Monster comet falling toward the sun is bigger than a Martian moon

https://www.cnet.com/news/monster-comet-falling-toward-the-sun-is-bigger-than-a-martian-moon/

by fspacef • 5 years ago

9 6 5 years ago

simonblack• 5 years ago

"bigger than a Martian moon": That wouldn't be difficult. The martian moons are absolutely tiny. So tiny in fact, that some astronomers had even theorised that they might be artificial. (That was before we were able to actually see that they weren't.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moons_of_Mars

dragonwriter• 5 years ago

The martian moons are absolutely tiny.

One of them is exactly the median size of a moon of a terrestrial planet in our solar system, the other is the closest moon of such a planet to median size that isn't exactly the median.

Earth’s moon is just gigantic.

lai-yin• 5 years ago

Coolest fact I've learned today. Thank you!

mattr47• 5 years ago

Are not the moons of Mars about the same diameter as Houston, Texas?

yesenadam• 5 years ago

Odd title. It says estimated diameter is 150km, while Mars' moons are just 22km and 12.6km. That sounds like hundreds or thousands of times bigger, by volume and mass. (I calculate ~300x to 1700x the mass, if they have similar density) ...I'm taller than a kitten, but it's not very informative to say so!

PeterCorless• 5 years ago

To me the most interesting thing is that they detected it and classified it as a potential dwarf planet, then noticed it was falling inbound. Closest pass to the sun 2031.

Now watch even more apocalyptic cults spawn!

Monster comet falling toward the sun is bigger than a Martian moon

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