Rakes 14, Renfroe, Hobbs, Malone. 3-Pt. FG: 3(Mullins, Rakes 2). FT:9-15. Fouls:20.

Hannan (27)Staggs 2, Waugh 6, Duffer 5, L. Holley 3, Tolliver 2, Cooper 2, Ocats 2, Frazier 4, S. Holley 1. 3-Pt. FG:1 (L. Holley). FT:10-20. Fouls:14.

Pikeville 65, Paintsville 63

PAINTSVILLE Down eight points entering the fourth quarter, the host LadyTigers got their deficit down to two by the final horn, but couldnt quite equalize.

Anna Keeton scored 24 points to lead Paintsville (22-3). PresleyChirico dropped in 11 andElizabethWilliams and Abby James each notched 10.

Grace Bartley led the LadyPanthers (15-7) with 21 points. Savanna Nunemaker collected 17 points as Pikevilles KristyOrem won in her first game as the visiting coach at her alma mater since returning to the 15thRegion this season.

PIKEVILLE 17 13 13 22 65

PAINTSVILLE 11 14 10 28 63

Pikeville (65) Bartley 21, Nunemaker 17, Stewart 9, Gearheart 8, Cole 6, Blackburn 2, Wilkerson 2. 3-Pt. FG:3 (Bartley 2, Nunemaker). FT: 18-22. Fouls: 12.

Paintsville (63) Keeton 24, Chirico 11, E. Williams 10, James 10, Lanzani 4, Fitch 2, S. Williams 2. 3-Pt.FG:6 (Keeton 4, E. Williams 2). FT: 7-13. Fouls: 17.

FROM SATURDAY

Fairview 62, Phelps 43

WESTWOOD Jordan Rakes poured in a game-high 25 points as the Lady Eagles crushed Phelps on Saturday afernoon.

Fairview also got 13 points from Mamie Mullins and 11 from Mackenzie Humphrey.

PHELPS 11 4 12 16 43

FAIRVIEW 12 17 11 22 62

Phelps (43) B. McCoy 6, Prater 21, Dotson 4, Smith 5, Tibbs 2, G. McCoy 1, Layne 5, Sierra 2. 3-Pt. FG:1 (Smith). FT:13-17. Fouls:17.

Fairview (62) Humphrey 11, Mullins 13, Wilkes 8, Hamilton 2, Hanshaw 3, Rakes 25, Meeks. 3-Pt. FG: 5(Mullins, Rakes 4). FT:21-31. Fouls:13.

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Prep roundup: Comets do their part, top Morgan - The Independent

Comets Blast Purple Panthers – thejournal-news.net

The Litchfield Purple Panthers, coming around the final stretch of their 2016-2017 campaign, wrapped up their road games on Friday night in Greenville in a South Central Conference match up. This contest would quickly get out of hand as the Comets would walk away with a 71-31 South Central Conference victory.

The Comets, 5-2 in the South Central Conference, would jump out ahead of the Purple Panthers, 1-6 in the South Central Conference, early in this contest.

Greenville would get the scoring kicked off when Ryan Hutchinson connected on a three point field goal 17 seconds into the contest. Hutchinson's three pointer would start a scoring flurry for the Comets, as they would explode for 19 points in the first seven minutes of action in the first quarter.

On the other side of the court the Purple Panthers would come out nearly as cold as the temperature was outside the gym. Litchfield would not be able to put a point on the scoreboard until the last minute of the quarter.

The Comets defense would be a big factor in the offense struggles for the Purple Panthers. The Purple Panthers would only get six shots off the entire first quarter and would turn the ball over 10 times.

Cam Morris would connect on the first basket for the Purple Panthers with 53 seconds remaining in the quarter. Morris' basket would stop the scoreless streak for the Purple Panthers and the 19 point run by the Comets.

The Comets would get four more points in the the last 50 seconds and Sam Middleton would connect on the Purple Panthers' fourth point of the game as Greenville would be in full control of this contest with a 24-4 lead after the first quarter. The Comets' Hutchinson would have the hot hand in the quarter as he connected on three three-point field goals to give him nine first quarter points.

The second quarter would be almost a repeat of the first quarter as the Comets' offense and defense remained in full control of the contest. The Comets would connect on 20 more points in the second quarter giving them 44 at the half.

The Purple Panthers would be able to triple their point production from the first quarter as they connected on 14 second quarter points. Seth McGill and Alex Bishop would collect six of the 14 points from behind the arc. Brady Simpson would lead all scorers in the first half with 12 points, seven in the first quarter and five in the second for Greenville. Sam Middleton would lead the Purple Panthers with six points as Litchfield trailed Greenville 44-18 at the half.

The Comets would cruise through the second half as they would outscore Litchfield 27-13 in the final two quarters of action. The young Purple Panthers, continuing with growing pains, would get some quality minutes from their non-starters in the final half. Keating Monroe would lead the Purple Panthers in the second half with four points and Billy Beckham would connect on two free throws.

The Comets would take this contest with a final score of 71-31. The loss would drop Litchfield to 5-20 overall and 1-6 in the South Central Conference. The young Purple Panthers will be more than happy to put this week away as they were outscored 145-79 in their two contests this week.

Next will be a new week for the Purple Panthers as they begin a four game home stand starting with county rival Lincolnwood on Tuesday and SCC opponent Carlinville on Friday.

February 3 at Greenville

Litchfield 4 14 10 3 - 31

Greenville 24 20 11 16 - 71

Litchfield (31) - Sam Middleton 7, Alex Bishop 5, Cam Morris 5, Keating Monroe 4, Seth McGill 3, Sam Painter 3, Dylan Hemann 2, Billy Beckham 2.

Greenville (71) - Brady Simpson 17, Ryan Hutchinson 12, Hunter Gray 8, Kaleb Ephron 6, Christian Moss 6, Lucas Carlson 6, Brandon Hamel 6, Brock Nelson 6, Chad Stearns 4.

Three-point field goals: Litchfield 3 (Bishop 1, Morris 1, McGill 1); Greenville 6 (Hutchinson 3, Nelson 2, Hamel 1).

Records: Litchfield (5-20, 1-6); Greenville (5-2).

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Comets Blast Purple Panthers - thejournal-news.net

GW extends win streak with victory over Comets – GoDanRiver.com

George Washington extended its winning streak to seven games with a convincing 59-43 victory over Halifax County on Monday night.

The Eagles (15-3) unleashed an 11-1 run over the final four minutes to pull away from the Blue Comets, using an array of different defensive looks to overwhelm Halifax.

We talked about at the break how we needed to step up our defensive intensity, GW coach Ron Parson said. We threw two or three different looks at them on defense in the fourth quarter and it frustrated them.

GW held Halifax to just eight points in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles free-throw shooting was just as impressive, especially down the stretch. Senior Amardius Jones was 4 for 4 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes that allowed GW to extend its lead to double digits.

We definitely did a better job shooting from the line in the second half, Parson said. I had been talking with them about that all night, and they finally picked it up and found a way to score from the line.

GW senior Patrick Robinson scored 16 points to pace four players in double figures. Camryn Lewis scored 14, Jones added 13 and Caymen Wilson added 10 points.

Halifaxs James Smith scored nine of his game-high 18 points in the third quarter.

Smiths sizzling quarter allowed Halifax (13-6) to chip away at GWs 12-point lead early in the third quarter and trail by only two entering the final period.

However, GWs defense and timely free-throw shooting allowed the Eagles to coast to the victory.

We have a veteran group of guys so they really dont panic a lot, Parson said. When we get down and things go wrong weve got guys that have been through it. I was really proud of the way they kept their composure and held on.

Halifax jumped out to a six-point lead early in the first quarter, but GW was able to counter the Comets defensive pressure to finish the frame on an 8-1 run to take a 14-13 lead.

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GW extends win streak with victory over Comets - GoDanRiver.com

Gaunce assigned to Utica Comets – Utica Observer Dispatch

Ben Birnell

A familiar name has been added to the Utica Comets roster.

On Monday, the parent Vancouver Canucks assigned Brendan Gaunce to the Comets, who play Tuesday at Toronto.

The move comes because a player -- likely Ben Hutton, who has missed time with an injury -- is ready to come off the injured reserve for the Canucks. Gaunce also did not need to be placed on waivers to be assigned to the American Hockey League, making the move easier.

The 22-year-old Gaunce has played much of the season with the National Hockey League team, appearing in 47 games. Gaunce, who has played mostly on the fourth line with the Canucks, has five assists this season.

Gaunce helps provide a boost for the Comets, who are among the lowest-scoring teams in the AHL with 2.50 goals per game.

Gaunce, who is in his third professional season, has played in 120 regular-season games with the Comets totaling 28 goals and 67 points. Last season, Gaunce had 38 points in 46 games with the Comets.

The move gives Utica 14 healthy forwards as Derek Hulak and Joseph LaBate have each recently missed time with injuries.

The Comets play four games over the next week, including a home-and-home series with North Division rival Toronto. The Comets also play Friday at Springfield before returning home Sunday to play Syracuse.

The Comets and Marlies, who play Friday in Utica, are separated by a point in the division. Toronto moved ahead of Utica with a win Sunday over Syracuse.

The third-place team (St. John's) and the seventh-place team (Binghamton) in the division are separated by seventh points. The top four teams in the division make the playoffs.

The Comets, who are 0-2-1-1 in the last four games, have a busy February on tap with 32 regular-season games remaining.

The Comets begin a stretch Tuesday that features 11 games in 19 days. The schedule includes three games against Toronto and one each against Albany and Rochester.

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Gaunce assigned to Utica Comets - Utica Observer Dispatch

Wins for Clarke Road, Alescon Comets – Trinidad & Tobago Express

CLARKE Road United and Alescon Comets secured outright victories on the third and final day of the National Premier Division One opening round yesterday, joining Merry Boys in the early lead for the national cricket championship. Merry Boys had completed victory over PowerGen Penal Sports with a day to spare on Saturday. But while the three clubs celebrated early success, defending champions Queens Park Cricket Club had to settle for first-innings points in their drawn encounter with Jailal Enterprises Victoria Sports. Playing on their home turf at Wilson Road in Penal, Clarke Road were able to turn around their match against Central Sports, going on to win by 26 runs after having conceded a first-innings deficit of 32. Chasing 184 for victory, Central started the day well-placed on 41 for one but struggled against Clarke Roads spin attack, crashing to 157 all out. Kirwyn Sirju led the hosts, the leg-spinner claiming four wickets for 29 runs; he was ably supported by Yannick Ottley (2-19) and Akhile Mollon (2-41). Shazan Babwah played a solid hand of 69 for the visitors, but apart from Kamil Poorans 32, there was little else. At Pierre Road in Charlieville, the host Comets excelled with bat and ball to defeat Tableland by 139 runs. Resuming their second innings on 110 for four, they batted on before declaring on 225 for nine. Off-spinning all-rounder Bryan Charles led the way with 66 while there were good contributions from Kenroy Williams (39), Kirk Edwards (36) and Idrees Mohammed (35). Brian Pegues (4-44) was the best of the Tableland bowlers. The daunting victory target of 284 proved well beyond Tableland and despite Al Smalls courageous knock of 83, they were routed for 144. Leg-spinner Emile Rajah claimed outrageous figures of five for 12 from 5.3 overs while Kashtri Singh grabbed four for 15 from eight. Meanwhile, at Barrackpore West Secondary, Queens Parks bowlers met staunch resistance from the Victoria batsmen, led by former national player Sherwin Ganga, who scored 72. Resuming on 189 for four, the hosts battled their way to 312, 38 short of the Parkites first innings of 350 for eight declared. For QPCC, the wickets were evenly shared among Marlon Barclay (3-36), Kion Webster (3-71) and Yannic Cariah (3-74). With no chance of forcing an outright win, QPCC were 35 for one in their second innings when play was called. Premier Division 3-Day League scores:

At Wilson Road: Clarke Road Utd 127 and 215 VS Central Sports 159 and 157 (S. Babwah 69, K. Pooran 32; K. Sirju 4-29, Y. Ottley 2-19, A. Mollon 2-41). Clarke Road Utd won by 26 runs.

At Pierre Road: Alescon Comets 284 and 225/9 decl. (B. Charles 66, K. Williams 39, K. Edwards 36, I Mohammed 35; B. Pegues 4/44) VS Jenexcon Tableland 226 and 144 (Al Small 83; E. Rajah 5-12, K. Singh 4-15). Alescon Comets won by 139 runs.

At Barrackpore West: QPCC 350/8 decl. and 35/1 VS Jailal Enterprises Victoria Sports 312 (S. Ganga 72; M. Barclay 3-36, K. Webster 3-71, Y. Cariah 3-74). Match drawn.

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Wins for Clarke Road, Alescon Comets - Trinidad & Tobago Express

A comet tale – Sierra Vista Herald

Surprising and beautiful, comets are a favorite of backyard astronomers. The rarity of bright comets makes them exciting sky events and their unpredictable nature adds immeasurably to their appeal. Some comets are more predictable than others. Periodic comets are objects in elliptical orbits around the sun that have a known orbital period. We can predict their return to our sky rather accurately. In addition to the names of their discovers, they carry numerical designations that indicate their order of discovery. Edmund Halley was the first to predict the return of an orbiting comet and the object named for him bears the designation 1P.

While periodic comets return on a regular schedule, their distance from Earth at closest approach varies greatly. We are about to experience the close approach of three comets in succession over the next 20 months, a very rare occurrence. The first of those close approaches comes this month when Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdu Sakova passes 7.4 million miles from Earth on Feb. 11. Well see this comet brighten considerably as it moves rapidly across our sky. In just two weeks it will go from a morning object in Aquila to an evening object in Coma Berenices. It will be a fine binocular object and has the potential to be visible to the naked eye at its brightest.

