Asteroid almost hit Earth this week..

[SSJ4 Gogitta]

(¯`·._Full Story (http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/06/20/asteroid.miss/index.html)_.·´¯)

CNN news.com said:

The space rock missed our planet Friday by only 75,000 miles (120,000 km), about one-third the distance to the moon, making the near collision one of the closest ever recorded.

Cruising at 6.2 miles (10 km) per second, the big boulder could have unleashed some major firepower had it struck, according to the NEO (Near Earth Objects) Information Center in Leicester, England.

The destructive force might have been comparable to an asteroid or comet that exploded over Siberia in 1908, which flattened 77 square miles (2,000 square km) of trees, according to the NEO.


Damn... :eek: :igor:

[Aeroe]

interesting how they mention it always afterwards... that's the worst part.

/me cries for mommy

[Trigear]

i'm reminded of that simpson's episode... shows the true nature of man. or rather, homer...

[Huehuetenango]

yeah, uhm, i'm scared

uhm, why wasn't i warned of this beforehand?

[qwerty1288]

while, you most likely werent' warned beforehand because it didn't hit earth. I can't remember where (i think on the new york times site) i found an article about an meteorite that is big enough to destroy earth is projected to come withen 3 times the moons distance in the year 2010 or 2020 hmm can't remember... so this is a small story...

[Huehuetenango]

i was just telling my girlfriend about that one, actually
when i found out about it, i was watching discovery, they told it would hit, went to commercial, and THEN told that it would in fact miss

i nearly had a bloody heartattack

[qwerty1288]

hehe thats pretty funny little story

[SSJ4 Gogitta]

We were not told about it untill now becase it was not even detcted untill like 3 days after it passed earth. it passed Friday the 14th and was detected Monday the 17th.

And events like the one in Sibera in 1908 are "100-year events", meaning collisions on that scale occur about once every 100 years.

the last being.... 1908. We're due for another.

[dollerspark]

Oh, you sillys. If a meteor is going to hit the earth, you'll know.

Trust me, you'll know :D

[Trigear]

and if you're not warned about it, eventually you'll know... when you're getting squished and all

[Jay]

squished is not what you have to worry about it is the Ice age afterwards and the choking dust and debris and dying cattle everywhere disturbing the food chain that you mostly have to worry about. Unless you are aquatic life you certainly don't want to be around. :)

[Sandman2012]

[/consults text by Nostradamus]

Nope, that one wasn't supposed to hit. :D

BTW, what's with this cheesy Hollywood type photo with the article...

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2002/TECH/space/06/20/asteroid.miss/impact.jpg

EVERYTHING is propaganda.

[Bop]

Originally posted by Sandman2012
EVERYTHING is propaganda.

Not everything sand', teh aliens are still the real deal... right?

[primenumber]

Another reason some asteroids may not be found until after they have passed is because they are in the same position in our sky as the sun when they are near.

The general public usually doesn't hear of these near misses unless they have come very close. Some may be surprised to learn how many Near-Earth Objects (NEO) there are. Currently there are 1967 known NEOs.

More information can be found at this (http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html) NASA site.

[Nofx Guy]

thats kinda scary...yeah i was readin somewhere about that big asteroid supposed to come really close in like 2010 or 2020 or sumthin..actuall i think i saw it on discovery channel...

[Sandman2012]

Originally posted by Boplicity


Not everything sand', teh aliens are still the real deal... right?

Bah, fuck the aliens. Our universe is much more interesting than simplistic notions of biologial life from another planet in circular vehicles.

Also, check out definition 1 below. I stand by what
i said...

prop·a·gan·da [pròpp gánd ] noun

1. publicity to promote something: information or publicity put out by an organization or government to spread and promote a policy, idea, doctrine, or cause

2. misleading publicity: deceptive or distorted information that is systematically spread


[Early 18th century. From modern Latin Propaganda Fide , literally "propagating the faith" (see Propaganda ).]

[ElChevelle]

Originally posted by SSJ4_Gogitta
And events like the one in Sibera in 1908 are "100-year events", meaning collisions on that scale occur about once every 100 years.


There's now proof that we can expect a collision every 130 years.
Being that there's only a half dozen funded scientists on the lookout for rogues, the first time you hear about a collision may be a big bang sound:cry:

[Vie]

Originally posted by dollerspark
Oh, you sillys. If a meteor is going to hit the earth, you'll know.

Trust me, you'll know :D

not if its a Tungusga (the siberian one in 1908)

[apollos]

it remained undetected until days later, according to astronomers.

Wow! This isnt very reassuring for potential future collisions!! :eek:

[eleet-2k2]

Originally posted by Aeroe
interesting how they mention it always afterwards... that's the worst part.

/me cries for mommy Hence the part about it being undetected. ;)I wonder how far the waves would be sent if it hit in the middle of an ocean/sea.

