link to Home Page

Re: Hale-Bopp THEN and NOW (1-6)


Article: <5ee4sg$89h@dfw-ixnews7.ix.netcom.com>
From: saquo@ix.netcom.com(Nancy )
Subject: Re: Hale-Bopp THEN and NOW (1-6)
Date: 19 Feb 1997 05:59:44 GMT

In article <5ecsv0$diu@news.ccit.arizona.edu> Jim Scotti writes:
>>> Hale-Bopp is not a first time comet - it has been through
>>> the inner solar system before, the last time, about 4,200
>>> years ago.
>>> jscotti@LPL.Arizona.EDU (Jim Scotti)
>
>> (ZetaTalk[TM])
>> Oh, and how do you KNOW that, Jim.
>
> I know that Hale-Bopp has been around at least once before
> because [we] integrated the present orbit of the comet, as
> computed and published by Brian Marsden ..
> backwards in time in order to see how this type of orbit
> behaves. ... we integrated the trajectories of many objects
> with orbits very similar to that calculated from the present
> observations of Hale-Bopp. .. We can then see what
> HB-like orbits do.
> jscotti@LPL.Arizona.EDU (Jim Scotti)

(Begin ZetaTalk[TM])
You took the orbit published by Brian Marsden, and ran it backwards in time. Based on what? Unless a comet remains in your Solar System, as does Halley where it scarcely exits before returning, you have NO IDEA what it is doing out there, and in fact have no idea just which of the comets making unscheduled appearances are first time visitors or returnees! In all honesty, you DON'T! You're speculating about hyperbolic orbits, which you speculate are non-returning comets as they don't fit the mold you've assigned to comets, that being the elliptical orbit. Unless a comet is a frequent repeater, such that you can almost set your clock by it, you don't even call it a periodic comet!

Your next point, that you "integrated trajectories" of objects similar to Hale-Bopp. Pardon? What objects are you aware of that have 4,200 year cycles? What objects have similar orbits that take them out of the Solar System for thousands of years? What you're confessing here, Jim, is that you cooked this all up! Made it up! Pure speculation, buried in tons of complicated math that would snow the layman! Thanks for your honesty, as best you could be honest in the situation. It's far more that we've gotten from others in this matter, and stands like a pinnacle of light, in fact. Very informative, and quite revealing, and we won't put you through more agony on this particular matter.
(End ZetaTalk[TM])