Costs of storm U.S. amounted to 297

At least 297 people were killed across six States - more than two-thirds of them in Alabama - as the most deadly of America tornado outbreak in nearly four decades pulverized neighbourhoods together.

Firefighters searched a heap fragmented after another for the survivors of Thursday, combing the remains of houses and neighbourhoods in large cities who wore the scars kilometres wide, spirals left behind.

The number of dead from the storms on Wednesday out of a bygone era, prior to Doppler radar and satellite pinpoint forecasts were around to warn communities of severe weather. Residents were informed the tornadoes came up to 24 minutes in advance, but they were simply too large, too powerful and too locked areas populated to avoid a horrible count.

"These were the most intense thunderstorms super-cell that I think that anyone who has been out there prediction has ever known,", said meteorologist Greg Carbin Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma.

"If you experienced a direct hit from one of them, you will need to be protected from the storm, underground or a reinforced room" to survive, Carbin said.

Storms seemed to embrace interstate highways as they tonnelés along as runaway trucks, erasure of neighborhoods or even any cities of Tuscaloosa in Virginia. A family is mounted on the disaster in the basement of a funeral home, another by huddling in a tanning bed.

Concord, Alabama, a small town outside of Birmingham was ravaged by a tornado, Randy Guyton family received a telephone call from a friend warning to cover. They rushed to the garage in the basement, stacked in their car and listening to the ROAR as the tornado devoured the House in a few seconds. Later, they saw advanced through the shards of their home and scrambled out.

"The whole of the House collapsed car," said. "Other than my shouting boy the Lord to save us, being in this car is what saved us".

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said that his State had confirmed 210 deaths. There are 33 dead in Mississippi, 33, Tennessee 15 in Georgia, five in Virginia and Kentucky in a single. Hundreds, even thousands of people were injured - 600 to only Tuscaloosa.

Some of the worst damage was in Tuscaloosa, a city of more than 83,000 either is home to the University of Alabama. Storms destroyed the centre of emergency management, so Bryant-Denny Stadium school has been transformed into an a fortune. Officials of the school said two students were killed, although they did not say how they died. Finals were cancelled and entered into force was postponed.

A new tower-mounted camera he captured images of a tornado surprisingly thick, powerful, throwing debris that it levelledneighbourhoods.

Wider than normal

Twister and other Wednesday were several times more serious that a typical tornado, which is hundreds of meters wide, winds about 160 kilometres per hour and remains on the ground for a few kilometres, said meteorologist research Harold Brooks at the Storm Prediction Center.

"There is a fairly good chance some of them have been a mile in width, the field for tens of kilometres and had wind speeds over 200 mph (320 kph)," he said.

The loss of life is the largest of an outbreak of tornadoes U.S. Since April 1974, when the 329 people were killed by a storm that swept the 13 southern and Midwestern States.

Brooks said the tornado that hit Tuscaloosa could be a réévalutaion - the highest category of the tornado, with winds of more than 322 km/h - and was at least the second category, an EF4.

The Associated Back press folders of accessibility links

View the original article here

Syrian Forces storm Dara, deploy tanks against the demonstrators

April 25, 2011, 5 pm EDT by Donna Abu-Nasr

Updates with militant comments from first paragraph.) See EXTRA for more the Middle East unrest).

