Invisible star 'shooting comets at Earth' Scientists Watch Too Much Star Trek !!!

[csv8]

Invisible star 'shooting comets at Earth'

By Paul Sutherland at The Sun From: NewsCore March 12, 2010 3:56PM

AN invisible star responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs may be circling the Sun and causing comets to bombard the Earth, scientists said.

The brown dwarf - up to five times the size of Jupiter - could be to blame for mass extinctions that occur here every 26 million years, The Sun reports.

The star - nicknamed Nemesis by Nasa scientists - would be invisible as it only emits infrared light and is incredibly distant.

Nemesis is believed to orbit our solar system at 25,000 times the distance of the Earth to the Sun.

As it spins through the galaxy, its gravitational pull drags icy bodies out of the Oort Cloud - a vast sphere of rock and dust twice as far away as Nemesis.

These "snowballs" are thrown towards Earth as comets, causing devastation similar to the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.


Related Coverage
First images from high-tech telescope NEWS.com.au, 18 Feb 2010
Invisible beauties of our skies Daily Telegraph, 18 Feb 2010
NASA on hunt for distant galaxies Adelaide Now, 15 Dec 2009
NASA blasts off space mapping satellite NEWS.com.au, 14 Dec 2009
Green object streaks across sky Courier Mail, 19 Nov 2009

Now Nasa scientists believe they will be able to find Nemesis using a new heat-seeking telescope that began scanning the skies in January.

The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer - expected to find a thousand brown dwarfs within 25 light years of the Sun - has already sent back a photo of a comet possibly dislodged from the Oort Cloud.

Scientists' first clue to the existence of Nemesis was the bizarre orbit of a dwarf planet called Sedna.
Scientists believe its unusual, 12,000-year-long oval orbit could be explained by a massive celestial body.

Mike Brown, who discovered Sedna in 2003, said: "Sedna is a very odd object - it shouldn't be there.

"The only way to get on an eccentric orbit is to have some giant body kick you - so what is out there?"

Professor John Matese, of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said most comets come from the same part of the Oort Cloud.

He added: "There is statistically significant evidence that this concentration of comets could be caused by a companion to the Sun."

:

[aussiblue]

I wouldn't worry, even if they are right, the next encounter is 15 million years away. See http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/...s-nemesis.html Even if Ford is still in business I doubt we will be around to see it happen.

[BHDOGS]

fascinating absolutely fascinating 15 million years to go i reckon we would have wiped ourselves out by then anyway but if not im sure we will have worked out a way to stop comets.

[gocruzin]

I read a similar thing only they called the brown dwarf nibiru.
And it would cause a mega tsunami in 2012 on some such

[steamin63]

Originally Posted by csv8

Invisible star 'shooting comets at Earth'

By Paul Sutherland at The Sun From: NewsCore March 12, 2010 3:56PM

AN invisible star responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs may be circling the Sun and causing comets to bombard the Earth, scientists said.

The brown dwarf - up to five times the size of Jupiter - could be to blame for mass extinctions that occur here every 26 million years, The Sun reports.

The star - nicknamed Nemesis by Nasa scientists - would be invisible as it only emits infrared light and is incredibly distant.

Nemesis is believed to orbit our solar system at 25,000 times the distance of the Earth to the Sun.

As it spins through the galaxy, its gravitational pull drags icy bodies out of the Oort Cloud - a vast sphere of rock and dust twice as far away as Nemesis.

These "snowballs" are thrown towards Earth as comets, causing devastation similar to the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.


Related Coverage
First images from high-tech telescope NEWS.com.au, 18 Feb 2010
Invisible beauties of our skies Daily Telegraph, 18 Feb 2010
NASA on hunt for distant galaxies Adelaide Now, 15 Dec 2009
NASA blasts off space mapping satellite NEWS.com.au, 14 Dec 2009
Green object streaks across sky Courier Mail, 19 Nov 2009

Now Nasa scientists believe they will be able to find Nemesis using a new heat-seeking telescope that began scanning the skies in January.