[Bilbo Baggins]

So if a meteor hits the earth, we are doomed right?

Just think of the destruction i could cause if i threw random pebbles from my drive onto earth from space. :igor:

[rm']

Hmm... 77 sq mi is NOT 2000 km squared.

[Aeroe]

Originally posted by Bilbo Baggins
Just think of the destruction i could cause if i threw random pebbles from my drive onto earth from space. :igor:


none... it'd burn up in the atmosphere, if there's one?

[rm']

The atmosphere is a lie made up by scientists so that they can make these profitable:
http://www.oxygen4u.com/

[Huehuetenango]

what is the name of the russian meteor thing?
tunguska?
i'm not sure, but whenever i hear that event refered to, that's the name that pops into my head

and i've heard MANY different theories of what it was, not just an asteroid

and about if a big one hits, i think that i'd much prefer to be WHERE it hits, rather than slowly starve to death in the weeks/months that follow
better to die slowly and (relatively) painlessly, in my mind

[rm']

Tunguska was a Soviet anti-aircraft artillery system, wasn't it?

*rm' decides to lay off the Tom Clancy books for a while*

[ElChevelle]

Originally posted by rm'
Tunguska was a Soviet anti-aircraft artillery system, wasn't it?

*rm' decides to lay off the Tom Clancy books for a while*

;)
Tunguska was a very strange event indeed.
Recent studies have shown that the blast pattern, which is shaped like a butterfly, could have been caused by a projectile exploding above the Earth's surface at an attitude of 30 degrees relative to the Earth's horizon. Trees left standing at the epi-center lend proof that the object exploded well before impacting the Earth's surface.

[Revolution_Red]

I agree with huehue. It's like my Granddad said about the cold-war and nuclear arms race between the US and Soviet Union. If it comes to war, we'll be sitting out on our lawnchairs enjoying the fireworks. Better to die quickly than slowly and painfully. ..Or even LIVE slowly and painfully..

[Bilbo Baggins]

Originally posted by Aeroe



none... it'd burn up in the atmosphere, if there's one?

Thats the point. Up to now, everyone has been talking about meteors as if they are always house sized lumps of rock. They are tiny ones too :)

The earth gets hit by meteors everyday.

[Bop]

Originally posted by Sandman2012
Bah, fuck the aliens. Our universe is much more interesting than simplistic notions of biologial life from another planet in circular vehicles.


No aliens, tell me it isn't so... :cry:

[I was being facetious sand' I completely agreed with you earlier]

[zootm]

if your planet's about to be destroyed by a flying bit of rock, always remember to bring a towel...

[henry3k56]

The likely chances of one of these things falling onto earth are small. Thats compared to dying by an asteroid impacting earth, and dying by a car accident. Thats my guess.
Earth is covered by 80% water. So it'll fall into the ocean, causing very large tidal waves/tsunamis. Just water to cause flooding, and rough waters for several weeks after impact, and may cause death near coastal areas due to flooding.

[eleet-2k2]

Originally posted by rm'
Hmm... 77 sq mi is NOT 2000 km squared. It was a typo, they were close.

77 sq. mi. = 199.43 sq. km.

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[buddy139913]

It is kinda weird how a huge meteor came by, and we didn't even notice it... but I totally agree with henry3k56, the likelyhood of it hitting land is slim to null.

[Xerxes]

Originally posted by henry3k56

Earth is covered by 80% water. So it'll fall into the ocean, causing very large tidal waves/tsunamis.

Just like the one that destroyed a couple thousand acres of forest in the middle of siberia? :confused:

My local senator recently introduced the "Homeworld Defense Act" into congress, which would give nice cash rewards from the federal government to astronomers, professional or amateur, who identify asteroids with near earth trajectories.

Me thinks there might be some profit to be had in the nerdy telescope hobby thing... I must look into it. ;)

[Scar Da Kookee]

Originally posted by Huehuetenango
yeah, uhm, i'm scared

uhm, why wasn't i warned of this beforehand?

"plasable denyability"

(speeling is rong i know :))

[steak]

Hmmm that’s what I love about these forums,

We came 120,000 km close to total world death and we all can still manage a smiley here and there….love it :D

[primenumber]

Originally posted by [geeza]steak
Hmmm that’s what I love about these forums,

We came 120,000 km close to total world death and we all can still manage a smiley here and there….love it :D

From the CNN article above:

"2002 MN is a lightweight among asteroids and incapable of causing damage on a global scale, such as the object associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs," the NEO center said in a statement.


Originally posted by buddy139913
It is kinda weird how a huge meteor came by, and we didn't even notice it... but I totally agree with henry3k56, the likelyhood of it hitting land is slim to null.