April 25 (Bloomberg) - security forces Syrians stormed the city of Dara, in the South, the site of the events more sustained against President Bashar al-Assad, killing at least five people, witnesses said today.Tanks Dara came on the eve of four fronts, Abdullah, one of the witnesses, said in an interview by satellite phone, punctuated by the sound shots. Abdallah, who would provide only his surname because of concerns for his safety, said that he saw 20 bodies scattered through the streets of the city. Three he helped pull a street belonged to the family al-Shafran, according to their identity cards he said.Mohsen, another witness, said in an interview with Dara tanks opened fire against people who met in groups and at least five killed.The Syria has intensified violent repression against demonstrators, in the past week, leaving more than 100 dead. Decision Assad to end a State of emergency in place for half a century and promises of future political and economic measures, has failed to halt the spread of protests against his regime echoing those that toppled Egypt and Tunisiathe leaders of this year.The Syria is an ally of the Iran and a power broker in neighbouring countries to the Lebanon, where it supports Hezbollah, a group armed with Shia Muslims. Assad and other officials say conspirators-backed foreign are seeking to exploit the expression of legitimate popular demands as a pretext for violence. "State in Danger'The assault of Dara was a bid by the Government to eradicate"armed insurrection"by groups using advanced weapons against the security forces, said Imad Fawzi Shueibi, who heads the Center for strategic studies and the data, in a telephone interview from Damascus today. "The question at the moment is to suppress the insurrection,"after the use of violence by demonstrators"models replaced for civilian applications,"he says. "The State is in a dangerous situation."Mahmoud Merhi, who heads the Arab Organization for human rights, said in an interview today that nine people were killed in the coast of Jableh City yesterday after security forces opened fire to prevent movement in the streets. That brings the number of people killed during the four days of 135, while nearly 300 people were arrested, said.United States finds SanctionsViolence in Syria led to the United States to consider measures, including sanctions against the officials of the Assad regime that led to repression, an administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. President Barack Obama April 23, condemned "the scandalous use of violence" by the Syrian security forces.Abdullah, the witness of Dara, said telephone lines and power in the region have been cut and Government forces opened fire as a tactical scare to prevent residents of the demonstration. As he spoke, the sound of gunfire followed by a landing nearby shell could be heard. Abdullah said that he had to hang up because he wanted to take refuge.The cities of Nawa and Duma have been also surrounded by security forces, with lines telephone cut residents and only permitted access, said Merhi.Faisal al-Haymad, Vice-President of the Chamber of commerce of Dara, said al-Jazeera yesterday that he is resigned to protest against the repression of the regime and said that nowHe joined the opposition.Sheikh Ahmad al-Sayasneh, the imam of the mosque in Dara Omari and a member of a delegation which held talks with Assad, after the first wave of violence last month said yesterday that it has joined the protesters. The imam said in an interview with al-Jazeera, he hides as security forces were looking for him because he had denounced the as "killers." "We have reached a point of no return with them after they killed our sons, and there is no place for discussions," said.

-Editors: Andrew j. Barden, Patrick Harrington, Ben Holland.

To contact the reporter on this story:

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew j. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net

View the original article here

Syrian Forces storm Dara, deploy tanks against the demonstrators

April 25, 2011, 5 pm EDT by Donna Abu-Nasr

Updates with militant comments from first paragraph.) See EXTRA for more the Middle East unrest).

April 25 (Bloomberg) - security forces Syrians stormed the city of Dara, in the South, the site of the events more sustained against President Bashar al-Assad, killing at least five people, witnesses said today.Tanks Dara came on the eve of four fronts, Abdullah, one of the witnesses, said in an interview by satellite phone, punctuated by the sound shots. Abdallah, who would provide only his surname because of concerns for his safety, said that he saw 20 bodies scattered through the streets of the city. Three he helped pull a street belonged to the family al-Shafran, according to their identity cards he said.Mohsen, another witness, said in an interview with Dara tanks opened fire against people who met in groups and at least five killed.The Syria has intensified violent repression against demonstrators, in the past week, leaving more than 100 dead. Decision Assad to end a State of emergency in place for half a century and promises of future political and economic measures, has failed to halt the spread of protests against his regime echoing those that toppled Egypt and Tunisiathe leaders of this year.The Syria is an ally of the Iran and a power broker in neighbouring countries to the Lebanon, where it supports Hezbollah, a group armed with Shia Muslims. Assad and other officials say conspirators-backed foreign are seeking to exploit the expression of legitimate popular demands as a pretext for violence. "State in Danger'The assault of Dara was a bid by the Government to eradicate"armed insurrection"by groups using advanced weapons against the security forces, said Imad Fawzi Shueibi, who heads the Center for strategic studies and the data, in a telephone interview from Damascus today. "The question at the moment is to suppress the insurrection,"after the use of violence by demonstrators"models replaced for civilian applications,"he says. "The State is in a dangerous situation."Mahmoud Merhi, who heads the Arab Organization for human rights, said in an interview today that nine people were killed in the coast of Jableh City yesterday after security forces opened fire to prevent movement in the streets. That brings the number of people killed during the four days of 135, while nearly 300 people were arrested, said.United States finds SanctionsViolence in Syria led to the United States to consider measures, including sanctions against the officials of the Assad regime that led to repression, an administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. President Barack Obama April 23, condemned "the scandalous use of violence" by the Syrian security forces.Abdullah, the witness of Dara, said telephone lines and power in the region have been cut and Government forces opened fire as a tactical scare to prevent residents of the demonstration. As he spoke, the sound of gunfire followed by a landing nearby shell could be heard. Abdullah said that he had to hang up because he wanted to take refuge.The cities of Nawa and Duma have been also surrounded by security forces, with lines telephone cut residents and only permitted access, said Merhi.Faisal al-Haymad, Vice-President of the Chamber of commerce of Dara, said al-Jazeera yesterday that he is resigned to protest against the repression of the regime and said that nowHe joined the opposition.Sheikh Ahmad al-Sayasneh, the imam of the mosque in Dara Omari and a member of a delegation which held talks with Assad, after the first wave of violence last month said yesterday that it has joined the protesters. The imam said in an interview with al-Jazeera, he hides as security forces were looking for him because he had denounced the as "killers." "We have reached a point of no return with them after they killed our sons, and there is no place for discussions," said.

