321: The “Closest Comets To Pass By Earth In Recorded History” Swing By On Monday

They’re green. Great color considering they’ll be swinging by right around the Spring Equinox …

By Traci Watson, USA Today – “An emerald-green comet will brush the Earth Monday, followed one day later by a kissing cousin that will swerve closer to the planet than any other comet in nearly 250 years.

The first and bigger of the two comets will be visible Monday to the naked eye in the southern hemisphere, as long as city lights are far away. Stargazers in the United States will probably need only binoculars to see the bigger comet in late March. Scientists, however, are bringing out the big guns. The Hubble Space Telescope, the powerful ground-based Gemini telescopes and others will be trained on the celestial visitors, which will provide an extraordinary close-up of objects usually glimpsed only at a distance.

‘This is one for the record books,’ says Michael Kelley of the University of Maryland, who’s never heard of two comets approaching close to Earth a day apart. ‘It’s a fantastic opportunity for professionals to learn more about comets, and if you have a chance to try to find them … it’s a fantastic chance to see part of history as it happens.’

The first member of the pair, known as comet 252P/LINEAR, is a bright green color from the carbon gas it’s puffing out, says the University of Maryland’s Matthew Knight. 252P will slide past Earth at a distance of roughly 3 million miles. That’s well beyond the moon but near enough to put 252P in the top 10 of closest-approaching comets.

252P wasn’t expected to get terribly bright, but it has been ‘surpassing all expectations,’ says amateur comet-hunter Michael Mattiazzo of Australia. It may even be visible to the unaided eye in southern hemisphere suburbs where light pollution is low.

Astronomers discovered the trailing member of the pair, P/2016 BA14, a few months ago. It was shrugged off as yet another asteroid, or space rock. Then astronomers peering through a telescope saw it had a tail – and was therefore a comet. That means BA14 and its larger companion ‘are among the closest comets to pass by Earth in recorded history,’ says Knight …” Read more.

3-In-1: Supermoon, Solar Eclipse And “Staggeringly Close” Asteroid To All Happen On March 8th

It’s a celestial trinity. Been awhile since I posted something in the Cosmic Craziness category, but this cosmic event is making some people crazy …

By Jon Austin, The Daily Express – “CONSPIRACY theorists are stocking up on food supplies amid fears the world could end in just FOUR days when a total eclipse of the sun, super full moon and staggeringly close asteroid pass of earth are set to happen within 24 hours.

On March 8 asteroid TX 68, a 30-metre long lump of space rock, is due to whistle past Earth as close as 19,000 miles away.

But doom mongers are not convinced it will miss us amid fears we won’t be able to see it because it will be obscured by the sun.

The looming event has sent online doomsday predictors into a frenzy, particularly as NASA admits it is uncertain of the orbital path and has given estimates as close as 19,000 miles away to as far as 11 million miles.

The US space agency has also changed the DAY of the pass with the initial date being given as TOMORROW, March 5.

Now NASA says it will be on Tuesday, March 8.

The uncertainty over the pass coupled with the fact some online doom mongers were predicting an asteroid would smash into earth in March 2016 several months ago, has fuelled the latest fears.

Some self-styled internet prophets released videos several months ago warning an asteroid, or even a mythological rogue planet called Nibiru or Planet X, would strike Earth in March 2016, and could spell the end of the word.

Express.co.uk found several YouTube videos released six months or more ago, before there was any widespread talk of asteroid TX68’s cosmic close shave.

It must be noted though, that videos also appear to exist for a number of other months and appear to be update when one date comes and goes without incident.

But if all this was not enough to pedal a doomsday prophecy, the conspiracists have been given more on a plate.

March 8 will also see a total solar eclipse in some parts of the globe, and a massive super full moon – the first of 2016.” Read more.