At the same time, your telescope can pick up Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak which will be brightening between the stars of Leo and Cancer. 41P will continue to brighten over the next few months and should reach sixth magnitude in April making it possible for a sharp-eyed observer in a dark sky to pick it out without optical aid. Observers should always be on the lookout though, because comets can brighten unexpectedly at any time. Astronomers are not quite sure how comets produce these unpredictable outbursts which can cause the comet to brighten by a magnitude or more.

The third comet, 46P Wirtanen, wont come onto the scene until October 2018, but it will be worth waiting for as it will quickly brighten to fourth magnitude, well within naked eye visibility.

The Tucson based Planetary Science Institute is spearheading an international campaign to study the comas of these three comets. Amateur astronomers are invited to participate in the observing campaign called the 4*P Coma Morphology Campaign. See http://www.psi.edu/41P45P46P for details. By collecting images from multiple sources, astronomers hope to learn about the shape and rotational characteristics of the comets nuclei as well as how the comas evolve and change over time. The coma is the envelope of gas and dust that surrounds the nucleus of a comet. Visual observers who want to contribute observations of these comets should look into the PACA Project.

Visitors to the Patterson Observatory on Jan. 5 were able to view comet 45P through the 20-inch telescope. At the March 2 public night, comet 41P may be just visible in the large scope. Astronomers from the Huachuca Astronomy Club are always available at public night and they can help you plan your own observations of these comets. Patterson is located on the campus of the University of Arizona Sierra Vista. Public nights are free and the doors open just after sunset.

The morning sky all this month is adorned by Mercury low in the southeast and Saturn in the south-southeast. The evening sky is home to Venus and Mars in the west. Jupiter is a target for the overnight and will drift from the southeast to the southwest over the month. Jupiter will be in retrograde motion. Mark its position against the bright star Spica to trace its westward motion week to week over the next few months. Retrograde motion of a planet is caused by the earth overtaking it in its orbit. The planet appears to move backward in our sky as Earth races ahead of it.

The dwarf planet Ceres will be well placed among the stars of Cetus for viewing this month. For much of the 19th century, Ceres enjoyed status as a full-fledged planet, and was eventually demoted in similar fashion to Pluto. The largest object in the asteroid belt, Ceres was considered an asteroid until it was again elevated to dwarf planet by the same IAU convention that changed Plutos designation. This is a good time to see it, although you will need a telescope and a good map to find it. You can download freeware planetarium programs like Stellarium, Carte du Ceil, or Sky Map to pinpoint exactly where to look to catch this tiny world.

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A comet tale - Sierra Vista Herald

Comets no longer undefeated, but win two of three at Kin 1 – Prince George Citizen

In the weekend rubber match Sunday morning at Kin 1, the Northern Capitals and Greater Vancouver Comets were taking no prisoners. Late hacks at the goalie were being punished with cross-checks across the back and there were a few choice words uttered by both teams as the chippy play continued. It was just the kind of intensity you'd expect from last year's B.C. Female Midget Triple-A Hockey League playoff finalists renewing their rivalry in their final meeting of the regular season. The Comets had already felt the sting of losing their first game of the season Saturday night when the Capitals went home with a 3-1 victory. Their chance for perfection denied, the Comets took it out on the Capitals in Sunday's game, posting a convincing 6-1 win. "It felt really good handing an undefeated team their first loss of the season," said Capitals centre Cailey Mellott. "They're a good team, they play their systems well and they're fast, but we gave them a run for their money. This game was a lot more physical." The Comets were leading 1-0 Sunday on a goal from Camryn Gormley when Mya Taylor opened the second period with a backhand shot to beat Cougars' goalie Olivia Davis. Comets winger Naomi Choong made it a 3-0 game when she skated out of the corner and scored on a high wrister on a power play 8:32 into the second period. In the third period, an early goal from Rebecca Clarke put the game out of the Cougars' reach. Stefanie Wallace finished off a breakaway with a shot through the pads of Davis at 12:13 of the third and Nicole Kay came off the bench to relieve Davis. Cougars sniper Braxtyn Shawara, the pride of McBride, broke up Brooke Vial's shutout bid when she put a move on defenceman Nicole Wong at the Vancouver blueline and skated in alone to score on a low wrist shot. Clarke completed the scoring in the last minute. In Saturday's game, Mellott scored two goals, including an empty-netter, and Wynona Creyke scored the other for the Capitals. Darci Johal opened the scoring for the Comets in the first period. After knocking off a team that had reeled off 22 straight wins, the Capitals' celebrated in the dressing room like they'd won another title. "The intensity (Saturday) was unrivaled," said Capitals assistant coach Megan Price. "They played better than they've played all season, they were working together and that's what we try to teach them as coaches and it showed on the ice. It was an awesome game, there was so much energy." Vancouver won Friday by a 3-1 count. Choong, Johal and Jenn Gardiner were the Comet goal-scorers, after Camryn Scully notched the first goal of the game for the Capitals. Kay started and finished in goal for the first two games. "(Saturday's win) gave us the positivity that we can beat the top team in the league," said Kay. "Coming out strong and how we competed with them last year, to regain that confidence is good. "This game (Sunday) was intense. Both teams wanted the win and wanted to pull it off and take the two away from the weekend." While a perfect season was the Comets' goal, head coach Mark Taylor said it's not such a bad thing to have to swallow a regular-season loss. "It would have been nice to try to run the table but at the end of the day we just want to keep trying to improve as a group and if we're going to have a loss it's better to have it now than a month from now," said Taylor. "You can learn from little bit of adversity like that. "Prince George is a hard-working team and they played very well (Saturday) and limited our chances so they deserve a lot of credit for that win. It was good to see our girls bounce back. They tried to take control of the game and keep the pressure on all game." The Capitals (9-10-2) started Sunday's game three points behind the second-place Thompson-Okanagan Lakers. There's added incentive for the Capitals to finish second knowing the top two teams receive first-round playoff byes. They have nine games left and will play the Fraser Valley Rush in a three-game series this weekend in Langley. The Comets (23-1-0), who host the Kootenay Wild this weekend, have already wrapped up the regular season crown.

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Comets no longer undefeated, but win two of three at Kin 1 - Prince George Citizen

Comets pick up conference win | Waupaca County Post – Waupaca County News

February 4, 2017

By Greg Seubert

Victoria Nowak and Emma Smidt were an effective one-two punch Feb. 3 for the Waupaca girls basketball team.

The senior and freshman combined to score 31 points in the Comets 46-36 North Eastern Conference win over Marinette.

Nowak led all scorers with 18 points, while Smidt hit three three-pointers in the first half and finished with 13 points.

Marinette scored 12 of the games first 15 points to take an early 12-3 lead, but Smidts second and third threes came during a 12-0 run that gave the Comets a 15-12 lead.

Waupaca eventually built a five-point lead late in the first half, but settled for a 22-20 lead at the break.

McKenzie Bebos back-to-back threes gave Marinette a 26-24 lead early in the second half, but Nowak tied the game with a pair of free throws and Mya Johannes three gave the Comets the lead for good at 29-26.

Waupaca then outscored the Marines 17-10 the rest of the way.

Bebo and Jordan Miller led Marinette with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

The Comets will host Fox Valley Lutheran at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Waupaca Middle School eighth-grader Arthur Lisogor plays the trumpet Feb. 3 at Waupaca High School. Lisigor and other eighth-graders had the opportunity during a Waupaca girls' basketball game to perform with the Waupaca High School band. The students will team up again Tuesday, Feb. 14, for a Waupaca boys' basketball game. Greg Seubert Photo

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Comets pick up conference win | Waupaca County Post - Waupaca County News

Comets extend winning streak against Empire – Duncan Banner

The Velma-Alma came into the game with another winning streak and extended there current streak to four wins when they got the 35-24 victory on the road against the Empire Bulldogs.

Early in the first quarter, Empire and Velma-Alma traded baskets with the Bulldogs clinging on to a two-point lead at the end of one when Alex Vanderburg hit a three-point shot to take the small lead.

As Velma came out in the second quarter both teams only made one bucket from two-point land, but the difference maker was beyond the arc as the Comets scored two long range shots.

Brodie Williams, who had seven points on the game, sank the first once when Jake Brown started a string of four made shots with his shot from beyond the arc scoring 17 on the game.

With the game going on, the Comets got Empire into foul trouble and took advantage on the charity stripe as Velma-Alma went 10-for-19 in the game while the Bulldogs went 3-for-8 at the line.

During the second half both teams defense had big third quarters as the teams combined for three baskets on 14 shots with Velma getting their lead up from seven to 11 by a three bucket and a two pointer from Brown to build the lead.

In the final quarter, Velma-Alma went perfect from the field shooting 3-for-3 with Brown, Bryson Sherlin and Caleb Crowson grabbing baskets to seal the victory over Empire.

Bulldogs was led in scoring by Dakota Curtis who had seven points and Logan Martindale poured in four points to pace the starting five for Empire.

Empire and Velma-Alma both have two games left in the regular season before playoffs start with the Comets playing on Friday evening and Monday evening with both games being at home.

The Bulldogs play back-to-back in there final two games of the season with Empire traveling to Ryan on Monday evening and at home against Wilson on Tuesday evening before playoffs.

All of the four remaining games for the Comets and Bulldogs will tip-off at 8 p.m. and Empire begins their district playoffs in Cyril against Ringling on Friday evening, while the Comets host Union City on Saturday evening.

Results from Velma-Almas Friday evening game against Walters was not available as of press time.

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Comets extend winning streak against Empire - Duncan Banner

BOYS BB: Explosive Golden Eagles roll by Comets – Kokomo Tribune

CONVERSE Two and a half minutes into Tuesday nights boys basketball game at Oak Hill, Eastern had the Class 2A No. 3-ranked Golden Eagles looking at a 5-0 deficit.

The Comets looked cool and composed, hitting their first two shot attempts on a Sam Querry 3-pointer from the wing and Draeden Graber driving runner in the lane.

And then, just like that, everything went the other way in a hurry.

Eastern (7-11) managed just one more shot attempt in the first quarter as Oak Hill (15-2) reeled off 10 straight points for a 15-5 lead at the first stop. The Comets trailed by double digits the rest of the way, falling 54-30.

We got out to a good start and were doing some good things, Eastern coach Mike Springer said. We had some mental lapses and next thing you know were down 10.

With just under 5:00 to play in the opening frame, the Eagles found the scoreboard on a Cal Mann deuce that opened the flood gates. That basket sparked what would be a 19-0 Oak Hill run stretching well into the second quarter. During that same span, the Comets went more than nine minutes without scoring before a Nolan Smalley basket with 4:01 to play in the half stopped the bleeding.

At that point, the scoreboard showed a 19-7 Oak Hill lead. The Eagles went on for a 29-12 lead at the half as Eastern ended up with just nine field goal attempts in the first half while turning the ball over nine times once Oak Hill flexed its defensive muscle with a trap that had the Comets reeling.

Their trap really caused lots of problems for us, Springer said. We didnt handle it very well. I felt like we handled some pressure over the weekend a lot better and were ready for this but we just didnt attack it very well. And give them a lot of credit. They were a lot more athletic and a lot taller in certain places and it was obviously hard for us to get the ball down the floor. I guess thats why theyre as good of a team as they are.

Nolan Smalley hit all three of his second-quarter shot attempts, scoring all seven of the Comets points in the period and providing a bright spot for Eastern. He finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Nolan had a good game, good effort out of him on the offensive end especially, Springer said. We really wanted to look to him inside and we did for the most part. That was part of our game plan but obviously we couldnt get it to him enough. Their pressure was just too strong.

Tyce Frank paced Oak Hill with 20 points.

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BOYS BB: Explosive Golden Eagles roll by Comets - Kokomo Tribune

Comets breeze to 57-19 Senior Night win over Patrick County HS … – YourGV.com

Friday night's Senior Night game at Halifax County High School was just what the Comets boys basketball team needed and wanted.

Playing their third game of the week and having come off of a tough game in a road win over Dan River High School the night before, the Comets needed a win and needed to do it without having to expend a lot of extra energy.

They succeeded on both fronts.

The Comets took control of the game with eight unanswered points at the end of the first quarter to take a nine-point lead and breezed to a 57-19 win over the Cougars in Friday night's Piedmont District game at Halifax County High School.

"It was a really good game for us," remarked Comets Head Coach Sterling Williams after the win that improved his team's record to 13-5 on the season.

"I was wondering how they were going to come out after having played a tough game against Dan River last night (Thursday night). They came out ready to play. They were excited. It was their last Friday night home game, and they showed up and put it (the game) away in the first quarter."

James Smith Jr. led the Comets in scoring with 15 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Zion Bailey followed with 12 points, nine of which came in the first half. Ford Morrison chipped in eight points, half of them coming in the first half.

Smith and Bailey each had three 3-point baskets and accounted for six of the seven 3-point baskets the Comets had in the game.

Patrick County High School (8-11 overall) led early by as many as four points as Seth Scott kept the Cougars close with a trio of 3-point baskets in the first six and a half minutes of the game. The Comets stole the momentum with eight unanswered points in the last minute and a half of the quarter with Smith and Bailey hitting back-to-back 3-point baskets, and reserve Jamal Brandon hitting a layup off of a steal to propel the Comets to a 20-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Halifax County High School's pressure man-to-man defense kicked in hard after that. The Comets limited the Cougars to just two field goals and a total of eight points over the remaining three quarters and quickly pulled away.

The Comets' defense forced Patrick County High School into turning the ball over 15 times including 11 times over the last three quarters of the game.

"The guys really showed up tonight defensively," Williams pointed out.