-Editors: Andrew j. Barden, Patrick Harrington, Ben Holland.

To contact the reporter on this story:

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew j. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net

View the original article here

Sundiving Comet storm

Jan 12, 2011:? The Sun has seen just a storm - not the explosive flares and hot plasma, but icy comets.

Says "The storm on Dec 13 started and ended on June 22," Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC. "During this time the solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) detected 25 Comet diving into the Sun." "It was crazy!"

Sundiving a.k.a comets. "Group" - are nothing new. SOHO is usually one every few days, falls inside and sublime decay such as solar heat of his volatile ICES. "But 25 comets in only ten days, that never before," says Battams.

"The 10-meter class objects, comets were about as big as a room or a House," notes Matthew Knights of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. "As comets go, this small are considered."

SOHO stands out for this type of work. The probe the Coronagraph uses a non-transparent disc to block the glare of the Sun as an artificial solar eclipse, revealed faint objects, which could possibly see no terrestrial telescope. The images to the search question every day, amateur astronomers all over the world for new comets. SOHO was launched in 1996, an all-time record for astronomer or space mission were found more than 2,000 comets in this way.

Battams and Knight think come the Comet storm which could herald a much larger Sungrazer Dec. 2010 something, could see people with the naked eye even during the day.

"It's only a matter of time," says Battams. "We know there are some great out there."

Comet Ikeya-Seki is a good example. 1965 It appeared out of nowhere, Dove and water in the direction of the Sun and crashed just 450,000 km away across the stellar surface. Because Comet Ikeya-Seki nucleus was large, about 5 km wide, it survived the encounter and was one of the brightest comets of the past thousand years. Japanese observers saw it in broad daylight right next to the morning sun. People in astonishment saw as Comet Ikeya-Seki fell back into at least three pieces before fleeing in the solar system. Similar Sonnenkreutzer comets have been observed in 1843, 1882, 1963 and 1970.

This group are all connected. Astronomers call them the "Kreutz" after the century astronomer Heinrich Kreutz, she first studied as a group. Modern thinking about the family is attributed to Brian Marsden (1937-2010) of Harvard minor planet Center. He analyzed the orbits of the Kreutz comets and saw that they are probably came from the resolution of a single huge Comet in the twelfth century, probably the great Comet of 1106. According to Marsden's work, Comet Ikeya-Seki class and the smaller SOHO group are only different-sized fragments, that a precursor.

Researchers Zdenek Sekanina and Paul Chodas JPL the ancestor Kreutz, modeled the fragmentation and in a 2007 issue of Astrophysical Journal suggested that were more large pieces on the way. Knight's cross of the iron include supported their idea of the SOHO group.

"SOHO launched was since a trend of increasing number of the Kreutz group," he points out. A table in Knight's 2008 thesis shows SOHO recognize of 69 group in 1997 as compared to 200 group in 2010. "The increase is important and can be accounted for by improvements in SOHO or the increasing ability of comet hunter."

Advance, Comet Ikeya-Seki went through a storm like that of Dec 2010?

No one knows.

"We no really great Kreutz Comet saw in the era of the space-based Coronagraphs," notes Knight. "SOHO was not about 1965 record how many small comets in the sun before Comet Ikeya-Seki Dove." It could be 200 comets per year--or it could be 1000. "Without further information can not we know for sure how quickly we a real monster could be privileged."

Battams offers this advice: "Stay tuned, SOHO."