Muslim Outreach: NASA Censors “Jesus” From Christian Employee Club Emails

“NASA lawyers didn’t want innocent observers to come to the erroneous conclusion that the space agency endorses Christianity.” Of course not. Because it would rather endorse Islam. If “Muslim Outreach” is now one of NASA’s Obama-sanctioned covert goals and the reason why they’ve chosen to censor the name of Jesus, then the National Aeronautics and Space Administration might want to change its name. After all, the “NASA” acronym is far too similar to the Arabic word used to describe all us cursed infidels who worship Him: NASARA! …

Qur’an Sura 9:30, “… the Christians [an NASAra] say, ‘The Messiah is the son of [God].’ That is their statement from their mouths … May Allah destroy them …”

• Flashback: The Buzz Aldrin Moon Communion NASA Didn’t Want To Broadcast
• Flashback: NASA Chief Says Agency’s Goal From Obama Includes Now Muslim Outreach

By Jonah Bennett, The Daily Caller – “A legal group focused on religious liberty just threatened National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with a lawsuit in response to the government agency’s censorship of the word ‘Jesus’ from emails.

In a letter sent Monday, the Liberty Institute stated that NASA lawyers pressured a group of employees at the Johnson Space Center to remove the word ‘Jesus’ from a club announcement. This demand took place in May and June of 2015.

These employees had formed a private group within the agency called the JSC Praise and Worship Club, an entity separate from the agency. As part of the group, employees meet together during lunch to pray, and no one is prevented from taking part in the group’s activities.

In an announcement email, one of the employees had used the word ‘Jesus.’ A few days after the email went out, NASA lawyers clamped down and said the use of the word was absolutely unacceptable and would not accept the group’s offer to issue any kind of disclaimer to downplay its use.

The reason it was unacceptable? NASA lawyers didn’t want innocent observers to come to the erroneous conclusion that the space agency endorses Christianity…” Read more.

Lying Wonders: ISIS “Astronomer” Urges NASA To Rename Pluto To “The Moon Of Mohammed” After Finding Arabic Message On Its Surface

Muslim “astronomers” finding “Allah LOVES Mohammed” miraculously written on the surface of Pluto? I’m gonna also classify this one under “Cosmic Craziness.” After all, the crescent moon of Islam is a fitting symbol for such ideological lunacy …

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, “The coming of the [lawless one] is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

“Allah Loves Mohammed”? Think Again!

By Jasper Hamill, Mirror – “ISIS supporters have said Pluto should be renamed ‘The Moon of Mohammed’ after claiming to have seen an Arabic message written on its surface.

On a website extremists commonly use to post propaganda, religious instruction, training manuals and videos of sickening acts of violence, one Islamist called upon NASA to change the name of the dwarf planet.

In a post seen by more than 5,000 people, a supporter of the so-called Islamic State said the famous ‘heart’ on the surface of Pluto was actually a message written in the style of the ‘I heart New York’ t-shirts.

The unnamed writer said two Arabic words could be spotted on either side of the heart.

‘When we look carefully at this photo of Pluto, we will notice an Arabic sentence which means Allah loves Mohammed,’ the ISIS propagandist claimed.

‘Since the heart is so big, that means ‘so much love or ‘God loves Mohammed so much’.

‘These were made by God almighty on the surface of Pluto.’

The Islamic State astronomer also claimed to have seen the Arabic word for Mohammed in NASA close-up photographs showing the surface of Pluto and Charon, one of its moons.

He said the moon Hydra was the same shape as Mohammed’s name – and questioned why the American space agency didn’t release more detailed pictures.” Read more.

Flashback: Signs, Lying Wonders, Unrighteous Deceptions …

• Man Finds The Name Of ‘Allah’ On Rotten Potato Chip
• Muslim Boy In UK Finds The Name Of ‘Allah’ On Chocolate Cookie
• Islamic Scholars: Reading The Qur’an Can Cure Incurable Diseases
• It’s A Miracle: Allah’s Name Appears On Beef At Nigerian University
• Saudi ‘Science’ Discovers Cancer Cure In Camel Urine ‘Nano-Particles’
• Death-Loving Jihadists Post ‘Miracle’ Photos Of ‘Smiling Martyrs’ On Internet
• ‘Angel Gabriel’ Miraculously Visits Pro-Muslim Brotherhood Supporters In Cairo
• Nigeria: Yet Another Baby Born Holding A Copy Of The Qur’an Hailed A Miracle
• ‘A Mark Which Resembled Allah’ Miraculously Appears On Muslim’s Forehead
• ‘Miracle’: Jihadist Says He Saw Allah Send Angels ‘To Aid The Believers In Battle’
• Baby Boy Born In Nigeria ‘Clutching A Copy Of The Holy Quran’ Hailed A ‘Miracle’ By Imams And Islamic Scholars

