The thing about Ison is that even NASA must concede there is an unknown element to it. That's because Ison will reach it's perihelion in the near future, which could put strain on it, break it up, or change it's orbit. It's a big comet for Earth impact, 5 kilometers in diameter, so we definitely don't want it hitting Los Angeles or Fukushima or anything.

The government knows all this and has probably taken a few steps to prepare. I highly doubt there is a conspiracy, where the NASA has specific knowledge that it's going to impact. There are literally millions of amateur astronomers watching and studying comet Ison. Virtually 100% would tell you there is a small chance that Ision will break apart and possibly hit Earth, but will most likely pass by as expected.

http://www.solarsystemscope.com/ison/

The comet itself won't come anywhere near us. A few days ago it crossed near Earth's orbit where Earth will be in mid-January. Then we will be passing through any small debris and gases left by its passing. ISON will be far behind and above us on its way out.

We're all a little nervous about the grid here lately. I think we're finally coming to realize our system is bunk. We are WAY too dependent upon gasoline and electricity. If the grid goes down, we lose everything. Not only that, but it's incredibly vulnerable. The Earth's magnetic field, solar flares, comets, nuclear blasts, EMP's, computer viruses, oil shortages, global warming, and government screw ups, all threaten the grid and the stability of our global civilization.

I don't know the answer to that.

The grid shutdown you're talking about is supposed to affect the entire continent of North America. If this is the case, plenty of impact would be felt in your country too.

Yes, it will. Be prepared for the worst.

I meant something along the lines of what you might expect a money-strapped government to do if its closest ally shuts down its entire electric grid, as it edges toward fascism (which both of our governments appear to be edging toward).

Buggery. Seems even worse than nuclear, I imagine.

England is having its own cyber attack drill on the 12th.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/07/britain-cybercrime-test-idUSL5N0IS39R20131107

Just a tip, bud, ISON isn't even coming close to Earth on its way to or away from the sun. There is as little chance as physically possible that it will hit us.

Are you saying with 100% confidence that there is ZERO chance that the sun could change Ison's orbit, even a tiny amount?

http://www.solarsystemscope.com/ison/

Not enough to hit earth. There is less than a millionth of a percent chance it will hit us. Our models of physics that predict these things are quite accurate. At closest approach, we'll still be quite a few millions of miles away from it.

That's all I was saying. There is a small chance.

Infinitesimal. Astronomical. For all intentions and purposes, zero.

Not to be rude or anything, but I don't think you know what you're talking about. Comet Ison wasn't discovered until last year sometime. This is her first go around for us. We don't even know if this is Ison's first perihelion or not. According to this paper from the ADS there is a 10% chance a comet's first perihelion result result in "random" disruption.

Do you know much about computer modeling with general relativity and multibody orbital determinations? Topology gets a little crazy when there is a large amount of bodies involved. It's one of my favorite subjects actually. It's so interesting, because it's so confusing. There's way more than just Earth, the Sun, and Ison in play here. Our capabilities are quite constrained really.

Anyways this paper simply states that "tidal disruption to be unlikely unless other factors (e.g., spin-up via torquing) affect ISON substantially." Which sounds quite a bit a different than

Infinitesimal. Astronomical. For all intentions and purposes, zero.

So, stop spreading wrong information.

Former Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano said a cyber attack to wipe out the power grid will happen. When a government official says something catastrophic WILL happen, that demands some serious attention since the government has an interest in keeping the general population in the dark about most things.

There is talk about ISON interacting with the sun and triggering a massive solar flare and/or CME, the dreaded "kill shot." ISON whips around the Sun on November 29.

Ed Dames, a long-time remote viewer and the best of the best employed by the US government, said in an interview on Coast to Coast AM earlier this year that there is not much point in seeing beyond this kill shot into 2014.

I think it's more likely that the government is anticipating this natural disaster, and that there are no false flags involved.

From what I've heard, there are a couple of possibilities. A strong enough coronal mass ejection from the sun that is aimed properly could hit the Earth like an EMP, wiping out electrical grids. Suspicious0bservers on YouTube does a lot of work linking solar activity to earthquakes, so expect some massive ones plus tsunamis. But it's speculation and I don't know anything for sure.

What America would gain from martial law is an interesting question. If survivors can be rounded up into camps, given food and shelter, kept dependent on the remains of the state for survival, then some semblance of the same old machine can be kept grinding away. I imagine slave labor growing food and such for the families of those who are in power now. It'd be feudalism -- just like today, only without the pretty lies of faulty democracy covering it up.

Anyway, lots of speculation, lots of daydreaming. No facts from me. You might be interested in this, though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9niiXmqlPQk

plus tsunamis.

Like the one that just wiped out the Philippines? The one with wind currents over 230 MPH? The most powerful typhoon in human history?

Makes me wonder, at least. Could be a coincidence. But it was worth mentioning.

I haven't seen anything credible about Ison being much of a problem; please send me a link if you have. The grid 'drill' deserves preparation, though.

YouTube does have a History option...

Unless the comet when grazing the Sun, just so happens to produce a CME or flare thats super big and headed to Earth. Ison is no danger to us, we pass through its debris tail in January for some shooting stars. It may be brighter on its journey away from the sun, but again no danger and I predict its not even gonna survive the pass around the sun.

This is a first-time Kreutz sungrazer and we don't even know if it's retrograde. If it's prograde, which we won't know for a while, it probably won't survive perihelion.

Odd that yet again, an ISON thread gets just enough downvotes to stop it gaining any traction. Someone really doesn't want ISON being discussed.

If one of the world's foremost comet observers, John Bortle, is getting a bit freaked out by ISON, the rest of us should be paying it a lot more attention.

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/observers-perplexed-comet-isons-erratic-performance-8C11512045

I meant something along the lines of what you might expect a money-strapped government to do if its closest ally shuts down its entire electric grid, as it edges toward fascism (which both of our governments appear to be edging toward).

Buggery. Seems even worse than nuclear, I imagine.

Infinitesimal. Astronomical. For all intentions and purposes, zero.