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

View the original article here

Sundiving Comet storm

Jan 12, 2011:? The Sun has seen just a storm - not the explosive flares and hot plasma, but icy comets.

Says "The storm on Dec 13 started and ended on June 22," Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC. "During this time the solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) detected 25 Comet diving into the Sun." "It was crazy!"

Sundiving a.k.a comets. "Group" - are nothing new. SOHO is usually one every few days, falls inside and sublime decay such as solar heat of his volatile ICES. "But 25 comets in only ten days, that never before," says Battams.

"The 10-meter class objects, comets were about as big as a room or a House," notes Matthew Knights of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. "As comets go, this small are considered."

SOHO stands out for this type of work. The probe the Coronagraph uses a non-transparent disc to block the glare of the Sun as an artificial solar eclipse, revealed faint objects, which could possibly see no terrestrial telescope. The images to the search question every day, amateur astronomers all over the world for new comets. SOHO was launched in 1996, an all-time record for astronomer or space mission were found more than 2,000 comets in this way.

Battams and Knight think come the Comet storm which could herald a much larger Sungrazer Dec. 2010 something, could see people with the naked eye even during the day.

"It's only a matter of time," says Battams. "We know there are some great out there."

Comet Ikeya-Seki is a good example. 1965 It appeared out of nowhere, Dove and water in the direction of the Sun and crashed just 450,000 km away across the stellar surface. Because Comet Ikeya-Seki nucleus was large, about 5 km wide, it survived the encounter and was one of the brightest comets of the past thousand years. Japanese observers saw it in broad daylight right next to the morning sun. People in astonishment saw as Comet Ikeya-Seki fell back into at least three pieces before fleeing in the solar system. Similar Sonnenkreutzer comets have been observed in 1843, 1882, 1963 and 1970.

This group are all connected. Astronomers call them the "Kreutz" after the century astronomer Heinrich Kreutz, she first studied as a group. Modern thinking about the family is attributed to Brian Marsden (1937-2010) of Harvard minor planet Center. He analyzed the orbits of the Kreutz comets and saw that they are probably came from the resolution of a single huge Comet in the twelfth century, probably the great Comet of 1106. According to Marsden's work, Comet Ikeya-Seki class and the smaller SOHO group are only different-sized fragments, that a precursor.

Researchers Zdenek Sekanina and Paul Chodas JPL the ancestor Kreutz, modeled the fragmentation and in a 2007 issue of Astrophysical Journal suggested that were more large pieces on the way. Knight's cross of the iron include supported their idea of the SOHO group.

"SOHO launched was since a trend of increasing number of the Kreutz group," he points out. A table in Knight's 2008 thesis shows SOHO recognize of 69 group in 1997 as compared to 200 group in 2010. "The increase is important and can be accounted for by improvements in SOHO or the increasing ability of comet hunter."

Advance, Comet Ikeya-Seki went through a storm like that of Dec 2010?

No one knows.

"We no really great Kreutz Comet saw in the era of the space-based Coronagraphs," notes Knight. "SOHO was not about 1965 record how many small comets in the sun before Comet Ikeya-Seki Dove." It could be 200 comets per year--or it could be 1000. "Without further information can not we know for sure how quickly we a real monster could be privileged."

Battams offers this advice: "Stay tuned, SOHO."

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

View the original article here

Sundiving Comet storm

Jan 12, 2011:? The Sun has seen just a storm - not the explosive flares and hot plasma, but icy comets.

Says "The storm on Dec 13 started and ended on June 22," Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC. "During this time the solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) detected 25 Comet diving into the Sun." "It was crazy!"

Sundiving a.k.a comets. "Group" - are nothing new. SOHO is usually one every few days, falls inside and sublime decay such as solar heat of his volatile ICES. "But 25 comets in only ten days, that never before," says Battams.

"The 10-meter class objects, comets were about as big as a room or a House," notes Matthew Knights of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. "As comets go, this small are considered."

SOHO stands out for this type of work. The probe the Coronagraph uses a non-transparent disc to block the glare of the Sun as an artificial solar eclipse, revealed faint objects, which could possibly see no terrestrial telescope. The images to the search question every day, amateur astronomers all over the world for new comets. SOHO was launched in 1996, an all-time record for astronomer or space mission were found more than 2,000 comets in this way.

Battams and Knight think come the Comet storm which could herald a much larger Sungrazer Dec. 2010 something, could see people with the naked eye even during the day.

