A comet will pass very close to Mars

Newly exposed comet will pass very close to Mars. It is possible and collision.

Comet C/2013 A1 - the first of astronomers open this year. Its orbit is estimated to take place very close to Mars in October 2014 a comet fly only 37 000 km from the Red Planet. This in itself would be a significant astronomical event, 

but the uncertainty of the orbit of the comet does not exclude the possibility of a collision. If it happens, the consequences would be comparable to an asteroid strike, allegedly destroyed the dinosaurs.

C/2013 A1 was found Jan. 3, 2013 experienced "hunter of comets" by Robert McNaught (Robert McNaught), which account for 74 comets and 467 asteroids. At the opening of C/2013 A1 was far beyond the orbit of Jupiter. Now it is moving to the center of the solar system at a speed of about 35 km / s orbit, typical of the Oort cloud comets. Based on the brightness of the comet's size and distance is estimated to be 20-40 km in diameter. For comparison, the diameter of the asteroid DA14, has recently come nearer to the Earth at a distance of about 27.7 thousand kilometers - about 40 m , and Chelyabinsk meteorite before entering atmosphere had a diameter of about 15-17 meters .

The penalty of a possible collision is difficult to overestimate the energy unconfined at the same order of 5-20 billion megatons of TNT and formed a crater 500 km in diameter. But even if no collision occurs, astronomers happen to watch a unique event: the passageway of Mars through someone at a speed of 56 km / s particulate matter coma, getting into the planet's atmosphere will be heated to temperatures of the solar corona (about m ° C), which will glow like auroras.