Comments on: Swift Spacecraft Keeping an Eye on Comet Lulin

By: Alex Jones

Alex Jones — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:53:11 +0000

To clarify: It's OK for me, if U.S. americans use miles, gallons, whatever they like, if they deal with each other only. But in publications dedicated to an U.S. american _and_ an international audience, they should use the metric system _too_, i.e. their "own" units – if they wish – _and_ the SI units.

By the way, it's a sad fact, that the University of Leicester uses miles and gallons – which gallons? – too in the publications about Comet Lulin. Is it because they are forced by NASA? Do they use metric units internally?

It's a madhouse. Wellcome to the carnival of units! Without pretty brasilian dancers.

By: Excalibur

Excalibur — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:12:03 +0000

Anaconda:

Please get busy doing something important and proveable, and return AFTER you have done that, please…

By: Anaconda

Anaconda — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:57:56 +0000

X -rays from a comet.

It would seem to be some kind of electromagnetic phenomenon.

By: robbi

robbi — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:34:53 +0000

Nexus=I remember in the early 70s' I have a cousin who moved to Canada from Germany,
Canada went 'cold turkey' converting to metrics, at the same time they tried to do a 'gradual learning curve' in the US by having the speed limit in both MPH and KPH- well, the KPH boards had shotgun holes on many of them and Americans refused and kept to it until trying to convert us with worthless. I have to agree the metric system is actually the proper system, but we are just too stubborn
to change!!! Perhaps this is why the US is
not too much into Science, our public school systems are bad, that's why many of us sent our kids to private schools to learn better and
keep up with world technology. The US is now
falling not behind but no longer the leader
in technology.

By: Nexus

Nexus — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:57:10 +0000

SI is the system most of the rest of the world uses. It's really only America that insists on clinging to the Imperial system of measurements, which is archaic and less than adequate for scientific work.

By: Vino

Vino — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:25:43 +0000

All these trouble about units are completely unnecessary…I really dont know why we have a SI units at all….Is it for use only in school problems????

By: Alex Jones

Alex Jones — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:18:28 +0000

As always I have to translate the units.

If the U.S. liquid gallon is used, then 800 gallons is equal to a little bit more than 3000 litres, but because of this:
"… said Jenny Carter, at the University of Leicester, U.K., who is leading the study"
may be, it's the UK imperial gallon, which leads to a little bit more than 3600 litres.

The "hydroxyl cloud spanning nearly 250,000 miles" translates to about 400,000 km.

By the way, there is a "200,000 km" in the first picture above – this is irritating

"Lulin will pass closest to Earth … 38 million miles" is converted to about 60 million km.

On a similar occasion, I got the pertinent answer from some other reader, that Nancy Atkinson always does a good job, and that I could look up things as well in the original publication of the research team. That's a good justification for the existence of Universe Today, of course

By: Feenixx

Feenixx — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:23:27 +0000

correction:
for "which would take 13.75 minutes at 800Gallons a minute to fill" read
"which would take 13.75 minutes at 800 Gallons a SECOND to fill"….
I REALLY need more coffee, it seems!

By: Feenixx

Feenixx — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:20:41 +0000

jason g:
it should be "per second" – an Olympic pool must hold a minimum of 660000 US gallons, which would take 13.75 minutes at 800Gallons a minute to fill.

Anyhow, I can't see where it says "per minute"… maybe I need more coffee this morning?

By: jason g

jason g — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 07:23:55 +0000

it says here 800 gallons a second and 800 gallons a minute in the article, any educated guesses on which one it is?

By: buster

buster — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 07:12:57 +0000

yes, sometimes it's better to shut up

By: robbi

robbi — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:40:29 +0000

All comets amaze me. In 1996, I had an older co-worker, he never saw a comet, and did not think they will be nothing but a starry object. We worked lated one evening to finish a project and I knew comet Hyakutake was
up, I said you want to see a comet that's about 1 mile diameter about 16million miles,
we went to the roof, and there is light pollution in the Sacramento California Capital Mall area, I then pointed, it was dark orange and about 2.5x the size of the moon in the sky- he said, how could anything so far and so small do that- I said that's what comets are about, amazing. We independly went to dark sites and saw the 'tail' which amazed all.!! About a year later, everyone in our offices and building saw Hale-Bopp, regardless of the light pollution, the length of time Hale-Bopp was visible , I got flooded with E-Mail about the comet as many thought I was an expert on comets- I told them that is wrong, I am not an expert, but to anyone who didn't have an idea what is a comet, I was still flooded with E-Mail. Sometimes I think it was better not to say a thing lol