"It's only a matter of time," says Battams. "We know there are some great out there."

Comet Ikeya-Seki is a good example. 1965 It appeared out of nowhere, Dove and water in the direction of the Sun and crashed just 450,000 km away across the stellar surface. Because Comet Ikeya-Seki nucleus was large, about 5 km wide, it survived the encounter and was one of the brightest comets of the past thousand years. Japanese observers saw it in broad daylight right next to the morning sun. People in astonishment saw as Comet Ikeya-Seki fell back into at least three pieces before fleeing in the solar system. Similar Sonnenkreutzer comets have been observed in 1843, 1882, 1963 and 1970.

This group are all connected. Astronomers call them the "Kreutz" after the century astronomer Heinrich Kreutz, she first studied as a group. Modern thinking about the family is attributed to Brian Marsden (1937-2010) of Harvard minor planet Center. He analyzed the orbits of the Kreutz comets and saw that they are probably came from the resolution of a single huge Comet in the twelfth century, probably the great Comet of 1106. According to Marsden's work, Comet Ikeya-Seki class and the smaller SOHO group are only different-sized fragments, that a precursor.

Researchers Zdenek Sekanina and Paul Chodas JPL the ancestor Kreutz, modeled the fragmentation and in a 2007 issue of Astrophysical Journal suggested that were more large pieces on the way. Knight's cross of the iron include supported their idea of the SOHO group.

"SOHO launched was since a trend of increasing number of the Kreutz group," he points out. A table in Knight's 2008 thesis shows SOHO recognize of 69 group in 1997 as compared to 200 group in 2010. "The increase is important and can be accounted for by improvements in SOHO or the increasing ability of comet hunter."

Advance, Comet Ikeya-Seki went through a storm like that of Dec 2010?

No one knows.

"We no really great Kreutz Comet saw in the era of the space-based Coronagraphs," notes Knight. "SOHO was not about 1965 record how many small comets in the sun before Comet Ikeya-Seki Dove." It could be 200 comets per year--or it could be 1000. "Without further information can not we know for sure how quickly we a real monster could be privileged."

Battams offers this advice: "Stay tuned, SOHO."

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

View the original article here

Sundiving Comet storm

Jan 12, 2011:? The Sun has seen just a storm - not the explosive flares and hot plasma, but icy comets.

Says "The storm on Dec 13 started and ended on June 22," Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC. "During this time the solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) detected 25 Comet diving into the Sun." "It was crazy!"

Sundiving a.k.a comets. "Group" - are nothing new. SOHO is usually one every few days, falls inside and sublime decay such as solar heat of his volatile ICES. "But 25 comets in only ten days, that never before," says Battams.

"The 10-meter class objects, comets were about as big as a room or a House," notes Matthew Knights of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. "As comets go, this small are considered."

SOHO stands out for this type of work. The probe the Coronagraph uses a non-transparent disc to block the glare of the Sun as an artificial solar eclipse, revealed faint objects, which could possibly see no terrestrial telescope. The images to the search question every day, amateur astronomers all over the world for new comets. SOHO was launched in 1996, an all-time record for astronomer or space mission were found more than 2,000 comets in this way.

Battams and Knight think come the Comet storm which could herald a much larger Sungrazer Dec. 2010 something, could see people with the naked eye even during the day.

"It's only a matter of time," says Battams. "We know there are some great out there."

Comet Ikeya-Seki is a good example. 1965 It appeared out of nowhere, Dove and water in the direction of the Sun and crashed just 450,000 km away across the stellar surface. Because Comet Ikeya-Seki nucleus was large, about 5 km wide, it survived the encounter and was one of the brightest comets of the past thousand years. Japanese observers saw it in broad daylight right next to the morning sun. People in astonishment saw as Comet Ikeya-Seki fell back into at least three pieces before fleeing in the solar system. Similar Sonnenkreutzer comets have been observed in 1843, 1882, 1963 and 1970.

This group are all connected. Astronomers call them the "Kreutz" after the century astronomer Heinrich Kreutz, she first studied as a group. Modern thinking about the family is attributed to Brian Marsden (1937-2010) of Harvard minor planet Center. He analyzed the orbits of the Kreutz comets and saw that they are probably came from the resolution of a single huge Comet in the twelfth century, probably the great Comet of 1106. According to Marsden's work, Comet Ikeya-Seki class and the smaller SOHO group are only different-sized fragments, that a precursor.