"Holding a team to 19 points for the game is really showing up. That was saying we played everybody.

"We played good team defense," added Williams.

"Everybody was rotating well."

The Comets led 31-13 at halftime and outscored the Cougars 11-2 over the first four and a half minutes of the third quarter to stretch their advantage to 44-15. After Ford Morrison scored on a layup after a steal with 3:49 left in the third quarter to produce the 29-point lead, Williams took him and the remaining starters on the floor off of the court and played reserves the rest of the way.

Williams said he was pleased with the team's offensive effort, especially the patience that was shown.

"The guys really moved the ball around," noted Williams.

"We shared the ball well tonight, giving up the okay shots to get a really good shot, and it paid off for us."

Scott led Patrick County High School in scoring with nine points, all coming with his trio of 3-point shots in the first quarter. Matt Amos followed with five points.

The Comets face another tough three-game week next week with a Monday night road game against GW in Danville, a Tuesday night road game against Tunstall High School and a Thursday night home game against Martinsville High School that will be played at Halifax County Middle School.

"This win (over Patrick County High School) gets everybody feeling good about things going into Monday's game against GW," Williams said.

"We know it's going to be a hostile environment. We're going up there looking for a little payback."

The rest is here:

Comets breeze to 57-19 Senior Night win over Patrick County HS ... - YourGV.com

Oort cloud – Wikipedia

This article is about the outer Oort cloud. For the inner Oort cloud, see Hills cloud. This graphic shows the distance from the Oort cloud to the rest of the Solar System and two of the nearest stars measured in astronomical units. The scale is logarithmic, with each specified distance ten times further out than the previous one.

The Oort cloud ( or ,[1] named after the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort), sometimes called the pikOort cloud,[2] is a theoretical cloud of predominantly icy planetesimals believed to surround the Sun to as far as somewhere between 50,000 and 200,000AU (0.8 and 3.2ly).[note 1][3] It is divided into two regions: a disc-shaped inner Oort cloud (or Hills cloud) and a spherical outer Oort cloud. Both regions lie beyond the heliosphere and in interstellar space.[3][4] The Kuiper belt and the scattered disc, the other two reservoirs of trans-Neptunian objects, are less than one thousandth as far from the Sun as the Oort cloud.

The outer limit of the Oort cloud defines the cosmographical boundary of the Solar System and the extent of the Sun's Hill sphere.[5] The outer Oort cloud is only loosely bound to the Solar System, and thus is easily affected by the gravitational pull both of passing stars and of the Milky Way itself. These forces occasionally dislodge comets from their orbits within the cloud and send them toward the inner Solar System.[3] Based on their orbits, most of the short-period comets may come from the scattered disc, but some may still have originated from the Oort cloud.[3][6]

Astronomers conjecture that the matter composing the Oort cloud formed closer to the Sun and was scattered far into space by the gravitational effects of the giant planets early in the Solar System's evolution.[3] Although no confirmed direct observations of the Oort cloud have been made, it may be the source of all long-period and Halley-type comets entering the inner Solar System, and many of the centaurs and Jupiter-family comets as well.[6]

In 1932, the Estonian astronomer Ernst pik postulated that long-period comets originated in an orbiting cloud at the outermost edge of the Solar System.[7] The idea was independently revived by Dutch astronomer Jan Oort as a means to resolve a paradox.[8] Over the course of the Solar System's existence the orbits of comets are unstable and eventually dynamics dictate that a comet must either collide with the Sun or a planet or else be ejected from the Solar System by planetary perturbations. Moreover, their volatile composition means that as they repeatedly approach the Sun, radiation gradually boils the volatiles off until the comet splits or develops an insulating crust that prevents further outgassing. Thus, Oort reasoned, a comet could not have formed while in its current orbit and must have been held in an outer reservoir for almost all of its existence.[8][9][10]

There are two main classes of comet, short-period comets (also called ecliptic comets) and long-period comets (also called nearly isotropic comets). Ecliptic comets have relatively small orbits, below 10AU, and follow the ecliptic plane, the same plane in which the planets lie. All long-period comets have very large orbits, on the order of thousands of AU, and appear from every direction in the sky.[10] Oort noted that there was a peak in numbers of long-period comets with aphelia (their farthest distance from the Sun) of roughly 20,000AU, which suggested a reservoir at that distance with a spherical, isotropic distribution.[10] Those relatively rare comets with orbits of about 10,000AU have probably gone through one or more orbits through the Solar System and have had their orbits drawn inward by the gravity of the planets.[10]

The Oort cloud is thought to occupy a vast space from somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000AU (0.03 and 0.08ly)[10] to as far as 50,000AU (0.79ly)[3] from the Sun. Some estimates place the outer edge at between 100,000 and 200,000AU (1.58 and 3.16ly).[10] The region can be subdivided into a spherical outer Oort cloud of 20,00050,000AU (0.320.79ly), and a torus-shaped inner Oort cloud of 2,00020,000AU (0.00.3ly). The outer cloud is only weakly bound to the Sun and supplies the long-period (and possibly Halley-type) comets to inside the orbit of Neptune.[3] The inner Oort cloud is also known as the Hills cloud, named after Jack G. Hills, who proposed its existence in 1981.[11] Models predict that the inner cloud should have tens or hundreds of times as many cometary nuclei as the outer halo;[11][12][13] it is seen as a possible source of new comets to resupply the tenuous outer cloud as the latter's numbers are gradually depleted. The Hills cloud explains the continued existence of the Oort cloud after billions of years.[14]

The outer Oort cloud may have trillions of objects larger than 1km (0.62mi),[3] and billions with absolute magnitudes[15] brighter than 11 (corresponding to approximately 20-kilometre (12mi) diameter), with neighboring objects tens of millions of kilometres apart.[6][16] Its total mass is not known, but, assuming that Halley's Comet is a suitable prototype for comets within the outer Oort cloud, roughly the combined mass is 31025 kilograms (6.61025lb), or five times that of Earth.[3][17] Earlier it was thought to be more massive (up to 380 Earth masses),[18] but improved knowledge of the size distribution of long-period comets led to lower estimates. The mass of the inner Oort cloud has not been characterized.

If analyses of comets are representative of the whole, the vast majority of Oort-cloud objects consist of ices such as water, methane, ethane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.[19] However, the discovery of the object 1996 PW, an object whose appearance was consistent with a D-type asteroid[20][21] in an orbit typical of a long-period comet, prompted theoretical research that suggests that the Oort cloud population consists of roughly one to two percent asteroids.[22] Analysis of the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in both the long-period and Jupiter-family comets shows little difference between the two, despite their presumably vastly separate regions of origin. This suggests that both originated from the original protosolar cloud,[23] a conclusion also supported by studies of granular size in Oort-cloud comets[24] and by the recent impact study of Jupiter-family comet Tempel 1.[25]

The Oort cloud is thought to be a remnant of the original protoplanetary disc that formed around the Sun approximately 4.6billion years ago.[3] The most widely accepted hypothesis is that the Oort cloud's objects initially coalesced much closer to the Sun as part of the same process that formed the planets and minor planets, but that gravitational interaction with young gas giants such as Jupiter ejected the objects into extremely long elliptic or parabolic orbits.[3][26] Recent research has been cited by NASA hypothesizing that a large number of Oort cloud objects are the product of an exchange of materials between the Sun and its sibling stars as they formed and drifted apart, and it is suggested that manypossibly the majority ofOort cloud objects did not form in close proximity to the Sun.[27] Simulations of the evolution of the Oort cloud from the beginnings of the Solar System to the present suggest that the cloud's mass peaked around 800million years after formation, as the pace of accretion and collision slowed and depletion began to overtake supply.[3]

Models by Julio ngel Fernndez suggest that the scattered disc, which is the main source for periodic comets in the Solar System, might also be the primary source for Oort cloud objects. According to the models, about half of the objects scattered travel outward toward the Oort cloud, whereas a quarter are shifted inward to Jupiter's orbit, and a quarter are ejected on hyperbolic orbits. The scattered disc might still be supplying the Oort cloud with material.[28] A third of the scattered disc's population is likely to end up in the Oort cloud after 2.5billion years.[29]

Computer models suggest that collisions of cometary debris during the formation period play a far greater role than was previously thought. According to these models, the number of collisions early in the Solar System's history was so great that most comets were destroyed before they reached the Oort cloud. Therefore, the current cumulative mass of the Oort cloud is far less than was once suspected.[30] The estimated mass of the cloud is only a small part of the 50100 Earth masses of ejected material.[3]

Gravitational interaction with nearby stars and galactic tides modified cometary orbits to make them more circular. This explains the nearly spherical shape of the outer Oort cloud.[3] On the other hand, the Hills cloud, which is bound more strongly to the Sun, has not acquired a spherical shape. Recent studies have shown that the formation of the Oort cloud is broadly compatible with the hypothesis that the Solar System formed as part of an embedded cluster of 200400 stars. These early stars likely played a role in the cloud's formation, since the number of close stellar passages within the cluster was much higher than today, leading to far more frequent perturbations.[31]

In June 2010 Harold F. Levison and others suggested on the basis of enhanced computer simulations that the Sun "captured comets from other stars while it was in its birth cluster". Their results imply that "a substantial fraction of the Oort cloud comets, perhaps exceeding 90%, are from the protoplanetary discs of other stars".[32][33]

Comets are thought to have two separate points of origin in the Solar System. Short-period comets (those with orbits of up to 200years) are generally accepted to have emerged from either the Kuiper belt or the scattered disc, which are two linked flat discs of icy debris beyond Neptune's orbit at 30AU and jointly extending out beyond 100AU from the Sun. Long-period comets, such as comet HaleBopp, whose orbits last for thousands of years, are thought to originate in the Oort cloud. The orbits within the Kuiper belt are relatively stable, and so very few comets are thought to originate there. The scattered disc, however, is dynamically active, and is far more likely to be the place of origin for comets.[10] Comets pass from the scattered disc into the realm of the outer planets, becoming what are known as centaurs.[34] These centaurs are then sent farther inward to become the short-period comets.[35]

There are two main varieties of short-period comet: Jupiter-family comets (those with semi-major axes of less than 5AU) and Halley-family comets. Halley-family comets, named for their prototype, Halley's Comet, are unusual in that although they are short-period comets, it is hypothesized that their ultimate origin lies in the Oort cloud, not in the scattered disc. Based on their orbits, it is suggested they were long-period comets that were captured by the gravity of the giant planets and sent into the inner Solar System.[9] This process may have also created the present orbits of a significant fraction of the Jupiter-family comets, although the majority of such comets are thought to have originated in the scattered disc.[6]

Oort noted that the number of returning comets was far less than his model predicted, and this issue, known as "cometary fading", has yet to be resolved. No known dynamical process can explain this undercount of observed comets. Hypotheses for this discrepancy include the destruction of comets due to tidal stresses, impact or heating; the loss of all volatiles, rendering some comets invisible, or the formation of a non-volatile crust on the surface.[36] Dynamical studies of Oort cloud comets have shown that their occurrence in the outer-planet region is several times higher than in the inner-planet region. This discrepancy may be due to the gravitational attraction of Jupiter, which acts as a kind of barrier, trapping incoming comets and causing them to collide with it, just as it did with Comet ShoemakerLevy 9 in 1994.[37]

Most of the comets seen close to the Sun seem to have reached their current positions through gravitational perturbation of the Oort cloud by the tidal force exerted by the Milky Way. Just as the Moon's tidal force deforms Earth's oceans, causing the tides to rise and fall, the galactic tide also distorts the orbits of bodies in the outer Solar System. In the charted regions of the Solar System, these effects are negligible compared to the gravity of the Sun, but in the outer reaches of the system, the Sun's gravity is weaker and the gradient of the Milky Way's gravitational field has substantial effects. Galactic tidal forces stretch the cloud along an axis directed toward the galactic centre and compress it along the other two axes; these small perturbations can shift orbits in the Oort cloud to bring objects close to the Sun.[38] The point at which the Sun's gravity concedes its influence to the galactic tide is called the tidal truncation radius. It lies at a radius of 100,000 to 200,000 AU, and marks the outer boundary of the Oort cloud.[10]

Some scholars theorise that the galactic tide may have contributed to the formation of the Oort cloud by increasing the perihelia (smallest distances to the Sun) of planetesimals with large aphelia (largest distances to the Sun).[39] The effects of the galactic tide are quite complex, and depend heavily on the behaviour of individual objects within a planetary system. Cumulatively, however, the effect can be quite significant: up to 90% of all comets originating from the Oort cloud may be the result of the galactic tide.[40] Statistical models of the observed orbits of long-period comets argue that the galactic tide is the principal means by which their orbits are perturbed toward the inner Solar System.[41]

Besides the galactic tide, the main trigger for sending comets into the inner Solar System is thought to be interaction between the Sun's Oort cloud and the gravitational fields of nearby stars[3] or giant molecular clouds.[37] The orbit of the Sun through the plane of the Milky Way sometimes brings it in relatively close proximity to other stellar systems. For example, 70thousand years ago, Scholz's star passed through the outer Oort cloud (although its low mass and high relative velocity limited its effect).[42] During the next 10million years the known star with the greatest possibility of perturbing the Oort cloud is Gliese 710.[43] This process also scatters Oort cloud objects out of the ecliptic plane, potentially also explaining its spherical distribution.[43][44]

In 1984, Physicist Richard A. Muller postulated that the Sun has a heretofore undetected companion, either a brown dwarf or a red dwarf, in an elliptical orbit within the Oort cloud. This object, known as Nemesis, was hypothesized to pass through a portion of the Oort cloud approximately every 26million years, bombarding the inner Solar System with comets. However, to date no evidence of Nemesis has been found, and many lines of evidence (such as crater counts), have thrown its existence into doubt.[45][46] Recent scientific analysis no longer supports the idea that extinctions on Earth happen at regular, repeating intervals.[47] Thus, the Nemesis hypothesis is no longer needed.[47]