Biggest Solar Eclipse Since 1999 To Disrupt Power Supplies, Block Out Up To 95% Of Sunlight In Parts Of Europe

Shabbat HaChodesh, the Sabbath before the month of Passover, will begin at sundown on March 20th, the same day as this solar eclipse. In Jewish lore, there is a spiritual significance to a solar eclipse. According to Issue 247 of “Ask the Rabbi” in August 1999:

At the time when the sun is eclipsed, it is an unfavorable period for the world. A parable: This can be compared to a human king who made a feast for his subjects, and placed a lantern before them. When he grew angry with them, he told his servant, “Take away the lantern from before them, and place them in darkness!” (Talmud Bavli, Succah 29a)

The king is G-d, the King of Kings; the people at the table are ourselves; the lantern is the sun. The moon obscuring the sun is the king’s servant who takes away the lantern. Although eclipses can be described in entirely natural terms and occur at set intervals, they nevertheless indicate that the period is one of Divine retribution for various sins.

So, a solar eclipse signifies a harsh period. But an eclipse does not mean that the sun has been extinguished (contrary to what everyone else in the world thought)! The servant did not extinguish the lantern; he merely prevented it from illuminating the king’s subjects. The sun shines as merrily as ever during an eclipse, even if we cannot perceive its light.

Many eras in history have been dark for us. But during these times, we should remember that G-d’s light has not been extinguished; it is merely in a state of hester panim, hiddenness. The sun is not extinguished during an eclipse, nor does it move away; it is merely concealed. And just as the sunlight always emerges from its eclipse, so too are all situations of hester panim only temporary, destined to be followed by the light of G-d’s redemption.

Joel 2:31-32, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.”

Eclipse map courtesy of Fred Espenak – NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

By Victoria Ward, The Telegraph – “Power supplies could drop suddenly next month when the UK is plunged into darkness with an eclipse of the sun.

Energy experts warned there could be possible blackouts in the biggest solar eclipse since 1999.

Nearly 90 per cent of the sun’s rays will be blocked out in parts of Europe on March 20.

In London and the South East, 85 per cent of the sun will be obscured by the moon whilst in northern Scotland, more than 95 per cent will be covered.

The National Grid has warned that solar power output in Britain will halve during the event.

It is unlikely to cause problems as so little electricity comes from solar power im the UK but other parts of Europe come be plunged into darkness.

The European Network Transmission System Operators for Electricity said: ‘The risk of incident cannot be completely ruled out. Solar eclipses have happened before but with the increase of installed photovoltaic energy generation, the risk of an incident could be serious without appropriate countermeasures.’

The organisation said it had been planning for months so that suppliers across Europe provide more energy from other power stations during the hours that solar energy supplies are hit.” Read more.

Blood Moon Tetrads and Triples and Solar Eclipses – “NASA says there will be 12,064 lunar eclipses between -1999 BC and +3000 AD. Of these 12,064 lunar eclipses, 3,479 will be total lunar eclipses. That’s an average of less than one total lunar eclipse per year. It is an average of 2.5 lunar eclipses per year of ‘total plus partial’ lunar eclipses. During that time there will be 142 Lunar Tetrads (four total lunar eclipses in a row, with no intervening partial lunar eclipse). 62 will occur between 1 AD and 2100 AD. Of the 62, 8 will occur on Biblical Feast Days, so they are called ‘Biblical Tetrads’. The 8th ‘Biblical Tetrad’ occurs in 2014-2015 and there will not be another ‘Biblical Tetrad’ for almost 600 years. We are in the time of this tetrad now.” Read more.