Researchers Zdenek Sekanina and Paul Chodas JPL the ancestor Kreutz, modeled the fragmentation and in a 2007 issue of Astrophysical Journal suggested that were more large pieces on the way. Knight's cross of the iron include supported their idea of the SOHO group.

"SOHO launched was since a trend of increasing number of the Kreutz group," he points out. A table in Knight's 2008 thesis shows SOHO recognize of 69 group in 1997 as compared to 200 group in 2010. "The increase is important and can be accounted for by improvements in SOHO or the increasing ability of comet hunter."

Advance, Comet Ikeya-Seki went through a storm like that of Dec 2010?

No one knows.

"We no really great Kreutz Comet saw in the era of the space-based Coronagraphs," notes Knight. "SOHO was not about 1965 record how many small comets in the sun before Comet Ikeya-Seki Dove." It could be 200 comets per year--or it could be 1000. "Without further information can not we know for sure how quickly we a real monster could be privileged."

Battams offers this advice: "Stay tuned, SOHO."

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

View the original article here

Sundiving Comet storm

Jan 12, 2011:? The Sun has seen just a storm - not the explosive flares and hot plasma, but icy comets.

Says "The storm on Dec 13 started and ended on June 22," Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC. "During this time the solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) detected 25 Comet diving into the Sun." "It was crazy!"

Sundiving a.k.a comets. "Group" - are nothing new. SOHO is usually one every few days, falls inside and sublime decay such as solar heat of his volatile ICES. "But 25 comets in only ten days, that never before," says Battams.

"The 10-meter class objects, comets were about as big as a room or a House," notes Matthew Knights of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. "As comets go, this small are considered."

SOHO stands out for this type of work. The probe the Coronagraph uses a non-transparent disc to block the glare of the Sun as an artificial solar eclipse, revealed faint objects, which could possibly see no terrestrial telescope. The images to the search question every day, amateur astronomers all over the world for new comets. SOHO was launched in 1996, an all-time record for astronomer or space mission were found more than 2,000 comets in this way.

Battams and Knight think come the Comet storm which could herald a much larger Sungrazer Dec. 2010 something, could see people with the naked eye even during the day.

"It's only a matter of time," says Battams. "We know there are some great out there."

Comet Ikeya-Seki is a good example. 1965 It appeared out of nowhere, Dove and water in the direction of the Sun and crashed just 450,000 km away across the stellar surface. Because Comet Ikeya-Seki nucleus was large, about 5 km wide, it survived the encounter and was one of the brightest comets of the past thousand years. Japanese observers saw it in broad daylight right next to the morning sun. People in astonishment saw as Comet Ikeya-Seki fell back into at least three pieces before fleeing in the solar system. Similar Sonnenkreutzer comets have been observed in 1843, 1882, 1963 and 1970.

This group are all connected. Astronomers call them the "Kreutz" after the century astronomer Heinrich Kreutz, she first studied as a group. Modern thinking about the family is attributed to Brian Marsden (1937-2010) of Harvard minor planet Center. He analyzed the orbits of the Kreutz comets and saw that they are probably came from the resolution of a single huge Comet in the twelfth century, probably the great Comet of 1106. According to Marsden's work, Comet Ikeya-Seki class and the smaller SOHO group are only different-sized fragments, that a precursor.

Researchers Zdenek Sekanina and Paul Chodas JPL the ancestor Kreutz, modeled the fragmentation and in a 2007 issue of Astrophysical Journal suggested that were more large pieces on the way. Knight's cross of the iron include supported their idea of the SOHO group.

"SOHO launched was since a trend of increasing number of the Kreutz group," he points out. A table in Knight's 2008 thesis shows SOHO recognize of 69 group in 1997 as compared to 200 group in 2010. "The increase is important and can be accounted for by improvements in SOHO or the increasing ability of comet hunter."

Advance, Comet Ikeya-Seki went through a storm like that of Dec 2010?

No one knows.

"We no really great Kreutz Comet saw in the era of the space-based Coronagraphs," notes Knight. "SOHO was not about 1965 record how many small comets in the sun before Comet Ikeya-Seki Dove." It could be 200 comets per year--or it could be 1000. "Without further information can not we know for sure how quickly we a real monster could be privileged."

Battams offers this advice: "Stay tuned, SOHO."

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

View the original article here