A somewhat similar hypothesis was advanced by astronomer John J. Matese of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2002. He contends that more comets are arriving in the inner Solar System from a particular region of the Oort cloud than can be explained by the galactic tide or stellar perturbations alone, and that the most likely cause is a Jupiter-mass object in a distant orbit.[48] This hypothetical gas giant was nicknamed Tyche. The WISE mission, an all-sky survey using parallax measurements in order to clarify local star distances, was capable of proving or disproving the Tyche hypothesis.[47] In 2014, NASA announced that the WISE survey had ruled out any object as they had defined it.[49]

Modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND)[50][51] suggests that at their distances from the Sun, the objects composing the Oort cloud should experience accelerations of the order of 1010m/s2, and thus should be within the realms at which deviations from Newtonian predictions come into effect. According to this hypothesis, which was proposed to account for the discrepancies in the galaxy rotation curve, which are more commonly attributed to dark matter, acceleration ceases to be linearly proportional to force at very low accelerations.[50] If correct, this would have significant implications regarding the formation and structure of the Oort cloud. However, the majority of cosmologists do not consider MOND a valid hypothesis because it is unable to explain the movement of galactic clusters or account accurately for the cosmic microwave background.[52]

Space probes have yet to reach the area of the Oort cloud. Voyager 1, the fastest[53] and farthest[54][55] of the interplanetary space probes currently leaving the Solar System, will reach the Oort cloud in about 300 years[4][56] and would take about 30,000 years to pass through it.[57][58] However, around 2025, the radioisotope thermoelectric generators on Voyager 1 will no longer supply enough power to operate any of its scientific instruments, preventing any exploration by Voyager 1. The other four probes currently escaping the Solar System either are already or are predicted to be non-functional when they reach the Oort cloud; however, it may be possible to find an object from the cloud that has been knocked into the inner Solar System.

In the 1980s there was a concept for a probe to reach 1,000 AU in 50 years called TAU; among its missions would be to look for the Oort cloud.[59]

In the 2014 Announcement of Opportunity for the Discovery program, an observatory to detect the objects in the Oort cloud (and Kuiper belt) called the "Whipple Mission" was proposed.[60] It would monitor distant stars with a photometer, looking for transits up to 10 thousand AU away.[60] The observatory was proposed for halo orbiting around L2 with a suggested 5-year mission.[60] It has been suggested that the Kepler observatory may also be able to detect objects in the Oort cloud.[61]

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Oort cloud - Wikipedia

StarChild: Glossary

ASTEROID A rocky space object which can be from a few hundred feet to several hundred km wide. Most asteroids in our solar system orbit the Sun in a belt between Mars and Jupiter.

ASTRONOMER An expert in the study of the Sun, Moon, stars, planets, and other space bodies.

ASTRONOMICAL UNIT The approximate distance from the Sun to the Earth which is equal to 150,000,000 kilometers.

ASTROPHYSICS The branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of stellar phenomena.

ATMOSPHERE The layers of gases which surround a star, like our Sun, or a planet, like our Earth.

AXIS An imaginary straight line around which an object rotates.

BASALT A dark, fine-grained volcanic rock.

BIG BANG THEORY A theory which states that the Universe began to expand after a super powerful explosion of concentrated matter and energy.

BLACK HOLE The leftover core of a super massive star after a supernova. Black holes exert a tremendous gravitational pull.

CENTIGRADE See CELSIUS.

CHARGED PARTICLES electrons, protons, ions.

COMA A hazy cloud which surrounds the nucleus of a comet.

COMET Frozen masses of gas and dust which have a definite orbit through the solar system.

CORONA The very hot outermost layer of a star's atmosphere. Our Sun's corona can only be seen during a total solar eclipse.

COSMONAUT An astronaut from the former Soviet Union or the current republic of Russia.

COSMOLOGICAL Having to do with the study of the history, structure, and changes in the universe.

DENSITY The mass per unit of volume of a substance.

DOPPLER SHIFT A shift in an object's spectrum due to a change in the wavelength of light that occurs when an object is moving toward or away from Earth.

ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE A wave of electric and magnetic energy that is generated when an electric charge is accelerated.

ELLIPTICAL Shaped like an elongated closed curve.

ENERGY Usable heat or power; in physics, it is the capacity of a physical system to perform work.

FUSION A nuclear reaction in which an element with small atoms fuses to form an element with larger atoms, releasing large amounts of energy.

GAMMA-RAYS Penetrating short wave electromagnetic radiation of very high frequency.

GEOSYNCHRONOUS An orbit in which a satellite's rate of revolution matches the Earth's rate of rotation. This allows the satellite to stay over the same site on the Earth's surface at all times.

GRAVITATIONAL FIELD The volume over which an object exerts a gravitational pull.

GRAVITATIONAL FORCE See Gravity

GRAVITATIONAL PULL See Gravity

GRAVITY The force of attraction between two objects which is influenced by the mass of the two objects and the distance between the two objects.

GYROSCOPE A heavy wheel or disk mounted so that its axis can turn freely in one or more directions. A spinning gyroscope tends to resist change in the direction of its axis.

HELIOCENTRIC Having the Sun as a center, such as a heliocentric solar system.

INFRARED WAVES Electromagnetic radiation with long wavelengths which is found in the invisible part of the spectrum. Human beings experience infrared waves as heat.

ION An electrically charged particle. Ions may be negatively or positively charged.

KILOGRAM 1000grams. A kilogram equals 2.2 pounds.

KILOMETER 1000 meters. A kilometer equals 0.6214 miles.

KILOPARSEC 1000 parsecs. A parsec equals 3.26 light years.

MANTLE The middle layer of a planet located between the crust, or surface, and the core.

MASS The measure of the amount of matter in an object.

MATTER Anything which has mass and occupies space.

METEOR Meteoroids which burn up in the atmosphere of a space body, such as the Earth, prior to impacting on the surface.

METEORITE Fragments of material that fall from space and impact on other larger space bodies.

METEOROID Fragments of material which vaporize when they have a close encounter with a space body which has an atmosphere.

METRIC TON 1000 kilograms. A metric ton equals 2,204 pounds.

MICROMETEOROID Very small pieces of matter which are encountered in space.

MICROWAVE Electromagnetic radiation which has a long wavelength (between 1 mm and 30 cm). Microwaves can be used to study the universe, communicate with satellites in orbit around Earth, and cook popcorn.

MYLAR A tough polyester material used as an insulator.

NEBULA A low density cloud of gas and dust in which a star is born.

ORBIT A specific path followed by a planet, satellite, etc.

PAYLOAD BAY The main body of the Space Shuttle where the payload, or cargo, is stored.

PHOTOSYNTHESIS The process by which plants use carbon dioxide, nutrients, and sunlight to produce food.

PHYSICIST A person who studies physics.

PHYSICS The science of matter and energy, and of interactions between the two. A person who studies physics is called a physicist.

PLAINS Vast, flat areas with low elevation.

PROBES Unmanned spacecraft which are launched into space in order to collect data about the solar system and beyond. Space probes are not necessarily designed to return to Earth.

QUASAR A distant energy source which gives off vast amounts of radiation, including radio waves and X-rays.

RETROGRADE Having a direction which is opposite that of similar bodies.

REVOLUTION The circling of a smaller object around a larger object.

ROTATION The spinning of an object on its axis.

SILICON A non-metallic chemical element.

SOLAR ECLIPSE A shadow which falls on an area of Earth when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth.

SOLAR FLARES A magnetic storm on the Sun's surface which shows up as a sudden increase in brightness.

SOLAR PROMINENCES Gases trapped at the edge of the Sun which appear to shoot outward from the Sun's surface.

SOLAR SYSTEM The Sun and all of the planets, comets, etc. which revolve around it.

SOLAR WIND A continuous stream of charged particles which are released from the Sun and hurled outward into space at speeds up to 800 kilometers per second. Solar winds are very prominent after solar flare activity.

SOLAR WINGS A panel of solar cells which converts sunlight into electrical energy.

SPECTROGRAPH The image of the electromagnetic spectrum produced by a spectroscope.

SPECTROSCOPE An instrument which separates visible light into its various wavelengths. Each wavelength corresponds to a specific color in the spectrum.

SPECTRUM A band of colors which forms when visible light passes through a prism. The band ranges in color from violet (shorter wavelength) to red (longer wavelength).

SUNSPOT A magnetic storm on the the Sun's surface which appears as a dark area. A sunspot is approximately 1500 degrees Celsius cooler than it's surrounding material. The number of sunspots we see on the Sun at any given time appears to cycle every 11 years.

TELESCOPE Any of various devices, sometimes made with an arrangement of lenses, mirrors, or both, used to detect and observe distant objects by their emission, transmission, reflection, or other interaction with invisible radiation.

THERMOMETER An instrument for measuring temperature.

UNIVERSE The vast expanse of space which contains all of the matter and energy in existence.

The StarChild site is a service of the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), Dr. Alan Smale (Director), within the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA/ GSFC.

StarChild Authors: The StarChild Team StarChild Graphics & Music: Acknowledgments StarChild Project Leader: Dr. Laura A. Whitlock Curator: J.D. Myers Responsible NASA Official: Phil Newman If you have comments or questions about the StarChild site, please send them to us.

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StarChild: Glossary

Comet Facts – Interesting Facts about Comets

Comet ISON stardustobservatory.org/images.php?page=details&id=363

A comet is a very small solar system body made mostly of ices mixed with smaller amounts of dust and rock. Most comets are no larger than a few kilometres across. The main body of the comet is called the nucleus, and it can contain water, methane, nitrogen and other ices.

When a comet is heated by the Sun, its ices begin to sublimate (similar to the way dry ice fizzes when you leave it in sunlight). The mixture of ice crystals and dust blows away from the comet nucleus in the solar wind, creating a pair of tails. The dust tail is what we normally see when we view comets from Earth.

A plasma tail also forms when molecules of gas are excited by interaction with the solar wind. The plasma tail is not normally seen with the naked eye, but can be imaged. Comets normally orbit the Sun, and have their origins in the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt regions of the outer solar system.

There are many misconceptions about comets, which are simply pieces of solar system ices travelling in orbit around the Sun. Here are some fascinating and true facts about comets.

Comets come in several categories. The most common are periodic and non-periodic.

In the past, comets were named for their discoverers, such as Comet Halley for Sir Edmond Halley. In modern times, comet names are governed by rules set forth by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). A comet is given an official designation, and can also be identified by the last names of up to three independent discoverers.

Heres how it works. Once a comet has been confirmed, the following naming rules are followed. First, if the comet is a periodic comet, then it is indicated with a P/ followed by the year of its discovery, a letter indicating the half-month in which it was discovered, followed by a number indicating its order of discovery. So, for example, the second periodic comet found in the first half of January, 2015 would be called P/2015 A2.

A non-periodic comet would be indicated with a C/ followed by the year of its discovery, a letter indicating the half-month in which it was discovered, followed by a number indicating its order of discovery.

If a comet is independently discovered by three people named Smith, Jones, and Petersen, it could also be called Comet Smith-Jones-Petersen, in addition to its formal designation. Today, many comets are found through automated instrument searches, and so the formal designations are more commonly used.

Well-known comets include the non-periodic comets Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1), Hyakutake (C/1996 B2), McNaught (C2006 P1), and Lovejoy (C/2011 W3). These flared brightly in our skies and then faded into obscurity.

In addition, Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (D/1993 F2) was spotted after it had broken up after a close call with Jupiter. (The D in its proper designation means it has disappeared or is determined to no longer exist). More than a year later, the pieces of the comet crashed into Jupiter.

The periodic Comet Halley (1P/Halley) is the most famous in history. It returns to the inner solar system once every 76 years. Other well-known periodic comets include 2P/Encke, which appears ever 3.3 years and 9P/Tempel (Tempel 2), which was visited by the Deep Impact and Stardust probes, and makes perihelion around the Sun every 5.5 years.

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Comet Facts - Interesting Facts about Comets

Halley’s Comet – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Halley's Comet or Comet Halley ( or ), officially designated 1P/Halley,[2] is a short-period comet visible from Earth every 7576 years.[2][10] Halley is the only known short-period comet that is clearly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked-eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime.[11] Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.[12]

Halley's returns to the inner Solar System have been observed and recorded by astronomers since at least 240 BC. Clear records of the comet's appearances were made by Chinese, Babylonian, and medieval European chroniclers, but were not recognized as reappearances of the same object at the time. The comet's periodicity was first determined in 1705 by English astronomer Edmond Halley, after whom it is now named.

During its 1986 apparition, Halley's Comet became the first comet to be observed in detail by spacecraft, providing the first observational data on the structure of a comet nucleus and the mechanism of coma and tail formation.[13][14] These observations supported a number of longstanding hypotheses about comet construction, particularly Fred Whipple's "dirty snowball" model, which correctly predicted that Halley would be composed of a mixture of volatile ices such as water, carbon dioxide, and ammonia and dust. The missions also provided data that substantially reformed and reconfigured these ideas; for instance, now it is understood that the surface of Halley is largely composed of dusty, non-volatile materials, and that only a small portion of it is icy.