If we go with henry3k56's figure of 80% of earth covered by water (I had heard 75% but the exact figure isn't important), that would still be a 1 in 5 chance that it would hit land. Not "slim to null" in my opinion.

[ElChevelle]

If an object were to strike water, the repurcussions would still be extensive.
Japan could easily become wiped clean of all life and structures.

[Xerxes]

Judging by Godzilla movies, I would scientifically infer that the Japanese can rebuild their major cities in a couple hours ;) (Heck, they seem to have an endless supply of those big red girder radio towers waiting for such events...)

But seriously, an ocean impact of an asteroid would be just as apocolyptic- can you imagine all of the surrounding areas of the pacific ocean being washed away?

[ElChevelle]

/Chev buys up future beachfront property in Arizona and Nevada;)

[henry3k56]

Water will then wash back into the Ocean's basin once the shock is absorbed. So its practically impossible to get future beach fronts in Arizona and Nevada. The only way you're gonna get ocean front property if the oceans raised up several hundred/thousand feet.

Think about my statistics: 80% chance an asteroid falls will go into the ocean.
Also think about this. Antartica, Sibera, Everest, African Desert, Jungles of Brazil, The Northern Tundra (Canada, Northern parts of Alaska, and the North Pole are scarcely populated. So add more room that an asteroid can hit without causing severe damage and large amounts of death. That could add another 5-10% more that the likelihood of an asteroid not causing severe damage.

[Curi0us_George]

Originally posted by henry3k56
Think about my statistics: 80% chance an asteroid falls will go into the ocean.
Also think about this. Antartica, Sibera, Everest, African Desert, Jungles of Brazil, The Northern Tundra (Canada, Northern parts of Alaska, and the North Pole are scarcely populated. So add more room that an asteroid can hit without causing severe damage and large amounts of death. That could add another 5-10% more that the likelihood of an asteroid not causing severe damage.
An asteroid hitting water would be far, far, far preferable to a land strike. A large-enough asteroid hitting land kills the Earth. It's not the impact that kills the Earth, it's the lack of sunlight for the following ten years. A significatly large asteroid hitting the desert would be no better than an identical asteroid hitting a highly populated area.

[ElChevelle]

Originally posted by henry3k56
practically impossible to get future beach fronts in Arizona and Nevada. The only way you're gonna get ocean front property if the oceans raised up several hundred/thousand feet.

:rolleyes:
There's this thing that we humans call erosion.

e·ro·sion
noun

The wearing away of the earth's surface by any natural process. The chief agent of erosion is running water; minor agents are glaciers, the wind, and waves breaking against the coast.

It matters not anyway. As soon as the San Andreas gives way, I'll be a beach bum.

[henry3k56]

Just be patient for several thousand years.;)

[Lain]

Yeah, and then there's people who find holes in the roof of their cars with rocks sitting on their seat. Or rocks crashing through peoples houses. :D Of course that was on tv. You never know if it's true or not. :)

[Swampy235]

I dont think we could encounter an asteroid whose size is so great that a couple properly placed 50 megaton H-Bombs couldnt take care of. A couple explosions like that would would at least veer it off of a collision coarse.

[patroclus22]

True, but that assumes that we see the asteroid coming (we're only looking at 2-3% of the sky every night), and do so in time to launch a powerful enough rocket (maybe a Russian Proton-k) with enough explosives (50 megaton warheads are few and far between. 25 megatons are scarce, too. Most common warheads are between 100 kilotons and 2.5 megatons) to actually move it. That also assumes that this rocket makes it to the asteroid without failure, and that the firing mechanisms don't screw up...

Ok, I'm a pessimist. :p

[Mizter_E]

i thought the earth's surface was 71% water?

[ElChevelle]

Nuking an asteroid isn't a great option.
What happens if you nuke it? Where does it go?
I can tell you it doesn't just vaporize.
Would you rather be shot by a .38 or a shotgun?
Either way, your chances of surviving are pretty slim.

[Curi0us_George]

Originally posted by ElChevelle
Nuking an asteroid isn't a great option.
What happens if you nuke it? Where does it go?
I can tell you it doesn't just vaporize.
Would you rather be shot by a .38 or a shotgun?
Either way, your chances of surviving are pretty slim.
Smaller pieces would burn up in the atmosphere. That would be just fine with me. That happens all the time anyway.

The problem with bombing an asteroid is the amount of force really needed to move it. (actually destroying it would be pretty much impossible.) When a bomb went off on the asteroid, then the majority of the force would be blasted away from the asteroid, and not toward it, because it's an easier path.

[patroclus22]

Originally posted by Mizter_E
i thought the earth's surface was 71% water?

Yeah, about 70%, so the chances are good that the rock would hit water. Of course, if its a big enough rock, it'll cut through the pacific like it's nothing and it'll be just like a land impact.

welcome back, btw. Haven't seen you around in a while. :)