Mountain-Sized Asteroid To Fly By Earth Today

You can view a live webcast here … 

By Shannon Hall, Space.com – “A mountain-size asteroid will zoom past Earth Monday, marking the closest pass by such a large space rock until 2027.

Asteroid 2004 BL86, which is about 1,800 feet wide, will come within 745,000 miles of our planet Monday — about three times the distance between Earth and the moon. While this flyby poses no threat to Earth, it does present a rare opportunity to get a good look at a near-Earth asteroid, NASA officials say.

Scientists are eager to study 2004 BL86 to pinpoint its orbit, observe its surface and even look for moons. The plan is to track the fast-moving asteroid using the 230-foot dish-shaped Goldstone antenna at NASA’s Deep Space Network in California, as well as the 1,000-foot  Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. These radio dishes will beam microwave signals at the asteroid, which will then bounce off the target and return to Earth.

‘For objects that get this close, that are this large, the radar observations are really analogous to a spacecraft flyby in terms of the caliber of the data that we can get,’ said Lance Benner of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, who is the principal investigator for the Goldstone observations of the asteroid.

The resulting black-and-white images can reveal unprecedented details about asteroids, whereas most ground-based telescopes would see only a point of light. But the first item on the team’s checklist will be to …” Read more.

Signs In The Sun: Six Major Solar Flares Erupt From Largest Sunspot In Decades

The sunspot responsible for the solar flares this week is the largest we’ve seen in 24 years. The largest sunspot on record, however, took place in 1947 — a significant year for what was to become the State of Israel …

Luke 21:25, “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring …”

CNet – “Since October 19, an active region of the sun has been getting busy. Dubbed AR 12192, the region is the largest sunspot in 24 years — and most certainly the largest of this solar cycle, which is currently at maximum.

In the space of a week, AR 12192 — nearly 129,000 kilometres (80,000 miles) across, big enough for 10 Earths to be laid across its diameter — has erupted in six massive flares. Five of these flares were X-class — the biggest and most powerful class of solar flare. The accompanying coronal mass ejections — clouds of electrified gas that explode from the blast site — can cause geomagnetic storms and auroras.

The effects of these on Earth include the disruption of radio and satellite communications and navigational equipment. AR 12192’s flares caused several high-frequency radio blackouts on Earth’s dayside, over wide areas for durations of about an hour each.

However, unusually, the flares were not accompanied by major CMEs — which meant no geomagnetic storms and no auroras.

This solar maximum is the smallest on record, with the lowest recorded sunspot activity since 1904. The largest sunspot on record occurred in 1947. At 40 times the diameter of Earth, The Great Sunspot of 1947 was almost three times the size of AR 12192.” Source – CNET.

Report: “There’s Been A Giant Magnetic Explosion On The sun” … And It’s Heading Toward Earth

Luke 21:25, “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring …”

By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press – “An extreme solar flare is blasting its way to Earth and could mess up some power grids, satellites and radio transmissions, scientists say.

It’s been several years since Earth has had a solar storm of this size coming from sunspots smack in the middle of the sun, said Tom Berger, director of the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado.

Solar storms happen often, especially during peaks in the solar cycle, and don’t directly harm people. But what makes this one more worrisome is its location on the sun along with its strength, he said.

‘There’s been a giant magnetic explosion on the sun,’ Berger said. ‘Because it’s pointed right at us, we’ll at least catch some of the cloud’ of highly energized and magnetized plasma that can disrupt Earth’s magnetic sphere, which sometimes leads to temporary power grid problems.

Forecasters don’t yet know when Wednesday’s solar storm will arrive here and which part of the planet will be facing the sun and bear the brunt of the effects. It could arrive as early as Thursday morning or may take a few days.” Read more.

How A Solar Storm Two Years Ago Nearly Caused A Catastrophe On Earth

God is in control …

By Jason Samenow, Washington Post – “On July 23, 2012, the sun unleashed two massive clouds of plasma that barely missed a catastrophic encounter with the Earth’s atmosphere.  These plasma clouds, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), comprised a solar storm thought to be the most powerful in at least 150 years.