The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer - expected to find a thousand brown dwarfs within 25 light years of the Sun - has already sent back a photo of a comet possibly dislodged from the Oort Cloud.

Scientists' first clue to the existence of Nemesis was the bizarre orbit of a dwarf planet called Sedna.
Scientists believe its unusual, 12,000-year-long oval orbit could be explained by a massive celestial body.

Mike Brown, who discovered Sedna in 2003, said: "Sedna is a very odd object - it shouldn't be there.

"The only way to get on an eccentric orbit is to have some giant body kick you - so what is out there?"

Professor John Matese, of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said most comets come from the same part of the Oort Cloud.

He added: "There is statistically significant evidence that this concentration of comets could be caused by a companion to the Sun."

:

this theory was proposed back in the 1950's.a number of prominent scientist agree with the basic concept. maybe you should watch more "star trek" and not so much home and away.

[flappist]

It wasn't that long ago that a number of the most prominent scientists in the world all agreed that the Sun rotated around a flat earth.

And more recently:
Matter cannot be created or destroyed.
There is nothing smaller than an atom.
It is impossible to travel faster than light.

etc. etc. etc.

Lots of theories tend to crash and burn.......heard much about Global Warming, I mean Climate Change (because it suddenly went cool again, bugger) lately.....

[DoreSlamR]

Originally Posted by flappist

It wasn't that long ago that a number of the most prominent scientists in the world all agreed that the Sun rotated around a flat earth.

If you call ancient Greece not that long ago.

People like Plato, Pythagoras and Aristotle knew the earth was spherical.

The flat earth theory was only embraced by idiots and religious zealots lol

[kenz]

Originally Posted by BHDOGS

fascinating absolutely fascinating 15 million years to go i reckon we would have wiped ourselves out by then anyway but if not im sure we will have worked out a way to stop comets.

I doubt the human race is smart enough to work out a way to stop comets lol even in 15million years time...

[SSD-85]

Feasible. Just wish they wouldnt word the article to imply that this brown dwarf only exists to make Earths life miserable. Besides, it is only speculation that the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event was caused by asteroid impact. Another equally plausable theory is volcanic activity. That, according to mainstream belief, is just not as cool as an asteroid...

[flappist]

Originally Posted by DoreSlamR

If you call ancient Greece not that long ago.

People like Plato, Pythagoras and Aristotle knew the earth was spherical.

The flat earth theory was only embraced by idiots and religious zealots lol

When the time scale is 26,000,000 years, yes, Greece 500BC is not that long ago.....

[DoreSlamR]

Originally Posted by flappist

When the time scale is 26,000,000 years, yes, Greece 500BC is not that long ago.....

Ahh well I thought you were speaking of human history, which 500BC isn't really that long ago either really.

Anyway, this theory in the OP is much like most fringe theories, throw a little unknown into the mix and people start filling in the gaps themselves.

Did you know some people believe that our sun has a companion sun making it a binary system?

Like Sirius.

[Iggypoppin']

Personally, i believe the general theory; in that yes, the gravitational pull of one object can influence another. luckily for us, the scale in which "time" is represented means we are but a minor blip on the universe's radar. a comet could be ten times closer and still we probably would not feel any ill effects for thousands of years.

flappist, i might be being picky here, but isnt the term you're looking for actually "energy cannot be created or destroyed(only transfered)?"

if the term you used with matter in place of energy is also correct, no worries.

and if my memory of year 11 physics is anything like it should be, i thought light was the fastest travelling thing in the universe? again, if im wrong, im happy to be corrected.

[rodderz]

I can just see it- 2012 there will be some people making an absolute fortune from some sort of product/service arising from a fear campaign about some sort of world ending event, with the doomsdayers believing them

It will be like Y2K all over, but 10 times as worse

[cs123]

Originally Posted by flappist

When the time scale is 26,000,000 years, yes, Greece 500BC is not that long ago.....

What prominent scientists were around 26,000,000 years ago?

