COMET CLEANSER? You won’t feel even a...

COMET CLEANSER? You won’t feel even a ripple here, but if some experts are right, Jupiter will get quite a jolt July 16. That’s when an enormous comet is expected to collide with that planet. The ramifications will be debated at a free lecture Thursday night at San Juan Capistrano’s San Juan Institute, which specializes in studies of the solar system. . . . Telescopes will be set up so you can get a “before” look at Jupiter. The consensus among scientists: The collision should be fascinating, but shouldn’t have widespread effects on the universe.

FLAG BURNERS: Burning the American flag might get a political protester in trouble, but it’s considered a glorious tradition if you’re a Boy Scout or Girl Scout. . . . That is why the Girl Scouts are asking you to take a look to see if your flag is old or tattered and needs to be replaced. If so, take it to the Newland House at 19820 Beach Blvd. in Huntington Beach on Saturday afternoon. The Girl Scouts there will burn it, they say, to “retire it in the proper patriotic manner.”

NEW ZEAL: The Alaskan Eagle, the 65-foot sloop owned by Orange Coast College, takes on its most ambitious jaunt yet July 16. . . . It sails each summer, usually for three- to five-month trips with students and staff to Hawaii or the South Pacific. This time, it’s on a yearlong journey to New Zealand. Nicole Carbon, an Orange Coast engineering major, won one of the scholarships to sail the first leg of the trip. “It’s always been my dream to sail around the world,” says Carbon. “This is the beginning.”

TAKING ATOLL: The Alaskan Eagle will carry more than just students. It’s also loaded with medical supplies to be turned over to clinics at remote Pacific islands and atolls where the boat will be stopping. Dr. Gilbert Roys of Anaheim Memorial Hospital, who led the collecting of the supplies, is taking three weeks’ vacation to sail along and handle their distribution. Besides loving to sail, he says, “If I can help these people with their medical needs, I’ll have even more fun.”