‘If it had hit, we would still be picking up the pieces,’ physicist Daniel Baker of the University of Colorado tells NASA.

Fortunately, the blast site of the CMEs was not directed at Earth.  Had this event occurred a week earlier when the point of eruption was Earth-facing, a potentially disastrous outcome would have unfolded.

‘I have come away from our recent studies more convinced than ever that Earth and its inhabitants were incredibly fortunate that the 2012 eruption happened when it did,’ Baker tells NASA.  ‘If the eruption had occurred only one week earlier, Earth would have been in the line of fire.’

A CME double whammy of this potency striking Earth would likely cripple satellite communications and could severely damage the power grid. NASA offers this sobering assessment:

Analysts believe that a direct hit … could cause widespread power blackouts, disabling everything that plugs into a wall socket.  Most people wouldn’t even be able to flush their toilet because urban water supplies largely rely on electric pumps.

. . .

According to a study by the National Academy of Sciences, the total economic impact could exceed $2 trillion or 20 times greater than the costs of a Hurricane Katrina. Multi-ton transformers damaged by such a storm might take years to repair.

CWG’s Steve Tracton put it this way in his frightening overview of the risks of a severe solar storm: ‘The consequences could be devastating for commerce, transportation, agriculture and food stocks, fuel and water supplies, human health and medical facilities, national security, and daily life in general.'” Read more.

Scientists Baffled By Mysterious Radio Bursts Coming From Deep Space

Job 11:7, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?”

Yet again, even though scientists sometimes have a habit of speaking as though they have the answers to everything, God always has a way of saying, “No, you don’t” …

The “X” Structure in the core of the Whirlpool Galaxy. Even at 31 million light-years away, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalms 19:1).

CBS Tampa Bay – “A succinct blip of sound detected from far beyond the Milky Way Galaxy amid deep space has left scientists saying they ‘really have no handle on’ the mysterious ‘fast radio burst.’

The split-second burst of radio waves discovered through the Arecibo radio telescope has given scientists new evidence of the rare, mysterious pulses emanating from deep outer space – well beyond the ends of the galaxy. Published July 10 in The Astrophysical Journal, the ‘fast radio burst’ is the first of similar sounds to be detected by an installation other than the Parkes radio telescope in Australia.

The Arecibo Observatory is the world’s largest single-aperture telescope located in Puerto Rico. The radio telescope has been featured in numerous movies and television shows including 1995’s James Bond film ‘Goldeneye.’

‘Our result is important because it eliminates any doubt that these radio bursts are truly of cosmic origin,’ said Victoria Kaspi, an astrophysics professor at McGill University in Montreal and principal investigator for the pulsar-survey project that detected this fast radio burst. ‘The radio waves show every sign of having come from far outside our galaxy – a really exciting prospect.’

Although exact origins for the sound bursts are still an enigma for astrophysicists, proposed possibilities include evaporating black holes, merging neutron stars, or flares from extremely powerful deep-space magnetic fields.” Read more.

Flashback: Scientists Puzzled By Massive Gamma-Ray Burst In Space Suggesting A ‘Common Central Engine’ To ‘Contemporary’ And Distant Universe – “An exploded star some 3.8 billion light-years away is forcing scientists to overhaul much of what they thought they knew about gamma-ray bursts – intense blasts of radiation triggered, in this case, by a star tens of times more massive than the sun that exhausted its nuclear fuel, exploded, then collapsed to form a black hole. Last April, gamma rays from the blast struck detectors in gamma-ray observatories orbiting Earth, triggering a frenzy of space- and ground-based observations. Many of them fly in the face of explanations researchers have developed during the past 30 years …” Read more.