Comet Halley is commonly pronounced , rhyming with valley, or , rhyming with daily.[15][16] Spellings of Edmond Halley's name during his lifetime included Hailey, Haley, Hayley, Halley, Hawley, and Hawly, so its contemporary pronunciation is uncertain.[17]

Halley was the first comet to be recognized as periodic. Until the Renaissance, the philosophical consensus on the nature of comets, promoted by Aristotle, was that they were disturbances in Earth's atmosphere. This idea was disproved in 1577 by Tycho Brahe, who used parallax measurements to show that comets must lie beyond the Moon. Many were still unconvinced that comets orbited the Sun, and assumed instead that they must follow straight paths through the Solar System.[18]

In 1687, Sir Isaac Newton published his Principia, in which he outlined his laws of gravity and motion. His work on comets was decidedly incomplete. Although he had suspected that two comets that had appeared in succession in 1680 and 1681 were the same comet before and after passing behind the Sun (he was later found to be correct; see Newton's Comet),[19] he was unable to completely reconcile comets into his model.

Ultimately, it was Newton's friend, editor and publisher, Edmond Halley, who, in his 1705 Synopsis of the Astronomy of Comets, used Newton's new laws to calculate the gravitational effects of Jupiter and Saturn on cometary orbits.[20] This calculation enabled him, after examining historical records, to determine that the orbital elements of a second comet that had appeared in 1682 were nearly the same as those of two comets that had appeared in 1531 (observed by Petrus Apianus) and 1607 (observed by Johannes Kepler).[20] Halley thus concluded that all three comets were, in fact, the same object returning every 76 years, a period that has since been amended to every 7576 years. After a rough estimate of the perturbations the comet would sustain from the gravitational attraction of the planets, he predicted its return for 1758.[21]

Halley's prediction of the comet's return proved to be correct, although it was not seen until 25 December 1758, by Johann Georg Palitzsch, a German farmer and amateur astronomer. It did not pass through its perihelion until 13 March 1759, the attraction of Jupiter and Saturn having caused a retardation of 618 days.[22] This effect was computed prior to its return (with a one-month error to 13 April)[23] by a team of three French mathematicians, Alexis Clairaut, Joseph Lalande, and Nicole-Reine Lepaute.[24] Halley did not live to see the comet return, as he died in 1742.[25] The confirmation of the comet's return was the first time anything other than planets had been shown to orbit the Sun. It was also one of the earliest successful tests of Newtonian physics, and a clear demonstration of its explanatory power.[26] The comet was first named in Halley's honour by French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1759.[26]

The possibility has been raised that first-century Jewish astronomers already had recognized Halley's Comet as periodic.[27] This theory notes a passage in the Talmud[28] that refers to "a star which appears once in seventy years that makes the captains of the ships err."[29]

Halley's orbital period over the last 3 centuries has been between 7576 years, although it has varied between 7479 years since 240 BC.[26][30] Its orbit around the Sun is highly elliptical, with an orbital eccentricity of 0.967 (with 0 being a perfect circle and 1 being a parabolic trajectory). The perihelion, the point in the comet's orbit when it is nearest the Sun, is just 0.6 AU.[31] This is between the orbits of Mercury and Venus. Its aphelion, or farthest distance from the Sun, is 35 AU (roughly the distance of Pluto). Unusual for an object in the Solar System, Halley's orbit is retrograde; it orbits the Sun in the opposite direction to the planets, or, clockwise from above the Sun's north pole. The orbit is inclined by 18 to the ecliptic, with much of it lying south of the ecliptic. (Because it is retrograde, the true inclination is 162).[32] Due to the retrograde orbit, it has one of the highest velocities relative to the Earth of any object in the Solar System. The 1910 passage was at a relative velocity of 70.56km/s (157,838mph or 254,016km/h).[33] Because its orbit comes close to Earth's in two places, Halley is the parent body of two meteor showers: the Eta Aquariids in early May, and the Orionids in late October.[34] Observations conducted around the time of Halley's appearance in 1986, however, suggest that the Eta Aquarid meteor shower might not originate from Halley's Comet, although it might be perturbed by it.[35]

Halley is classified as a periodic or short-period comet; one with an orbit lasting 200 years or less.[36] This contrasts it with long-period comets, whose orbits last for thousands of years. Periodic comets have an average inclination to the ecliptic of only ten degrees, and an orbital period of just 6.5 years, so Halley's orbit is atypical.[26] Most short-period comets (those with orbital periods shorter than 20 years and inclinations of 2030 degrees or less) are called Jupiter-family comets. Those resembling Halley, with orbital periods of between 20 to 200 years and inclinations extending from zero to more than 90 degrees, are called Halley-type comets.[36][37] As of 2015[update], only 75 Halley-type comets have been observed, compared with 511 identified Jupiter family comets.[38]

The orbits of the Halley-type comets suggest that they were originally long-period comets whose orbits were perturbed by the gravity of the giant planets and directed into the inner Solar System.[36] If Halley was once a long-period comet, it is likely to have originated in the Oort Cloud,[37] a sphere of cometary bodies that has an inner edge of 20,00050,000 AU. Conversely the Jupiter-family comets are generally believed to originate in the Kuiper belt,[37] a flat disc of icy debris between 30 AU (Neptune's orbit) and 50 AU from the Sun (in the scattered disc). Another point of origin for the Halley-type comets was proposed in 2008, when a trans-Neptunian object with a retrograde orbit similar to Halley's was discovered, 2008 KV42, whose orbit takes it from just outside that of Uranus to twice the distance of Pluto. It may be a member of a new population of small Solar System bodies that serves as the source of Halley-type comets.[39]

Halley has probably been in its current orbit for 16,000200,000 years, although it is not possible to numerically integrate its orbit for more than a few tens of apparitions, and close approaches before 837 AD can only be verified from recorded observations.[40] The non-gravitational effects can be crucial;[40] as Halley approaches the Sun, it expels jets of sublimating gas from its surface, which knock it very slightly off its orbital path. These orbital changes cause delays in its perihelion of four days, average.[41]

In 1989, Boris Chirikov and Vitaly Vecheslavov performed an analysis of 46 apparitions of Halley's Comet taken from historical records and computer simulations. These studies showed that its dynamics were chaotic and unpredictable on long timescales.[42] Halley's projected lifetime could be as long as 10million years. More recent work suggests that Halley will evaporate, or split in two, within the next few tens of thousands of years, or will be ejected from the Solar System within a few hundred thousand years.[37] Observations by D.W. Hughes suggest that Halley's nucleus has been reduced in mass by 8090% over the last 20003000 revolutions.[14]

The Giotto and Vega missions gave planetary scientists their first view of Halley's surface and structure. Like all comets, as Halley nears the Sun, its volatile compounds (those with low boiling points, such as water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and other ices) begin to sublime from the surface of its nucleus.[43] This causes the comet to develop a coma, or atmosphere, up to 100,000km across.[3] Evaporation of this dirty ice releases dust particles, which travel with the gas away from the nucleus. Gas molecules in the coma absorb solar light and then re-radiate it at different wavelengths, a phenomenon known as fluorescence, whereas dust particles scatter the solar light. Both processes are responsible for making the coma visible.[11] As a fraction of the gas molecules in the coma are ionized by the solar ultraviolet radiation,[11] pressure from the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun, pulls the coma's ions out into a long tail, which may extend more than 100millionkilometers into space.[43][44] Changes in the flow of the solar wind can cause disconnection events, in which the tail completely breaks off from the nucleus.[13]

Despite the vast size of its coma, Halley's nucleus is relatively small: barely 15kilometers long, 8kilometers wide and perhaps 8kilometers thick.[b] Its shape vaguely resembles that of a peanut.[3] Its mass is relatively low (roughly 2.21014kg)[4] and its average density is about 0.6g/cm3, indicating that it is made of a large number of small pieces, held together very loosely, forming a structure known as a rubble pile.[5] Ground-based observations of coma brightness suggested that Halley's rotation period was about 7.4 days. Images taken by the various spacecraft, along with observations of the jets and shell, suggested a period of 52hours.[14] Given the irregular shape of the nucleus, Halley's rotation is likely to be complex.[43] Although only 25% of Halley's surface was imaged in detail during the flyby missions, the images revealed an extremely varied topography, with hills, mountains, ridges, depressions, and at least one crater.[14]

Halley is the most active of all the periodic comets, with others, such as Comet Encke and Comet Holmes, being one or two orders of magnitude less active.[14] Its day side (the side facing the Sun) is far more active than the night side. Spacecraft observations showed that the gases ejected from the nucleus were 80% water vapor, 17% carbon monoxide and 34% carbon dioxide,[45] with traces of hydrocarbons[46] although more-recent sources give a value of 10% for carbon monoxide and also include traces of methane and ammonia.[47] The dust particles were found to be primarily a mixture of carbonhydrogenoxygennitrogen (CHON) compounds common in the outer Solar System, and silicates, such as are found in terrestrial rocks.[43] The dust particles decreased in size down to the limits of detection (~0.001m).[13] The ratio of deuterium to hydrogen in the water released by Halley was initially thought to be similar to that found in Earth's ocean water, suggesting that Halley-type comets may have delivered water to Earth in the distant past. Subsequent observations showed Halley's deuterium ratio to be far higher than that in found in Earth's oceans, making such comets unlikely sources for Earth's water.[43]

Giotto provided the first evidence in support of Fred Whipple's "dirty snowball" hypothesis for comet construction; Whipple postulated that comets are icy objects warmed by the Sun as they approach the inner Solar System, causing ices on their surfaces to sublimate (change directly from a solid to a gas), and jets of volatile material to burst outward, creating the coma. Giotto showed that this model was broadly correct,[43] though with modifications. Halley's albedo, for instance, is about 4%, meaning that it reflects only 4% of the sunlight hitting it; about what one would expect for coal.[48] Thus, despite appearing brilliant white to observers on Earth, Halley's Comet is in fact pitch black. The surface temperature of evaporating "dirty ice" ranges from 170 K (103C) at higher albedo to 220K (53C) at low albedo; Vega 1 found Halley's surface temperature to be in the range 300400 K (30130C). This suggested that only 10% of Halley's surface was active, and that large portions of it were coated in a layer of dark dust that retained heat.[13] Together, these observations suggested that Halley was in fact predominantly composed of non-volatile materials, and thus more closely resembled a "snowy dirtball" than a "dirty snowball".[14][49]

Halley's calculations enabled the comet's earlier appearances to be found in the historical record. The following table sets out the astronomical designations for every apparition of Halley's Comet from 240BC, the earliest documented widespread sighting.[2][50] For example, "1P/1982U1, 1986III, 1982i" indicates that for the perihelion in 1986, Halley was the first period comet known (designated 1P) and this apparition was the first seen in half-month U (the second half of October)[51] in 1982 (giving 1P/1982 U1); it was the third comet past perihelion in 1986 (1986 III); and it was the ninth comet spotted in 1982 (provisional designation 1982i). The perihelion dates of each apparition are shown.[52] The perihelion dates farther from the present are approximate, mainly because of uncertainties in the modelling of non-gravitational effects. Perihelion dates 1607 and later are in the Gregorian calendar, while perihelion dates of 1531 and earlier are in the Julian calendar.[53]

Halley may have been recorded as early as 467BC, but this is uncertain. A comet was recorded in ancient Greece between 468 and 466 BC; its timing, location, duration, and associated meteor shower all suggest it was Halley.[54] According to Pliny the Elder, that same year a meteorite fell in the town of Aegospotami, in Thrace. He described it as brown in colour and the size of a wagon load.[55] Chinese chroniclers also mention a comet in that year.[56]

The first certain appearance of Halley's Comet in the historical record is a description from 240BC, in the Chinese chronicle Records of the Grand Historian or Shiji, which describes a comet that appeared in the east and moved north.[57] The only surviving record of the 164BC apparition is found on two fragmentary Babylonian tablets, now owned by the British Museum.[57]

The apparition of 87BC was recorded in Babylonian tablets which state that the comet was seen "day beyond day" for a month.[58] This appearance may be recalled in the representation of Tigranes the Great, an Armenian king who is depicted on coins with a crown that features, according to Vahe Gurzadyan and R. Vardanyan, "a star with a curved tail [that] may represent the passage of Halley's Comet in 87BC." Gurzadyan and Vardanyan argue that "Tigranes could have seen Halley's Comet when it passed closest to the Sun on August 6 in 87BC" as the comet would have been a "most recordable event"; for ancient Armenians it could have heralded the New Era of the brilliant King of Kings.[59]

The apparition of 12BC was recorded in the Book of Han by Chinese astronomers of the Han Dynasty who tracked it from August through October.[10] It passed within 0.16AU of Earth.[60] Halley's appearance in 12BC, only a few years distant from the conventionally assigned date of the birth of Jesus Christ, has led some theologians and astronomers to suggest that it might explain the biblical story of the Star of Bethlehem. There are other explanations for the phenomenon, such as planetary conjunctions, and there are also records of other comets that appeared closer to the date of Jesus' birth.[61]

If, as has been suggested, the reference in the Talmud to "a star which appears once in seventy years that makes the captains of the ships err"[62] (see above) refers to Halley's Comet, it may be a reference to the 66AD appearance, because this passage is attributed to the Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah. This apparition was the only one to occur during ben Hananiah's lifetime.[63]

The 141AD apparition was recorded in Chinese chronicles.[64] It was also recorded in the Tamil work Purananuru, in connection with the death of a south Indian king.[65]

The 374AD and 607 approaches each came within 0.09AU of Earth.[60] The 684AD apparition was recorded in Europe in one of the sources used by the compiler of the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicles. Chinese records also report it as the "broom star".[66]

In 837, Halley's Comet may have passed as close as 0.03AU (3.2million miles; 5.1million kilometers) from Earth, by far its closest approach.[60] Its tail may have stretched 60degrees across the sky. It was recorded by astronomers in China, Japan, Germany, The Byzantine Empire, and the Middle East.[10] In 912, Halley is recorded in the Annals of Ulster, which state "A dark and rainy year. A comet appeared."[67]

In 1066, the comet was seen in England and thought to be an omen: later that year Harold II of England died at the Battle of Hastings; it was a bad omen for Harold, but a good omen for the man who defeated him, William the Conqueror. The comet is represented on the Bayeux Tapestry as a fiery star, and the surviving accounts describe it as appearing to be four times the size of Venus and shining with a light equal to a quarter of that of the Moon. Halley came within 0.10AU of Earth at that time.[60]

This appearance of the comet is also noted in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Eilmer of Malmesbury may have seen Halley previously in 989, as he wrote of it in 1066: "You've come, have you?... You've come, you source of tears to many mothers, you evil. I hate you! It is long since I saw you; but as I see you now you are much more terrible, for I see you brandishing the downfall of my country. I hate you!"[68]

The Irish Annals of the Four Masters recorded the comet as "A star [that] appeared on the seventh of the Calends of May, on Tuesday after Little Easter, than whose light the brilliance or light of The Moon was not greater; and it was visible to all in this manner till the end of four nights afterwards."[67]Chaco Native Americans in New Mexico may have recorded the 1066 apparition in their petroglyphs.[69]

The 1145 apparition was recorded by the monk Eadwine. The 1986 apparition exhibited a fan tail similar to Eadwine's drawing.[66] Some claim that Genghis Khan was inspired to turn his conquests toward Europe by the 1222 apparition.[70] The 1301 apparition may have been seen by the artist Giotto di Bondone, who represented the Star of Bethlehem as a fire-colored comet in the Nativity section of his Arena Chapel cycle, completed in 1305.[66] No record survives of the 1378 apparition.

