Last Name Name of Student Name of Professor Course Title April 5, 2014 Comets: A Double !

d"ed S#ord

$ore t%an four billion &ears a"o, as t%e !art%'s sun #as (ust be"innin" its formation as a star and t%erefore %eatin" up, a )loud of i)e and dust surrounded it* As t%e )loud too+ s%ape, it be"an rotatin" and in t%e pro)ess, transformed ,from a sp%eri)al s%ape to one t%at #as flatter, s%aped more li+e a donut #it% t%e sun in t%e %ole- .NASA/* As t%e )loud )ontinued spinnin", it be)ame flatter and denser* At t%e perip%eries of t%e )loud fart%est from t%e sun, dust and i)e parti)les mer"ed and ad%ered to ea)% ot%er* 0or millions of &ears, t%ese parti)les "raduall& "re# in si1e until e2entuall& t%e& be)ame as lar"e as )it& blo)+s .NASA/* T%ese parti)les of dust and i)e in t%e solar s&stem far be&ond t%e !art% are no# +no#n as )omets* Comets %a2e lon" o))upied a pla)e in t%e stor& of %umanit&* 3n some )ultures, )omets are part of t%eir stor& of Creation, #%ereas in some, )omets are bad omens t%at portend disasters .T%e Comet's Tale/* 3n ot%er so)ieties, )omets are belie2e to %erald "reat e2ents, su)% as t%e rise or fall of a "reat leader* !2identl&, %umans %a2e lon" %ad a deep fas)ination #it% )omets but simpl& did not understand #%at t%ese ob(e)ts are* To t%is 2er& da&, e2en s)ientists )ontinue to learn more about t%ese ob(e)ts in t%e s+&* As t%is paper #ill s%o#, a )omet is a double ed"ed s#ord t%at pro2ides essential buildin" blo)+s to life, but at t%e same, also a mi"%t& t%reat in its potential destru)ti2e for)e in t%e e2ent of a )ollision* T%e Nature of Comets T%rou"% t%e passin" of eons, )omets e2entuall& formed t%e )ores for t%e "iant planets 4upiter, Saturn, 5ranus and Neptune .NASA/* $ean#%ile, a similar pro)ess #as ta+in" pla)e in re"ions )loser to t%e sun but t%e )loud formation #it%in )ontained 2er& lo# 6uantities of i)e be)ause it #as %otter in t%e area* T%e inner planet formation pro)ess, #%i)% e2entuall& led to t%e )reation of t%e planets $er)ur&, 7enus, !art% and $ars, started #%en small bits of dust stu)+ to"et%er, "re# to lar"e si1es, to e2entuall& be +no#n as asteroids* Albeit a do1en or so ,)omets pass t%rou"% t%e inner Solar S&stem ea)% &ear, )omets easil& 2isible to t%e na+ed e&e o))ur onl& e2er& de)ade of so, on t%e a2era"e- .NASA/* 5suall&, )omets are named after t%e people #%o dis)o2er t%em* Currentl&, t%e National Aeronauti)s and Spa)e Administration .NASA/ )%ara)teri1e )omets as slo#l& mo2in" ob(e)ts ,#it% respe)t to t%e ba)+"round stars from ni"%t to ni"%t, and t%e& %a2e a fu11& appearan)e, espe)iall& as t%e& near t%e Sun- .NASA/* !ssential 8uildin" 8lo)+s of Life 0or some time no#, some s)ientists t%eori1ed t%at a ,rain of )omets- not onl& formed t%e essential buildin" blo)+s of life but also nurtured it .$ar)us/* T%is #as )onfirmed in a re)ent stud& s%o#in" t%at ,)omets bombardin" !art% billions of &ears a"o )arried and deposited t%e +e& in"redients for life to sprin" up on t%e planet- .Da2is/* 5sin" ,po#erful laborator& "uns and

