NASA keeping sharp eye on killer asteroid-May strike earth in 2036

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In the last ten years or so there has been a spate of movies with asteroids being the main characters. The one that comes immediately to mind is Deep Impact, which portrayed life before, during and after a strike. Today, however, there is so much else going on we tend to put such catastrophic thoughts out of our minds. I mean after all the Republicans are controlling congress which is a disaster in the making. Unfortunately the Russians have some ideas of their own and this time it may not be science fiction.

It goes without saying that the Crazy Uber-Christians are orgasmic over this possibility.  While searching for an appropriate video I watched dozens of End of the WorldJesus is Coming, The Rapture is Here, and etc.  videos.  Many had the date of impact as December 21, 2012, the Mayan prediction of THE END.  Naturally the real scientists had more informed ideas, as there is no mention in the Bible of Jesus or his mafia having even the most fundamental knowledge of science.

Here’s the HuffPost short version of the story:

The Apophis Asteroid is back in the news after a Russian report concluded it could hit Earth in 2036. They even have a date for the potential impact.

“It’s likely collision with Earth may occur on April 13, 2036,” Professor Leonid Sokolov of St. Petersburg State University concluded, according to UPI, which also reports an unrelated 4-foot-wide asteroid passed by Earth this week.

Sokolov says while the chances for impact are slim, it’s important to plan for all possible scenarios, per Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. He added the asteroid is most likely to disintegrate into smaller parts that could collide with Earth in following years.

The Apophis Asteroid made headlines in 2009 when scientists predicted a greater than 2 percent chance of impact.

NASA scientists are cautious about the prospect.

“Technically, they’re correct, there is a chance in 2036 [that Apophis will hit Earth],” said Donald Yeomans, head of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program Office. But that chance is just 1-in-250,000, Yeomans added.

Watch a shocking visualization of what the event could look like below:

Here’s what NASA had to say:

About 20 years from today, an asteroid about the size of a 25-story building will come closer to Earth than the networks of communications satellites orbiting the planet.

NASA says there’s no chance of an impact — at least not in 2029 — but the asteroid, named Apophis, will be back. Analysis of the asteroid’s orbit show it will return to Earth seven years later.

Astronomers don’t yet know if Apophis’ second visit will be a rendezvous or a collision, as its orbit will be bent by Earth’s gravity during the 2029 flyby.

Most of the rocks whizzing around Earth are too small to do damage even if they were on collision paths.

“Things much below 30 meters in size don’t pose much of a threat at all since the atmosphere protects us,” said Nick Kaiser, lead scientist of a new University of Hawaii asteroid-hunting project known as the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, or Pan-STARRS.

The telescope array, funded by the Air Force Research Laboratories, combines small mirrors with massive digital cameras to image the entire sky several times a month. Pan-STARRS supplements ongoing NASA-funded efforts to survey 90 percent of near-Earth objects bigger than 140 meters, or 459 feet.

“As things get bigger, the amount of devastation goes up dramatically,” Kaiser said, but so too does the length of time between occurrences.

A half-mile diameter object impacting Earth likely would cause a global catastrophe, but these events happen every couple of million years or so, Kaiser said.  More:

So, my friends that is the rather scary story.  I am really interested in hearing what you think so please leave a comment.

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Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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13 years ago

>>Naturally the real scientists had more informed ideas, as there is no mention in the Bible of Jesus or his mafia having even the most fundamental knowledge of science.

LMAO!!! Jesus mafia. LOL

13 years ago

1-in-250,000! O’ God! That’s a lot!

dp1053
13 years ago

Oh sure, just when I get my mortgage paid off….

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