In 1456, the year of Halley's next apparition, the Ottoman Empire invaded the Kingdom of Hungary, culminating in the Siege of Belgrade in July of that year. In a Papal Bull, Pope Calixtus III ordered special prayers be said for the city's protection. In 1470, the humanist scholar Bartolomeo Platina wrote in his Lives of the Popes that,[71]

A hairy and fiery star having then made its appearance for several days, the mathematicians declared that there would follow grievous pestilence, dearth and some great calamity. Calixtus, to avert the wrath of God, ordered supplications that if evils were impending for the human race He would turn all upon the Turks, the enemies of the Christian name. He likewise ordered, to move God by continual entreaty, that notice should be given by the bells to call the faithful at midday to aid by their prayers those engaged in battle with the Turk.

Platina's account is not mentioned in official records. In the 18th century, a Frenchman further embellished the story, in anger at the Church, by claiming that the Pope had "excommunicated" the comet, though this story was most likely his own invention.[72]

Halley's apparition of 1456 was also witnessed in Kashmir and depicted in great detail by rvara, a Sanskrit poet and biographer to the Sultans of Kashmir. He read the apparition as a cometary portent of doom foreshadowing the imminent fall of Sultan Zayn al-Abidin (AD 1418/14201470).[73]

After witnessing a bright light in the sky (which most historians have identified as Halley's Comet, visible in Ethiopia in 1456), Emperor Zara Yaqob, ruler from 1434 to 1468, founded the city of Debre Berhan (tr. City of Light) and made it his capital for the remainder of his reign.[74]

Halley's periodic returns have been subject to scientific investigation since the 16th century. The three apparitions from 1531 to 1682 were noted by Edmond Halley, enabling him to predict its 1759 return. Streams of vapour observed during the comet's 1835 apparition prompted astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel to propose that the jet forces of evaporating material could be great enough to significantly alter a comet's orbit.[75]

The 1910 approach, which came into naked-eye view around 10 April[60] and came to perihelion on 20 April,[60] was notable for several reasons: it was the first approach of which photographs exist, and the first for which spectroscopic data were obtained.[13] Furthermore, the comet made a relatively close approach of 0.15 AU,[60] making it a spectacular sight. Indeed, on 19 May, Earth actually passed through the tail of the comet.[76][77] One of the substances discovered in the tail by spectroscopic analysis was the toxic gas cyanogen,[78] which led astronomer Camille Flammarion to claim that, when Earth passed through the tail, the gas "would impregnate the atmosphere and possibly snuff out all life on the planet."[79] His pronouncement led to panicked buying of gas masks and quack "anti-comet pills" and "anti-comet umbrellas" by the public.[80] In reality, as other astronomers were quick to point out, the gas is so diffuse that the world suffered no ill effects from the passage through the tail.[79]

The comet added to the unrest in China on the eve of Xinhai Revolution that would end the last dynasty in 1911. As James Hutson, a missionary in Sichuan Province at the time, recorded,

The people believe that it indicates calamity such as war, fire, pestilence, and a change of dynasty. In some places on certain days the doors were unopened for half a day, no water was carried and many did not even drink water as it was rumoured that pestilential vapour was being poured down upon the earth from the comet."[81]

The comet was also fertile ground for hoaxes. One that reached major newspapers claimed that the Sacred Followers, a supposed Oklahoma religious group, attempted to sacrifice a virgin to ward off the impending disaster, but were stopped by the police.[82]

American satirist and writer Mark Twain was born on 30 November 1835, exactly two weeks after the comet's perihelion. In his autobiography, published in 1909, he said,

I came in with Halley's comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'[83][84]

Twain died on 21 April 1910, the day following the comet's subsequent perihelion.[85] The 1985 fantasy film The Adventures of Mark Twain was inspired by the quotation.

Halley's 1910 apparition is distinct from the Great Daylight Comet of 1910, which surpassed Halley in brilliance and was actually visible in broad daylight for a short period, approximately four months before Halley made its appearance.[86][87]

Halley's 1986 apparition was the least favorable on record. The comet and Earth were on opposite sides of the Sun in February 1986, creating the worst viewing circumstances for Earth observers for the last 2,000 years.[88] Halley's closest approach was 0.42 AU.[89] Additionally, with increased light pollution from urbanization, many people failed to even see the comet. It was possible to observe it in areas outside of cities with the help of binoculars.[90] Further, the comet appeared brightest when it was almost invisible from the northern hemisphere in March and April.[91] Halley's approach was first detected by astronomers David Jewitt and G. Edward Danielson on 16 October 1982 using the 5.1m Hale telescope at Mount Palomar and a CCD camera.[92] The first person to visually observe the comet on its 1986 return was amateur astronomer Stephen James O'Meara on 24 January 1985. O'Meara used a home-built 24-inch telescope on top of Mauna Kea to detect the magnitude 19.6 comet.[93] On 8 November 1985, Stephen Edberg (then serving as the Coordinator for Amateur Observations at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and Charles Morris were the first to observe Halley's Comet with the naked eye in its 1986 apparition.[94][95]

The development of space travel gave scientists the opportunity to study the comet at close quarters, and several probes were launched to do so. The Soviet Vega 1 started returning images of Halley on 4 March 1986, and the first ever of its nucleus,[14] and made its flyby on 6 March, followed by Vega 2 making its flyby on 9 March. On 14 March, the Giotto space probe, launched by the European Space Agency, made the closest pass of the comet's nucleus.[14] There were also two Japanese probes, Suisei and Sakigake. The probes were unofficially known as the Halley Armada.[96]

Based on data retrieved by Astron, the largest ultraviolet space telescope of the time, during its Halley's Comet observations in December 1985, a group of Soviet scientists developed a model of the comet's coma.[97] The comet was also observed from space by the International Cometary Explorer. Originally International Sun-Earth Explorer 3, the probe was renamed and freed from its L1 Lagrangian point location in Earth's orbit to intercept comets 21P/Giacobini-Zinner and Halley.[98]

Two Space Shuttle missions the ill-fated STS-51-L (ended by the Challenger disaster)[99] and STS-61-E were scheduled to observe Halley's Comet from low Earth orbit. STS-51-L carried the Shuttle-Pointed Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN-203) satellite, also called the Halley's Comet Experiment Deployable (HCED).[100] STS-61-E was a Columbia mission scheduled for March 1986, carrying the ASTRO-1 platform to study the comet.[101] Due to the suspension of America's manned space program after the Challenger explosion, the mission was canceled, and ASTRO-1 would not fly until late 1990 on STS-35.[102]

On 12 February 1991, at a distance of 14.4AU (2.15109km) from the Sun, Halley displayed an outburst that lasted for several months, releasing a cloud of dust 300,000km across.[43] The outburst likely started in December 1990, and then the comet brightened from magnitude 24.3 to magnitude 18.9.[103] Halley was most recently observed in 2003 by three of the Very Large Telescopes at Paranal, Chile, when Halley's magnitude was 28.2. The telescopes observed Halley, at the faintest and farthest any comet has ever been imaged, in order to verify a method for finding very faint trans-Neptunian objects.[9] Astronomers are now able to observe the comet at any point in its orbit.[9]

The next predicted perihelion of Halley's Comet is 28 July 2061,[1] when it is expected to be better positioned for observation than during the 19851986 apparition, as it will be on the same side of the Sun as Earth.[30] It is expected to have an apparent magnitude of 0.3, compared with only +2.1 for the 1986 apparition.[104] It has been calculated that on 9 September 2060, Halley will pass within 0.98AU (147,000,000km) of Jupiter, and then on 20 August 2061 will pass within 0.0543AU (8,120,000km) of Venus.[105] In 2134, Halley is expected to pass within 0.09AU (13,000,000km) of Earth.[105] Its apparent magnitude is expected to be 2.0.[104]

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Halley's Comet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Asteroids Facts and Information about Asteroids

OSIRIS clear filter image taken during the flyby of the Rosetta spacecraft at asteroid Lutetia on July 10, 2010.

Asteroids are small, airless rocky worlds revolving around the sun that are too small to be called planets. They are also known as planetoids or minor planets. In total, the mass of all the asteroids is less than that of Earth's moon. But despite their size, asteroids can be dangerous. Many have hit Earth in the past, and more will crash into our planet in the future. That's one reason scientists study asteroids and are eager to learn more about their numbers, orbits and physical characteristics. If an asteroid is headed our way, we want to know that.

Most asteroids lie in a vast ring between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This main asteroid belt holds more than 200 asteroids larger than 60 miles (100 kilometers) in diameter. Scientists estimate the asteroid belt also contains more than 750,000 asteroids larger than three-fifths of a mile (1 km) in diameter and millions of smaller ones. Not everything in the main belt is an asteroid for instance, comets have recently been discovered there, and Ceres, once thought of only as an asteroid, is now also considered a dwarf planet.

Many asteroids lie outside the main belt. For instance, a number of asteroids called Trojans lie along Jupiter's orbital path. Three groups Atens, Amors, and Apollos known as near-Earth asteroids orbit in the inner solar system and sometimes cross the path of Mars and Earth.

Asteroids are leftovers from the formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. Early on, the birth of Jupiter prevented any planetary bodies from forming in the gap between Mars and Jupiter, causing the small objects that were there to collide with each other and fragment into the asteroids seen today.

Physical characteristics

Asteroids can reach as large as Ceres, which is 940 km (about 583 miles) across. On the other hand, one of the smallest, discovered in 1991 and named 1991 BA, is only about 20 feet (6 meters) across.

Nearly all asteroids are irregularly shaped, although a few are nearly spherical, such as Ceres. They are often pitted or cratered for instance, Vesta has a giant crater some 285 miles (460 km) in diameter. The surfaces of most asteroids are thought to be covered in dust.

As asteroids revolve around the sun in elliptical orbits, they rotate, sometimes tumbling quite erratically. More than 150 asteroids are also known to have a small companion moon, with some having two moons. Binary or double asteroids also exist, in which two asteroids of roughly equal size orbit each other, and triple asteroid systems are known as well. Many asteroids seemingly have been captured by a planet's gravity and become moons likely candidates include among Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos and most of the distant outer moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

The average temperature of the surface of a typical asteroid is minus 100 degrees F (minus 73 degrees C). Asteroids have stayed mostly unchanged for billions of years as such, research into them could reveal a great deal about the early solar system.

Asteroids come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are solid bodies, while others are smaller piles of rubble bound together by gravity. One, which orbits the sun between Neptune and Uranus, comes with its own set of rings. Another has not one but six tails.

In addition to classifications of asteroids based on their orbits, most asteroids fall into three classes based on composition. The C-type or carbonaceous are greyish in color and are the most common, including more than 75 percent of known asteroids. They probably consist of clay and stony silicate rocks, and inhabit the main belt's outer regions. The S-type or silicaceous asteroids are greenish to reddish in color, account for about 17 percent of known asteroids, and dominate the inner asteroid belt. They appear to be made of silicate materials and nickel-iron. The M-type or metallic asteroids are reddish in color, make up most of the rest of the asteroids, and dwell in the middle region of the main belt. They seem to be made up of nickle-iron. There are many other rare types based on composition as well for instance, V-type asteroids typified by Vesta have a basaltic, volcanic crust.

Ever since Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago, asteroids and comets have routinely slammed into the planet. The most dangerous asteroids are extremely rare, according to NASA.

An asteroid capable of global disaster would have to be more than a quarter-mile wide. Researchers have estimated that such an impact would raise enough dust into the atmosphere to effectively create a "nuclear winter," severely disrupting agriculture around the world. Asteroids that large strike Earth only once every 1,000 centuries on average, NASA officials say.

Smaller asteroids that are believed to strike Earth every 1,000 to 10,000 years could destroy a city or cause devastating tsunamis.

On Feb. 15, 2013, an asteroid slammed into the atmosphere over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, creating a shock wave that injured 1,200 people. The space rock is thought to have measured about 65 feet (20 meters) wide when it entered Earth's atmosphere.