2 )omputer models,- NASA s)ientists simulated )onditions #it%in )omets #%en t%e& slammed into t%e !art%9s atmosp%ere at nearl& 25,000 miles per %our* A))ordin" to t%ese s)ientists, "l&)ine, a )ru)ial buildin" blo)+ of life, #as )ontained in samples of )omet :ild 2 t%at NASA9s Stardust spa)e)raft brou"%t ba)+ after t%eir e;ploration .Stei"er#ald/* To note, "l&)ine is an amino a)id t%at li2in" )reatures use in ma+in" proteins* T%rou"% t%e said e;periment, it %as been )onfirmed t%at "l&)ine #as t%e first amino a)id found in a )omet .Stei"er#ald/* T%ese findin"s support earlier t%eories some of life9s buildin" blo)+s formed in spa)e and #ere brou"%t to !art% millennia a"o t%rou"% meteorite and )omet impa)ts* T%is stud& also affirms earlier s)ientifi) %&pot%eses t%at t%e basi) ,buildin" blo)+s of life are pre2alent in spa)e, and stren"t%ens t%e ar"ument t%at life in t%e uni2erse ma& be )ommon rat%er t%an rare- .Stei"er#ald/* :%ile t%ese stud& findin"s %a2e profound impa)ts in t%e )onte;t of t%e %istor& of %uman life, realit& is t%at )omets also represent dan"er in t%e e2ent of a )ollision* Potential 3mpa)ts of Collision 8e)ause )omets' orbits sometimes )ross t%e pat%s of ot%er bodies in t%e solar s&stem, it is ine2itable t%at )ollisions o))ur* T%e "ra2e impa)ts of su)% )ollisions are simpl& too fri"%tenin" to ima"ine* 0or instan)e, in 4une 1<0=, in a remote re"ion of )entral Siberia, a blue #%ite fireball bri"%ter t%an t%e sun %urtled a)ross t%e s+& and e;ploded mid air, )reatin" a blindin" flas% of li"%t and intense, pulsatin" %eat* T%e e;plosion, %eard more t%an a t%ousand +ilometers #a&, immediatel& de bran)%ed t%e trees #it%in a >0 +ilometer radius of t%e Ston& Tun"us+a ?i2er 2alle& .P%illips/* @no#n as t%e Tun"us+a !2ent, t%e e;plosion #as )aused b& a )omet t%at )ir)led t%e !art% t#i)e before )ollidin" #it% t%e atmosp%ere* 3t is belie2ed t%at t%e e;plosion %ad t%e impa)t of a 10 to 20 me"aton %&dro"en bomb, detonatin" in t%e atmosp%ere rou"%l& ei"%t +ilometers abo2e t%e surfa)e .NASA/* $ore t%an >0 &ears after t%e )ollision, e;plorer dis)o2ered t%at be)ause of t%e impa)t, ,ei"%t %undred s6uare miles of remote forest %ad been ripped asunder* !i"%t& million trees #ere on t%eir sides, l&in" in a radial pattern- .P%illips/* T%e onl& )omet )ollision t%at %ad been obser2ed #as t%at of t%e Comet PAS%oema+er Le2& <, 20 fra"ments of #%i)% )ollided #it% 4upiter from 4ul& 1B t%rou"% 4ul& 22, 1<<4 .8al+e/* :%en t%e S%oema+er Le2& < plo#ed into 4upiter, its fra"ments "ored dar+ s)ars of debris in t%e planet's atmosp%ere t%at remained 2isible for #ee+s to )ome .$illett/* T%e )omet also left a permanent deposit of millions of "allons of #ater into 4upiter* 5p to t%is 2er& da&, #ater )omin" from t%e )ollision )ontinue to )omprise at least <5C of t%e #ater in 4upiter's upper atmosp%ere .