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Article: <[email protected]>
From: [email protected](Nancy)
Subject: Lack of a TAIL Tells a TALE Too
Date: 9 Apr 1997 14:58:19 GMT
(Begin ZetaTalk[TM])
Another tale told by this tail is the very LACK of a tail. Comets display a tail when their their water
elements are plentiful, and this is also what keeps them FROM the Sun as these elements are pushed away
by the solar wind. When they lack this substance in sufficient quantity to maintain a distance from the Sun,
they begin to vere in toward the Sun, and this spells their death. Thus the warnings about this real comet
lined up from the begining, that it might fragment and fizz out.
Comets that hit the Sun have, through repeated trips around the Sun, lost enough water vapor so that the balance of their composition weighs against repulsion by the solar wind. In short, they've lost their protection. They come zooming in from outer space, but this time, they don't veer out, they collide. In fact, comets close their orbits, coming closer and closer to the Sun, during this process. Where a repelling force exists, such as the solar wind against a comet, the comet will veer out and as it gains speed coming into the Solar System, veer in again. The increasing speed of comets allows them to push past their sensitivity to the solar wind, to some degree. Thus they have a quick trip around the Sun while held at the distance where they are essentially getting a blast of wind they cannot proceed against.
The solar wind is steady, its change incremental, as with every measure closer the intensity increases by a
similar steady measure. The length away that the comet maintains is not explained by an analogy such as a
car hitting a brick wall or a diver entering the water or even a man walking into a hurricane. The comet is
slipping to the side as it approaches, going in the direction of least pressure, of least resistance, while still
aiming for the Sun. The point where this balance is reached is dependent on the speed of the comet, which
increases steadily the closer it gets to the Sun, and the intensity of the blast from the solar wind. At every
point along its orbit, these determinators are at play. When out in space the comet's pace is relatively
sedate, and thus slides to the side rather than approaching the Sun directly. When it enters your Solar
System the reverse is occurring - the speed effect overcoming the solar wind push, so that the comet curves
toward the Sun, but always these two factors are at play.
(End ZetaTalk[TM])