Dozens of asteroids have been classified as "potentially hazardous" by the scientists who track them. Some of these, whose orbits come close enough to Earth, could potentially be perturbed in the distant future and sent on a collision course with our planet. Scientists point out that if an asteroid is found to be on a collision course with Earth 30 or 40 years down the road, there is time to react. Though the technology would have to be developed, possibilities include exploding the object or diverting it. [Image Gallery: Potentially Dangerous Asteroids]

For every known asteroid, however, there are many that have not been spotted, and shorter reaction times could prove more threatening.

When an asteroid, or a part of it, crashes into Earth, it's called a meteorite. Here are typical compositions:

Iron meteorites

Stony meteorites

In 1801, while making a star map, Italian priest and astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi accidentally discovered the first and largest asteroid, Ceres, orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Although Ceres is classified today as a dwarf planet, it accounts for a quarter of all the mass of all the thousands of known asteroids in or near the main asteroid belt.

Since the International Astronomical Union is less strict on how asteroids are named when compared to other bodies, there are asteroids named after Mr. Spock of "Star Trek" and rock musician Frank Zappa, as well as more solemn tributes, such as the seven asteroids named for the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia killed in 2003. Naming asteroids after pets is no longer allowed.

Asteroids are also given numbers for example, 99942 Apophis.

The first spacecraft to take close-up images of asteroids was NASA's Galileo in 1991, which also discovered the first moon to orbit an asteroid in 1994.

In 2001, after NASA's NEAR spacecraft intensely studied the near-earth asteroid Eros for more than a year from orbit, mission controllers decided to try and land the spacecraft. Although it wasn't designed for landing, NEAR successfully touched down, setting the record as the first to successfully land on an asteroid.

In 2006, Japan's Hayabusa became the first spacecraft to land on and take off from an asteroid. It returned to Earth in June 2010, and the samples it recovered are currently under study.

NASA's Dawn mission, launched in 2007, began exploring Vesta in 2011. After a year, it left the asteroid for a trip to Ceres, with a planned arrival time of 2015. Dawn was the first spacecraft to visit Vesta, and will also be the first to explore Ceres.

In 2012, a company called Planetary Resources, Inc. announced plans to eventually send a mission to a space rock to extract water and mine the asteroid for precious metals. Since then, NASA has begun to work on plans for its own asteroid-capture mission.

Additional reporting by Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor

Additional resources

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Asteroids Facts and Information about Asteroids

Palomar College FOOTBALL

National Champions 1991, 1993, 1998

CALIFORNIA STATE CHAMPIONS 1991, 1993, 1998 | CONFERENCE/DIVISION CHAMPIONS 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006 | POST-SEASON APPEARANCES 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014

2015 Schedule, Results | 2015 Stats | 2015 Roster |2015 Coaches

Records, Leaders (Through 2015 Season)

2014 Season | 2014 Schedule, Results | 2014 Stats | 2014 Roster | 2014 Coaches

2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014

Palomar Football History Comets Currently in NFL, 4-year College Football | View, Download Hugh Cox's Photos

Off-Season

All-time Palomar great Toby Flanagan dead at 76

BISHOP (1-29-2016) -- Legendary Palomar football star JonPaul "Toby" Flanagan, who scored 32 points for the Comets in an 83-0 victory over Santa Barbara City College in 1958, died in his present home of Bishop, CA on Monday following a three-year battle with cancer.

Flanagan, the 1956 Avocado League Player of the Year at Vista High School where he was a three-sport, three-year letterman, a two-time football Player of the Year at Palomar and two-time leading scorer in the old South Central Conference, scored all 32 points in the first half of that game on five touchdowns and a two-point conversion. 1958 was the first year that college football used the two-point conversion.

The 32 points still stands alone as the Palomar record. Flanagan's five touchdowns in the game set a Palomar mark that has since been tied by Lafo Malauulu vs. San Diego Mesa in 1984, Markeith Ross vs. Mt. SAC in 1992 and Daviante Sayles vs. Santa Ana this past Nov. 14.

Playing both ways, Flanagan returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the 1958 game, setting a Palomar record that was tied by the late Kevin Kelly vs. Cypress in 1967.

Flanagan received a football scholarship to Colorado State but never played after leaving Palomar. He and his wife Pat moved from Vista to Bishop,CA in 1999. While still living in Vista, he spent 10 years transporting disabled veterans to the V.A. Hospital in La Jolla and, after moving to Bishop, was a volunteer at the Methodist Church soup kitchen.

He was pre-deceased by son JonPaul Jr., brothers Mike and James and his parents and is survived by Pat Flanagan, his wife of 54 years, three daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Flanagan played under late coach Bob Bowman at Palomar.

2015 Season ...

Palomar alum and University of West Georgia junior defensive end Dylan Donahue helped lead the Wolves to a 12-2 record and the NCAA Division II semifinals. Donahue, who had 12 sacks in 12 games while missing two games due to an injury, was one of eight national finalists for the Gene Upshaw Award, presented annually to the nation's best lineman, on either offense or defense, in NCAA Division II. -- University of West Georgia photo

Donahue celebrates a dominant junior season

CARROLTON, Georgia (12-15-2015) -- Missing an opportunity to take his considerable talents to the NCAA Division I FCS level due to a clock issue, former Palomar All-Southern California defensive end Dylan Donahue didn't slow down a beat in his debut Division II season at the University of West Georgia.

The junior from Billings, Montana helped lead the Wolves to a 12-2 record, a Gulf South Conference co-championship, the Super Regional 2 championship and a spot in the NCAA Division II semifinals, where they lost to eventual national champion Northwest Missouri State at Maryville, Missouri. West Georgia was ranked No. 3 by the American Football Coaches Association in the final post-playoff D-II national poll.

Donahue had 12 sacks in 12 games while missing two games due to an injury.

"(Donahue) has generated a tremendous amount of pass rush for us this season, and he's been very good against the run. Also, Dylan has played his best in our biggest games", West Georgia coach Will Hall said when Donahue was announced as one of eight finalists for the Gene Upshaw Award, presented annually to the nation's best lineman, on either offense or defense, in Division II.

Sophomore running back Daviante Sayles, the Southern Conference's leading rusher, and freshman tight end Robert Ursua (No. 80, blocking for him) are pictured in Palomar's victory over San Diego Mesa. They were among eight Comets who made first-team all-conference. -- Photo by Hugh Cox

3 Comets make first team; 5 on second team

MISSION VIEJO (12-8-2015) -- Palomar landed three players on the 2015 All-Southern Conference first team and five on the second team in balloting among conference coaches.

Sophomore running back Daviante Sayles (Rancho Buena Vista High School), who led the conference in rushing, was selected first-team offense along with freshman tight end Robert Ursua (Bakersfield Liberty High / U.S. Navy) . Sophomore defensive end Devyn Comer (Morse High) also was named to the first team.

Quarterback Austin Early (Orange Glen High) and Micah Suh (El Camino High) were selected to the offensive second team. Suh was picked as a utility player. The Comets' three first-team picks on defense were sophomore tackle Hunter Moore (Mission Hills High), freshman inside linebacker J.D. Fox (Escondido High) and punt returner Wayne Ganan (Del Norte High).

Quarterback Johnny Stanton of Saddleback, which will play City College of San Francisco in the state community college championship game this Saturday afternoon in San Francisco), was named Offensive Player of the Year. Linebacker Thomas Cletcher (Fullerton College) was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year.

QB Early is voted Palomar MVP honors by team

SAN MARCOS (12-10-2015) -- Austin Early (left), who began the year as the third-team quarterback, worked his way up to starter and was the only QB to take a snap over the final six games -- beginning with 404 yards passing and three touchdowns in a 43-24 win vs. San Diego Mesa -- received the Comets' Most Valuable Player Award on Tuesday at the team's awards lunch at Hometown Buffet.

The award was voted on by the team.

Other awards voted on by the players went to running back Daviante Sayles (Outstanding Offensive Player), linebacker Devyn Comer (Outstanding Defensive Player), tight end Robert Ursua (Most Improved Offensive Player), linebacker/safety Christian Prince (Most Improved Defensive Player), center Charlie Long (Offensive Captain) and linebacker J.J. Taele (Defensive Captain). The two captains both missed much of the year with injuries but continued to show season-long leadership.

Early also took home the Kevin Kelly Award, named after the dominant undersized Palomar linebacker of the 1970s who died of cancer. Other awards went to Nigel Ward (Special Teams Hammer Award), Garrett Fiehler (Special Teams Iron Man Award), Micah Suh (Outstanding Special Teams Player), Luke Davis (GPA Award, 4.0) and Arnold Voa and Hunter Moore (Coaches Awards).

TOP PHOTO:Daviante Sayles hurdles two Santa Ana defenders on Saturday afternoon. He rushed for 137 yards on 20 carries and five touchdowns, the latter to tie Palomar's all-time single-game touchdown record and break the mark for rushing TDs. Sayles led the Comets to a 37-27 season-ending victory at Eddie West Field/Santa Ana Stadium. -- Photo by Hugh Cox. BELOW: Devyn Comer, who had three of Palomar's eight sacks DIRECTLY ABOVE: Quarterback Austin Early sets up Sayles' first touchdown with a 24-yard run on a quarterback keeper. -- Photos by Hugh Cox. BELOW: Devyn Comer, who had three of Palomar's eight sacks

Sayles' 5 TD runs tie, set PC marks in 37-27 win

SANTA ANA (11-14-2015) -- Palomar finished its football season with a 37-27 Southern Conference victory over Santa Ana College on Saturday afternoon at Eddie West Field/Santa Ana Stadium as running back Daviante Sayles, playing his last game as a Comet, went out in record-setting style.

Sayles tied a Palomar record for touchdowns in a game by scoring five times on runs of 1, 55 and 2 yards in the first half and 2 and 12 yards in the second half. He finished with 137 rushing yards on 20 carries

The sophomore out of Rancho Buena Vista High School tied the mark set by Toby Flanagan in the Comets' 83-0 victory over Santa Barbara City College in the sixth week of the 1958 season and equaled by Lafo Malauulu in a 55-19 win over San Diego Mesa on Thanksgiving Day 1984 and Markeith Ross in a 45-28 victory over Mt. SAC in the 1992 Simple Green Bowl.

Sayles now has the Comets' sing-game rushing TD record by himself with 5. Flanagan, playing both ways, returned 2 interceptions for touchdowns as part of his now 57-year-old record performance. Malauulu's touchdowns came on four pass receptions and a punt return. And Ross had a TD reception to go with four rushing touchdowns.

Sayles accounted for 30 of Palomar's 37 points Saturday, tying him for second on the all-time Palomar list for that category with Malauulu and Ross. Flanagan holds the record for points in a game with 32 points in that 1958 game. Along with his five touchdowns, he also had a two-point conversion run. 1958 was the first season the two-point conversion was used in college football.

Santa Ana took its only lead of the game 3-0 on a 43-yard field goal by Jonah Mack with 4:37 remaining in the opening period. The Comets answered back with a nine-play, 53-yard drive that culminated with Sayles' 1-yard touchdown with 7:08 to play in the quarter. Sayles' 55-yard run with 4:50 left made it 13-3 as the first period ended.

It was 20-13 at halftime and 23-20 entering the final quarter. Sayles upped Palomar's advantage to 37-20 by scoring his last two touchdowns of the day in the quarter's first 2 minutes and 7 seconds.

Reggie Wilson had the Comets' other seven points on four extra-point kicks and a 32-yard field goal.

Palomar spent most of the fourth quarter running down the clock.

Trayce Cauley added 60 yards rushing on 10 carries for the Comets, including a 36-yard run that set up a touchdown. Quarterback Austin Early added 103 yards passing and broke off a 24-yard run on a keeper to set up Sayles' first TD. LaMont Chaney was the leading receiver for Palomar with four catches for 31 yards, and tight end Robert Ursua had two receptions for 35 yards.

Palomar's defense was a huge factor in the victory. The Comets held the Dons to 5 yards rushing on the day, got interceptions fro Michael Moore and Malique Taylor, and fumble recoveries from Roger Mann and J.D. Fox. Michael Almodovar forced two fumbles.

Meanwhile, the Comets made life miserable for Santa Ana quarterback Thomas Becerra, sacking him eight times for 53 yards, led by Devyn Comer with 3 sacks for 20 yards. Hunter Moore and Mann each had a sack and combined on an additional sack, while Rafael Sangenes and Almodovar had a sack apiece.

In all, Palomar accumulated 12 tackles for losses for 61 yards. Diovanni Brewer was the tackle leader with 7. Michael Moore, Almodovar and Hunter Moore each had 5 tackles.

Punter Sam Tapia, playing with an injured kicking foot, had a 52-yarder that got the Comets out of questionable field position and deposited 2 punts inside the 20-yard line.

The Comets finished an injury-plagued season 4-6 (2-4 in the Southern Conference). Santa Ana concluded its season 1-9 (0-6).

GAME STATS | SEASON STATS

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Sayles is both Athlete of the Week, Player of Week

LONG BEACH / SAN DIEGO (11-17-2015) -- Palomar football player Daviante Sayles has been honored as Athlete of the Week in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference for all men's sports, as well as Offensive Player of the Week for the Southern California Football Association's Southern Conference.

Sayles, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound sophomore running back out of Rancho Buena Vista High School by way of a redshirt season at Eastern Illinois University in 2013, tied a 57-year-old Palomar record for touchdowns in a game on Saturday. He scored five TDs in a 37-27 season-ending Southern Conference victory on the road over Santa Ana, his last game in a Palomar uniform.

Sayles' touchdowns came on runs of 1, 55 and 2 yards in the first half and 2 and 12 yards in the second half as he equaled the record set by Toby Flanagan in 1958 and previously tied twice, in 1984 and 1992.

