Not quite sure where exactly this belongs, but I've just been looking for the orbit of that famous Centaur, Chiron, and I have to say I'm absolutely amazed at the number of astrological references Google gives me by simply typing in 'orbit of Chiron'

I've only been looking into this for 5 minutes and I've already seen a reference to the late Princess Diana

http://www.bsa.bristolastrology.net/chiron.html

I can't for the life of me work out what on Earth Chiron has to do with Diana, but there you go................

It's hardly surprising. You'll find that astrology devotees commonly attempt to shoehorn such things into their pseudoscientific pursuits. BTW, in case you havent' seen it, The BA wrote an excellent piece on astrology here.

They're claiming that Princess Di died from Mars and Pluto? o.O

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Stare at the skies with wonder
Wishing to know more;
The clouds still drift by above
But the eyes below are blind.
--Laura Lundberg

Check out my writing, maybe.

Here's an image of Chiron's orbit. It is not stable in the long term. After only 3 orbits, it's orbit has noticably changed. It's currently a Saturn-crosser. In a few thousand years it will be both a Saturn-crosser and a Uranus-crosser. That's dangerous territory it orbiting in.

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Now I thought that the huge book by Gehrels (HAZARDS DUE TO COMETS AND ASTEROIDS) had Chiron becoming an Earth crosser over time.

Not exactly. Chiron could become an Earth crosser at some point in the future, any Centaur stands at least a small chance of that. As I recall from a paper by Hahn and Bailey in 1990, it had a chance of becoming an Earth crosser before being ejected (most likely) from the solar system. The Centaurs are on chaotic planet crossing orbits and frequently approach the outer planets and have their orbits changed. Some of them will become Jupiter Family short period comets as well.

From Hahn & Bailey, Nature, 348, Nov. 8, 1990, p. 132-136:


Jim.

Are there any other Centaurs or other bodies that may strike Chiron? The role of potential impactors in relation to other bodies also needs to be looked at.

Given that in a few hundred years Chiron may have a close encounter with Uranus, can its trajectory be fine-tuned to make it hit Mars? Or Venus? If Chiron was swung straight in from Uranus, how fast would it hit Venus?

And of course, we'd have to be ready to destroy or divert any resulting shrapnel that came our way subsequently.

That's an idea! It would deposit all kinds of water on Mars and maybe bulk up its atmo if it comes in just right--breaking up on a near pass and gradually filtering down or Mars--or hitting Venus dead on and maybe blowing some atmosphere off.

It would be a hell of a show too. Monster comet followed by amazing collision.

Boys with toys...

__________________
There are few left who
Stare at the skies with wonder
Wishing to know more;
The clouds still drift by above
But the eyes below are blind.
--Laura Lundberg

Check out my writing, maybe.

Blow Shoemaker-Levy right out of the water that would.........

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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer - renowned 19th Century German philosopher.

I should say in my defence that I'm not really thinking of the spectacle, but of serious efforts at terraforming. Plus I think it'd be a real plus to the whole solar system ambience if Venus had a moon too, which the collision might generate.

Talking of not thinking about the spectacle, obviously the collision should be on the outward leg of the orbit so we get as much monster-comet time as possible...

Chiron is still a bit small to do that--though I could be mistaken. I think some rampaging extrasolar object could. It would be a chance to see Venus as the Earth was eons ago, slowly developing. Anything to blow off 90% of its atmosphere and spin it up.

Am I the only one that thinks that trying to get two celestial bodies to slam into each other might have more detrimental than beneficial effects?

__________________
There are few left who
Stare at the skies with wonder
Wishing to know more;
The clouds still drift by above
But the eyes below are blind.
--Laura Lundberg

Check out my writing, maybe.

Yep, you're on your own there.