Asteroid near miss

[HibbyDave]

Well it’s lucky we are here to read this. An asteroid that is approx 100 metres across Flew between the earth and the moon on Thursday night. Astronomers never saw it until the very last minute!

If it had hit the planet, it would have been like a 5 mega tonne nuclear explosion. At least big enough to obliterate a large city.
So Sleep easy guys, in the knowledge it has passed ......... unless like buses they come in threes!

[Glory Lurker]

It's a very sobering thought that we'll inevitably be less lucky, although the likelihood is that it'd hit the sea or an uninhabited/ low population area.

I remember, in 97 or 98, an asteroid being spotted that initially appeared likely to hit around now. It was much bigger than the one you mention and could have been a doomsday event. Further calculation quickly ruled out a collision, but for a short while scientific bums were squeaking.

Ian Rankin wrote a piece for The Scotsman about what life would be like if the original projection had been right and humanity had 20 years to ponder its annihilation. Needless to say, society fell apart. It is ironic that if we did get a lengthy warning period we might pretty much wipe ourselves out in anarchy before the stone hits us!

[Fife-Hibee]

It's terrifying to think that the earth and the other inner planets are surrounded by an asteroid belt containing billions of asteroids of varying sizes. It doesn't take much for the gravity of Jupiter to destabilize the orbits of these asteroids and send them on a collision course towards the earth.
In fact, it happens all the time. But thankfully, the vast majority of these asteroids are tiny and burn up in the atmosphere before they can cause any real damage.
It is however a constant reminder of just how fragile and exposed our world is out there in the vastness of space. We're constantly in harms way.

[Fife-Hibee]

It's a very sobering thought that we'll inevitably be less lucky, although the likelihood is that it'd hit the sea or an uninhabited/ low population area.

I remember, in 97 or 98, an asteroid being spotted that initially appeared likely to hit around now. It was much bigger than the one you mention and could have been a doomsday event. Further calculation quickly ruled out a collision, but for a short while scientific bums were squeaking.

Ian Rankin wrote a piece for The Scotsman about what life would be like if the original projection had been right and humanity had 20 years to ponder its annihilation. Needless to say, society fell apart. It is ironic that if we did get a lengthy warning period we might pretty much wipe ourselves out in anarchy before the stone hits us!

Makes you wonder though.... if there is one on a coalition course to earth, would they honestly tell us about it?

Apophis is predicted to make a close fly by in 2029. But what if it isn't simply a close fly by?

[Smartie]

Is there any work being done anywhere in order to prepare for/ potentially fight off this threat?

Do you just have to shrug your shoulders and accept that when the time comes, the time comes?

We've made some pretty powerful weapons to use on each other - what would happen if you launched a nuclear weapon into the middle of one as it approached us? Is there anything else that we could potentially do?

I just find it strange that as a species we seem to be quite chilled out about all of this, whereas the idea of Jeremy Corbyn being Prime Minister brings many rational, intelligent people out in a blind panic.

[Fife-Hibee]

Is there any work being done anywhere in order to prepare for/ potentially fight off this threat?

Do you just have to shrug your shoulders and accept that when the time comes, the time comes?

We've made some pretty powerful weapons to use on each other - what would happen if you launched a nuclear weapon into the middle of one as it approached us? Is there anything else that we could potentially do?

I just find it strange that as a species we seem to be quite chilled out about all of this, whereas the idea of Jeremy Corbyn being Prime Minister brings many rational, intelligent people out in a blind panic.

Breaking up an asteroid into multiple pieces can in many cases be worse. NASA and other major organizations run a multitude of simulations to cover an array of many possible events and outcomes.

A possible solution (if they discover the object early enough) is to launch a probe towards it and use it's gravitation pull on the object to alter it's trajectory. But as you witnessed just a few nights ago, it's so easy for them to slip under the radar.

The calmness comes from the ultimate acceptance that we're all going to die at some point. Whether individually, or together as a species. Otherwise we'd be living out the entirety of our lives in constant worry and panic knowing that one day it was all going to end for us.

[Glory Lurker]

Makes you wonder though.... if there is one on a coalition course to earth, would they honestly tell us about it?



The temptation would obviously be there to keep a lid on it, but I don't think something like that could be kept quiet.

[Fife-Hibee]

The temptation would obviously be there to keep a lid on it, but I don't think something like that could be kept quiet.

Depends how far away it is and how hard it is to detect. Not very many people in the world have access to technology that can accurately predict a collision 10 years from now. Would it be so hard to keep a lid on it?

[lord bunberry]

Is there any work being done anywhere in order to prepare for/ potentially fight off this threat?

Do you just have to shrug your shoulders and accept that when the time comes, the time comes?

We've made some pretty powerful weapons to use on each other - what would happen if you launched a nuclear weapon into the middle of one as it approached us? Is there anything else that we could potentially do?

I just find it strange that as a species we seem to be quite chilled out about all of this, whereas the idea of Jeremy Corbyn being Prime Minister brings many rational, intelligent people out in a blind panic.
Yes there is a lot of work being done on this. The work on tracking asteroids has been going on for decades. The research on prevention is much more recent. The only option currently available is to send a nuclear bomb into space to blow it up, or explode it next to the asteroid in order to change its orbit slightly so it misses the Earth. New techniques are being developed that would be much more effective include shining a laser onto the asteroid, this would heat up a section of it, this would create a jet engine type effect that would change its orbit a bit like a comet. Another technique is called a gravity tractor. This involves sending a device into space that would hover beside the asteroid, the gravitational interaction between the two would be enough to change the orbit of the asteroid.
All these methods rely on early detection of the asteroid though.

[Northernhibee]

Awful news, an asteroid has hit Tynecastle Park. The estimated cost of the damage to the stadium and surrounding area could end up stretching to as much as eighteen quid.

[Lester B]

Awful news, an asteroid has hit Tynecastle Park. The estimated cost of the damage to the stadium and surrounding area could end up stretching to as much as eighteen quid.

I understand it's caused £18000 worth of improvements

[judas]

It’s funny, this post has has 10 posts.

The one about Boris has over 300 and the brain numbing post about Labour has over 2000 posts.

[Future17]

It’s funny, this post has has 10 posts.

The one about Boris has over 300 and the brain numbing post about Labour has over 2000 posts.

Not really surprising. This thread is about a disaster which didn't happen. The others are about disasters that are happening.

[judas]

Not really surprising. This thread is about a disaster which didn't happen. The others are about disasters that are happening.

He he.

[heretoday]

Phew. That was close.