ABOVE: Quarterback Austin Early (No. 9) and running back Daviante Sayles (No. 6), pictured in last week's game with Fullerton, will play their final games for Palomar on Saturday at Santa Ana. -- Photo by Hugh Cox. BELOW LEFT: Freshman tight end Robert Ursua, who has been cleared to play Saturday after an neck injury scare on the final play last week

PC closes out season on the road Saturday

SANTA ANA (11-13-2015) -- Palomar will try to close its injury-ridden 2015 football season on a positive note on Saturday when the Comets visit Santa Ana College (1 p.m., Eddie West Field at Santa Ana Stadium) in their final game.

The Comets will be trying to end the season with a 4-6 record. The Dons come into the game 1-8.

Freshman tight end Robert Ursua, who has come on strong late in the season, has been cleared to play after a scare on the final play last week against Fullerton when he sustained a possible neck injury. He was released after spending the night at Palomar Medical Center and cleared by doctors to play Saturday.

Quarterback Austin Early, running back Daviante Sayles, receiver/kick returner Wayne Ganan, center Charlie Long, offensive tackle Mike Stevens, defensive tackle Hunter Moore, linebacker Michael Almodovar, cornerback Diovanni Brewer and strong safety Malique Taylor are listed starters for Saturday that will be playing their final game as Comets.

SATURDAY'S PALOMAR LINEUP

TOP PHOTO: Garrett Fielder takes a handoff on his 23-yard run for Palomar's second touchdown on Saturday. The hidden blocker for the Comets, who is engaging Fullerton's 6-foot-3, 295-pound defensive tackle Dominic Sanchez, is Matt Kesling, who came in when starting center Charlie Long aggravated an injury DIRECTLY ABOVE: Quarterback Austin Early straight-arms the Hornets' Steve Everette on a keeper. -- Photo by Hugh Cox

Hornets sting injury-ridden PC in home finale

ESCONDIDO (11-06-2015) -- Last week, Palomar nearly upset Golden West, ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 3 in the nation, and the Comets have been in the game against almost every opponent during what has been a disappointing football season.

But Palomar, banged up by injuries, were never in the game on Saturday, when it fell 42-14 at Escondido High's Wilson Stadium to an up-and-down Fullerton College team that has defeated defending state champion Mt. SAC and clobbered Riverside City College 52-21 when the Tigers were ranked second in the nation.

The Hornets (6-4, 3-3 in the Southern Conference), who were playing their last regular-season game, jumped in front 4 minutes, 32 seconds into the game on Trey Tinsley's 1-yard quarterback sneak. They were never in trouble.

An inability to defend against vertical pass routes and more injuries to key players during the game destroyed the Comets' chances as Tinsley, Tanner Hodges and Colin Kearon passed for 284 yards and three touchdowns. Hodges came in for an early series to throw for a TD, Phillip Butler scored on a 1-yard run and Deryck Fletcher returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown.

For Palomar (3-6, 1-4), Austin Early was 20-for-36 passing for 186 yards including an 18-yard touchdown to running back Daviante Sayles. Garrett Fiehler scored the Comets' second TD on a 23-yard run with 2:56 left in the game.

Reggie Wilson kicked the PAT after the first touchdown, then switched with regular holder Sam Tapia, so Wilson held as Tapia, the Comets' punter, kicked the second extra point.

Sayles finished with 134 total yards, 9 rushing on 11 carries and 85 yards on eight pass receptions. Tight end Robert Ursua also had eight catches for 78 yards, but the game was ended 10 seconds early after Ursua sustained a neck injury being tackled at the end of a 17-yardreception of an Early pass for a first down.

Ursua was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for precautionary reasons and was expected to be released later in the evening.

Devyn Comer had 2 sacks for the Comets for 14 yards. Taylor Thorne contributed 7 tackles including a tackle for loss, while Christian Prince had 5 tackles and broke up a pass. Diovanni Brewer and Hunter Moore each had five tackles.

The Comets played most of the game without Wayne Ganan (injury), and the complete game without leading tackler Brad Dozier (injury), J.D. Fox (illness) and long snapper Austin Parades (season-ending injury. They lost center Charlie Long, receiver Dakota Jones and Moore during the game with injuries.

Palomar will end the season against Santa Ana College next Saturday afternoon at Santa Ana Stadium's Eddie West Field.

GAME STATS

Palomar's Daviante Sayles breaks into open against state No. 1 and nationally No. 3-rated Golden West last week. Sayles rushed for 100 yards on 18 carries and caught seven passes for 31 yards in a near-upset against the Rustlers. The Comets host Fullerton on Saturday afternoon in their final home game. -- Photo by Hugh Cox

PC hosts Hornets in rare day game Saturday

ESCONDIDO (11-06-2015) -- Palomar, coming off a near-upset against now state No. 1-ranked and nationally No. 3-ranked Golden West, will close out its home season on Saturday with a rare afternoon game against Fullerton College.

The Comets need two wins against the Hornets and Santa Ana College next week on the road to finish the regular season at .500 (at 5-5 and 3-3 in the Southern Conference) and become bowl eligible.

Fullerton, a national Top Ten team in the preseason, comes in to Saturday's game at 5-4, 2-3 in the Southern Conference.

Austin Early (35-for-48 passing for 353 yards with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions), Daviante Sayles (100 yards passing on 18 carries and 7 receptions), Wayne Ganan (10 catches for 106 yards and 2 TDs) and Robert Ursua (8 catches for 110 yards) all had big games against Golden West.

But it wasn't enough to pull the Comets through as the Rustlers scored on two late pass plays to break a 21-21 tie and pull out a 34-21 win.

Due to injuries, Palomar probably be without its leading tackler, Brad Dozier, while the availability of receiver / kick returner Wayne Ganan will be a game-day decision.

Fullerton quarterback Trey Tinsley has passed for 1,743 yards and 11 touchdowns with six interceptions. The Hornets have a bye next week and will be closing their regular seson Saturday.

SATURDAY'S PALOMAR LINEUP

TOP PHOTO: Brad Dozier (No. 30) and Christian Prince (24) put a hurt on Golden West running back Johnny Hills. The Comets held the Rustlers to 62 yards rushing. DIRECTLY ABOVE: Quarterback Austin Early flips the ball to running back Daviante Says (not pictured) for an 8-yard gain on a shovel pass late in the second quarter. -- Photos by Hugh Cox. BELOW LEFT: Wayne Ganan, who caught 10 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. BELOW RIGHT: Daviante Sayles, who rushed for 100 yards. Both Ganan and Sayles returned to the game after sustaining injuries

PC upset bid is short vs. nation's No. 5 team

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Palomar College FOOTBALL

List of periodic comets – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Periodic comets (also known as short-period comets) are comets having orbital periods of less than 200 years or that have been observed during more than a single perihelion passage[1] (e.g. 153P/IkeyaZhang). "Periodic comet" is also sometimes used to mean any comet with a periodic orbit, even if greater than 200 years.

Periodic comets receive a permanent number prefix usually after the second perihelion passage, which is why there are a number of unnumbered periodic comets, such as P/2005 T5 (Broughton). Comets that are not observed after a number of perihelion passages, or presumed to be destroyed, are given the D designation, and likewise comets given a periodic number and subsequently lost are given [n]D instead of [n]P, such as 3D/Biela or 5D/Brorsen.

In nearly all cases, comets are named after their discoverer(s), but in a few cases such as 2P/Encke and 27P/Crommelin they were named for a person who calculated their orbits (the orbit computers). The long-term orbits of comets are difficult to calculate because of errors in the known trajectory that accumulate with perturbations from the planets, and in the days before electronic computers some people dedicated their entire careers to this. Even so, quite a few comets were lost because their orbits are also affected by non-gravitational effects such as the release of gas and other material that forms the comet's coma and tail. Unlike a long-period comet, the next perihelion passage of a numbered periodic comet can be predicted with a high degree of accuracy.

Periodic comets sometimes bear the same name repeatedly (e.g. the nine ShoemakerLevy comets or the twenty-four NEAT comets); the IAU system distinguishes between them either through the number prefix or by the full designation (e. g. 181P and 192P are both "Comet ShoemakerLevy"). In the literature, an informal numbering system is applied to periodic comets (skipping the non-periodic ones), thus 181P and 192P are known as Comet ShoemakerLevy 6 and Comet ShoemakerLevy 1, respectively. Non-periodic ShoemakerLevy comets are interleaved in this sequence: C/1991 B1 between 2 and 3, C/1991 T2 between 5 and 6, C/1993 K1 and C/1994 E2 after ShoemakerLevy 9.

In comet nomenclature, the letter before the "/" is either "C" (a non-periodic comet), "P" (a periodic comet), "D" (a comet that has been lost or has disintegrated), "X" (a comet for which no reliable orbit could be calculated usually historical comets), or "A" for an object that was mistakenly identified as a comet, but is actually a minor planet.[1]

Some lists retain the "C" prefix for comets of periods larger than about 30 years until their return is confirmed.[2]

For a list of numbered periodic comets, see List of numbered comets.

While Jupiter-family comets are officially defined by (2< TJupiter <3), they can also be loosely defined by any comet with a period of less than 20 years, a relatively low inclination, and an orbit coinciding loosely with that of Jupiter's. These comets are often patchily observed, as orbital interactions with the planet often cause comets' orbits to become perturbed, causing them to not be found at the expected position in the sky and subsequently lost. Additionally, their low cometary albedos and frequent proximity to the Sun compared to Oort Cloud comets cause them to much more quickly become depleted of volatiles, making them comparatively dimmer than comets with longer orbital periods.

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List of periodic comets - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SOHO and STEREO Sungrazing Comets

The Sungrazer Project is a NASA-funded program than enables the discovery and reporting of previously unknown comets in the SOHO and STEREO satellite instrument fields of view. Anyone, anywhere in the world can become a "Comet Hunter", and immediately begin looking for new comets in the spacecraft data. The Sungrazer Project then collects these reports, performs necessary measurements and data reduction, and ultimately turns the comet reports into officially designated comets.

On this website you can view and submit reports of suspected comets visible in LASCO and SECCHI satellite images. You will find information on past comets found by both instruments and from other spaceborne and ground-based instruments. There is also a wealth of information here designed to help newcomers discover their first SOHO or STEREO comet! In addition, pictures and educational resources that can be used both in the classroom and at home are shown throughout the site.

SOHO is the most successful comet discoverer in history, having found well over two thousand comets since the satellite launched in 1995! What's even more impressive is that the majority of these comets have been found by amateur astronomers and enthusiasts from all over the world, scouring the images for a likely comet candidate from the comfort of their own home. Absolutely anyone can join this project -- all you need is an internet connection and plenty of free time! (See the FAQs for more information.)

STEREO is a pair of near-identical satellites designed to monitor the Sun from very different viewpoints in the solar system. The imaging instruments on STEREO (known as the SECCHI suite) are of similar design to the LASCO instruments on SOHO, meaning that we see many comets in the SECCHI data. Due to a longer data processing time for SECCHI, most near-Sun comets are discovered first in LASCO images, but an increasing number of objects are now being found in SECCHI data.

Follow the "Introduction" links on the left for more information about both SOHO and STEREO.

SOHO's Current Discovery Count is 2,987 Comets!!

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SOHO and STEREO Sungrazing Comets

Asteroids and Comets, Asteroids and Comets Information …

Rogue Remnants

Though too small to earn the distinction of planet, asteroids and comets strike huge fear in the human mind. And for good reason: at some point in the future, one of the chunky rocks or icy mud balls will slam into Earth and alter the course of history. Such an impact 65 million years ago is widely believed to have killed off the dinosaurs.

Asteroids and comets are considered remnants from the giant cloud of gas and dust that condensed to create the sun, planets, and moons some 4.5 billion years ago. Today, most asteroids orbit the sun in a tightly packed belt located between Mars and Jupiter. Comets are relegated to either a cloud or belt on the solar system fringe. Gravitational tugs, orbital collisions, and interstellar jostles occasionally perturb an asteroid or comet onto a wayward path.

The distinction between asteroids and comets is fuzzycomets tend to have more chemical compounds that vaporize when heated, such as water, and more elliptical (egg-shaped) orbits than asteroids do. And when observed through a telescope, comets appear fuzzier.

Asteroid Belt

Asteroids are essentially chunks of rock that measure in size from a few feet to several miles in diameter. (Small asteroids are called meteoroids.) The largest asteroid, Ceres, is about 590 miles (950 kilometers) wide. Like most asteroids, it lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Many astronomers believe the belt is primordial material that never glommed into a planet because of Jupiter's gravitational pull. Other astronomers say the belt is a planet that was broken apart during a collision.

Comets are balls of rock and ice that grow tails as they approach the sun in the course of their highly elliptical orbits. As comets heat up, gas and dust are expelled and trail behind them. The sun illuminates this trail, causing it to glow. The glowing trails are visible in the night sky.

While there are perhaps trillions of comets ringing the outer fringes of the solar system, bright comets appear in Earth's visible night sky about once per decade. Short-period comets such as Halley's were perturbed from the so-called Kuiper belt out beyond the orbit of Neptune and pass through the inner solar system once or twice in a human lifetime. Long-period comets come from the Oort Cloud, which rings the outer reaches of the solar system, and pass near the sun once every hundreds or thousands of years.

Occasional collisions and gravitational tugs send asteroids and comets careering toward the sun on highly elliptical orbits, some close enough to Earth to pose a risk of impact. Astronomers are constantly on the lookout for bodies on such a catastrophic trajectory. Most asteroids, fortunately, are too small to cause any damage. Instead they burn up in the atmosphere and appear to us as a shooting star.

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Asteroids and Comets, Asteroids and Comets Information ...