Be wise. Be brave. Be tricky. ([info]slithytove) wrote,
@ 2008-10-06 21:53:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Current mood: melancholy

An asteroid, about the size of a car, is going to hit the Earth's atmosphere, in about an hour. Over Egypt and Sudan. It is likely burn up before it hits the ground, in an explosion of about 1 kiloton. The nasa.gov servers are kinda slashdotted right now.


(Post a new comment)


[info]deadlined
2008-10-07 02:20 am UTC (link)
"We want to stress that this object is not a threat," said Dr. Timothy Spahr, director of the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center.

I realize I'm perverse, but I never worry until someone tells me that there is no reason to worry.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]slithytove
2008-10-07 02:41 am UTC (link)
No threat, except of course to the asteroid's inhabitants, who right now should be getting their affairs in order, settling old grudges, and calling their spouses to tell them that they love them.

No threat, until a month from now, when they crawl from beneath the sands of the Sudan, squint against the sunlight, look about, scratch their foreheads with their tentacles, and in wonder, realize not only have they survived, but they now have a whole new world to conquer.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]deadlined
2008-10-07 03:40 am UTC (link)
No threat, until a month from now, when they crawl from beneath the sands of the Sudan, squint against the sunlight, look about, scratch their foreheads with their tentacles, and in wonder, realize not only have they survived, but they now have a whole new world to

Isn't there a film about that?

(Reply to this) (Parent)
asteroid
(Anonymous)
2008-10-07 10:24 am UTC (link)
Discovered only monday afternoon? What if it were the size of a footballfield? Would they see it earlier, and if so, would that be in time to do anything about it? Is there, upon this moment, a plan to deal with such a situation?

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: asteroid
[info]slithytove
2008-10-07 01:52 pm UTC (link)
NASA does track asteroids whose courses might intersect the earth. The larger the asteroid, the easier it is to see. Asteroids the size of this one apparently hit our atmosphere every few months; this is one we just happened to see a few hours beforehand.

I think there are ideas about what to do with a kill-the-dinosaurs-size asteroid, but no definite plans.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: asteroid
(Anonymous)
2008-10-08 12:56 pm UTC (link)
SO, what happened??? NO follow-up?? Did no one see it? Did it hit the ground? Did it explode? Did it miss the earth? Why the COMPLETE slience???

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: asteroid
(Anonymous)
2008-10-11 01:07 pm UTC (link)
And even silence about why there is silence!!!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…