$illett/* 3n its last approa)% to 4upiter in 1<<2, t%e ,)omet )ame #it%in D0,000 +m of 4upiter9s )loud tops and #as bro+en into at least 21 pie)es- .$illett/* T%e Sun9s "ra2it& %ad some#%at altered t%e orbit of t%e )omet and s)ientists e;plain t%at on its ne;t approa)%, it #ould be eaten ,eaten- b& t%e "iant planet .$illett/* 0or t#o da&s, t%e )omet's pie)es rammed into 4upiter t%ereb& lea2in" ,"iant impa)t s)ars in 4upiter9s atmosp%ere from t%e )ollision e;plosions.$illett/* 3t must be noted t%at all of t%e 20 ma(or impa)ts %appened at appro;imatel& t%e same position on 4upiter, but be)ause t%e planet #as rotatin", t%e )ollisions too+ pla)e at different points #it%in its atmosp%ere* 3t %as been estimated t%at t%e impa)ts of t%e )ollisions are e6ui2alent to ,si; %undred times t%at of t%e )ombined nu)lear arsenals of ?ussia and t%e 5nited States- .$illett/* 3ndeed, t%e e;plosion )aused b& t%e )ollision #as e2en lar"er t%at t%e entire !art%*

> Con)lusion Comets %a2e lon" %eld t%e fas)ination of %umans* $an& belie2ed t%at )omets #ere part of t%eir Creation stories, #%ile t%ere %a2e also been some so feared )omets t%in+in" t%at t%e& #ere bad omens* En t%e ot%er %and, t%ere %a2e also been so)ieties t%at #el)omed t%e appearan)e of )omets belie2in" t%at t%e& %erald "reat e2ents* S)ientists )ontinue to stud& )omets in order to full& understand t%em* As t%is paper %as s%o#n, a )omet is a double ed"ed s#ord be)ause it is t%e sour)e of t%e )ru)ial buildin" blo)+s of life on !art% alt%ou"% it %as a terrif&in" potential to #rea+ %a2o) and disaster F e2en t%e end of life as !art% +no#s it F in t%e e2ent of a )ollision* :or+s Cited 8al+e, ?on* ,Comet S%oema+er Le2& Collision #it% 4upiter*- 2000* A))essed 5 April 2014 from %ttp:AA###2*(pl*nasa*"o2Asl<A Da2is, Don* ,Ne# !2iden)e t%at Comets Deposited 8uildin" 8lo)+s of Life on Primordial !art%*- 2012* A))essed 5 April 2014 from %ttp:AA###*s)ien)edail&*)omAreleasesA2012A0>A120>2D215B0D*%tm $ar)us, 4* GDid A ?ain Ef Comets Nurture LifeH*G Science 254*50>5 .1<<1/: 1110* Academic Search Premier* :eb* 5 Apr* 2014* $illett, ?onald P* ,Comet9s Collision #it% 4upiter: Still Dete)tible 1< Iears Later*- 201>* A))essed 5 April 2014 from %ttp:AA###*sott*netAarti)leA2B><=D Comets )ollision #it% 4upiter Still dete)tible 1< &ears later National Aeronauti)s and Spa)e Administration .NASA/* ,Comets*- 2014* A))essed 5 April 2014 from %ttps:AAsolars&stem*nasa*"o2Afa6Ainde;*)fmHCate"or&JComets P%illips, Ton&* ,T%e Tun"us+a 3mpa)t 100 Iears Later*- 2011* A))essed 5 April 2014 from %ttp:AAs)ien)e*nasa*"o2As)ien)e ne#sAs)ien)e at nasaA200=A>0(unKtun"us+aA Stei"er#ald* 8ill* ,NASA ?esear)%ers $a+e 0irst Dis)o2er& of Life9s 8uildin" 8lo)+ in Comet*- 200<* A))essed 5 April 2014 from %ttp:AAstardust*(pl*nasa*"o2Ane#sAne#s115*%tml T%e Comet's Tale* ,Date 1145 C!*- 2000* A))essed 5 April 2014 from %ttp:AA)se*ssl*ber+ele&*eduAse"#a&edAlessonsA)ometstaleAframeK%istor&*%tml