Flashback: Expert: Something Massive Might Be ‘Tilting’ The Universe, But We Have No Idea What It Is – “Scientists have started to look more carefully at the structure of the universe by analysing light from distant galaxies to look at the speed and direction of moving objects like planets and stars. They have observed that rather than moving apart as expected, some distant clusters of galaxies actually appear to be caught in a space current, much like a river. And they are moving at incredibly fast velocities or around two million miles an hour, along a certain path. Scientists are unsure why but have labeled the phenomenon ‘dark flow’. To work out why this must be happening, Glenn said scientists believe there must be ‘something huge out there.’” Read more.

Flashback: Planet-Forming Dust Disc Surrounding Distant Star Disappears, Astronomers Now Question How Planets Formed – “A disc of planet-forming dust around a distant star has disappeared unexpectedly, leaving astronomers scratching their heads and questioning current theories of how planets are formed. ‘It’s like the classic magician’s trick: Now you see it, now you don’t,’ said astronomer Carl Melis of UC San Diego, who led the team that discovered the phenomenon. ‘Only in this case, we’re talking about enough dust to fill an inner solar system and it is really gone.’ The team has proposed several possible explanations for the disappearance, but ‘none are really compelling,’ Melis said.” Read more.

Solar Flares Disrupt Communications On Earth, Could Send Shockwave On Friday The 13th

A solar flare erupts on the surface of the sun, June 10, 2014. (Goddard/SDO/NASA)

By Colleen Curry, ABC News – “The sun has had three major solar flares on its surface in the past two days that have affected communications on Earth and could send a shockwave through Earth this Friday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The ‘solar events’ caused brief blackouts in high frequency communications when they struck, twice on Tuesday morning and once this morning, all between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. EDT.

Solar flares are bursts of radiation on the sun’s surface. The disturbance to Earth’s atmosphere can disrupt GPS and communications signals, according to NASA.

One of the flares created a ‘coronal mass ejection’ that actually could come into contact with Earth on Friday, according to NOAA. The ejection is essentially a huge cloud of plasma that could hit the Earth and cause a shock wave, affecting communications systems. If an ejection were to hit Earth on Friday, scientists expect it would only cause a minor geo-magnetic storm, according to NOAA.

The flares were observed by NASA, which posted stunning photos and videos of the events on its website.” Source – ABC News.

Asteroid Called “The Beast” To Sideswipe Earth, Big Enough To Destroy An Entire City

Boy, that would leave a mark …

Luke 21:10-11, 27, “Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven… And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.’”

By Mike Wall, Space.com – “Humanity should be thankful ‘The Beast’ doesn’t have Earth in its crosshairs.

This Sunday (June 8), the near-Earth asteroid 2014 HQ124 — which some observers have nicknamed ‘The Beast’ — will give the planet a relatively close shave, coming within 777,000 miles (1.25 million kilometers) at its closest approach, or about 3.25 times the distance from Earth to the moon.

There is no chance of an impact on this pass, researchers stress. But at 1,100 feet (335 meters) wide, 2014 HQ124 could do some serious damage if it slammed into us.

‘This one would definitely be catastrophic if it hit the Earth,’ asteroid impact expert Mark Boslough, of Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, said Thursday (June 5) during a webcast produced by the online Slooh community observatory that previewed 2014 HQ124’s upcoming flyby.

‘If it hit a city, it would definitely wipe out an entire metropolitan area,’ Boslough added.

Asteroid 2014 HQ124 is currently traveling about 31,000 mph (50,000 km/h) relative to Earth, Boslough said. But if the asteroid were on a collision course, our planet’s gravity would boost its speed up to about 40,000 mph (64,000 km/h) at the time of impact.

If 2014 HQ124 is one solid piece of rock — its composition isn’t known for certain — the strike would unleash an explosion with a yield of about 2,000 megatons, Boslough added. For comparison, the atomic bomb the United States dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II packed about 15 kilotons. (One megaton is equivalent to 1,000 kilotons.)

‘You’d end up with a crater about 3 miles across,’ Boslough added. ‘An event like that would break windows over 100 kilometers away.’

Asteroid 2014 HQ124 was discovered on April 23, just six weeks ago — not nearly enough time to deflect the asteroid if it were on a collision course with Earth.” Read more.