[ltd]

Damn. Someone call Bruce Willis, Ben Afflek and that dude from Fargo with the funny mouth. Oh, and let's not forget BillyBob Thornton and his prosthesis. Actually, this is such a huge scale we may need to call Morgan Freeman too, just to be sure.

Let me guess, Global Fearmongering (read warming) fell over so now NASA needs to justify increases to its budget by cooking up another alarmist scare campaign?
Sorry, but the scientists of the world who fell for and pushed the latest UN wealth redistribution scam have lost a lot of credibility; frankly they're full of it.

[Airmon]

Originally Posted by kenz

I doubt the human race is smart enough to work out a way to stop comets lol even in 15million years time...

What are you all worried about, we'll all be dead in 2012 anyway.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Iggypoppin'

Personally, i believe the general theory; in that yes, the gravitational pull of one object can influence another. luckily for us, the scale in which "time" is represented means we are but a minor blip on the universe's radar. a comet could be ten times closer and still we probably would not feel any ill effects for thousands of years.

flappist, i might be being picky here, but isnt the term you're looking for actually "energy cannot be created or destroyed(only transfered)?"

if the term you used with matter in place of energy is also correct, no worries.

and if my memory of year 11 physics is anything like it should be, i thought light was the fastest travelling thing in the universe? again, if im wrong, im happy to be corrected.

Yep energy was the one, my oops. Tachyons travel faster than light although there is quite a bit of contraversy as to what tachyons actually are.

The point I was trying to make is that over the years many "indisputable facts" from experts have turned out to be completely wrong.

[ltd]

Originally Posted by flappist

Yep energy was the one, my oops. Tachyons travel faster than light although there is quite a bit of contraversy as to what tachyons actually are.

The point I was trying to make is that over the years many "indisputable facts" from experts have turned out to be completely wrong.

And the Borg move faster than that. Maybe we also need to enlist Patrick Stewart.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by ltd

And the Borg move faster than that. Maybe we also need to enlist Patrick Stewart.

"enlist"??? Don't you mean "engage"

[Powdered Toast Man]

Originally Posted by flappist

"enlist"??? Don't you mean "engage"

Make it so

Sorry thats my only contribution to this thread

[gocruzin]

Live long and prosper, at least untill 2012 anyway.

[csv8]

Originally Posted by ltd

Damn. Someone call Bruce Willis, Ben Afflek and that dude from Fargo with the funny mouth. Oh, and let's not forget BillyBob Thornton and his prosthesis. Actually, this is such a huge scale we may need to call Morgan Freeman too, just to be sure.

Let me guess, Global Fearmongering (read warming) fell over so now NASA needs to justify increases to its budget by cooking up another alarmist scare campaign?
Sorry, but the scientists of the world who fell for and pushed the latest UN wealth redistribution scam have lost a lot of credibility; frankly they're full of it.

Don't forget Clint Eastwood and James Garner!!!!

[Iggypoppin']

Originally Posted by flappist

Yep energy was the one, my oops. Tachyons travel faster than light although there is quite a bit of contraversy as to what tachyons actually are.

The point I was trying to make is that over the years many "indisputable facts" from experts have turned out to be completely wrong.

sorry to have nitpicked you apart there, im really interested in physics and stuff like that, so i tend to notice it more. can you explain to me the basics of tachyons? never heard of them/it/those.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by DoreSlamR

If you call ancient Greece not that long ago.

People like Plato, Pythagoras and Aristotle knew the earth was spherical.

The flat earth theory was only embraced by idiots and religious zealots lol

i agree, sailors all knew you saw the mast of a ship before the rest of it.

Originally Posted by flappist

The point I was trying to make is that over the years many "indisputable facts" from experts have turned out to be completely wrong.

that's the fundamental basics of science. create a theory to explain something, then try and prove or disprove it. some take longer than others. unfortunately the media always present theories as fact, ie metorites & dinosaurs.

[J.C.]

While Chuck Norris walks this earth, we are safe!