Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
This may not be the most conventional way to spend your afternoon, but it might be one of the most interesting. From Popular Science:
Although not nearly as threatening as it was first perceived to be upon its discovery [when it was estimated to have a 2.7 percent chance of hitting earth], the asteroid 99942 Apophis still has a very slight chance of impacting our planet on Friday, April 13, 2036. It will get closer to Earth this year, giving astronomers a chance to refine its trajectory for good and know whether we're in trouble. And you can get a glimpse of it online [today], courtesy of the Slooh Space Camera.
First reaction: thank God it's an exceedingly slight chance. Second reaction: Wait ... it's a slight chance on a Friday the 13th.
[Edit: As EJ notes below, PopSci got the date wrong. April 13, 2036 is actually a Sunday. I don't have a joke for that, however, so I'm explaining instead of redacting].
The 27-megaton asteroid has a diameter of roughly three football fields, and would pack a society-ending punch if it really impacted Earth. So astronomers are interested in nailing down its trajectory and characteristics.
I love the perceived need to add that bit of clarity with the second sentence. Third reaction: please let us have elected Morgan Freeman president by then.
One final bit of color:
It is named for the Egyptian god Apep the Uncreator, who tried to swallow the sun god Ra as he crossed the sky. The Greeks called him Apophis, and he personified death, destruction and chaos.
Ok, can we get the science nerds a little coin on the side naming military operations? They're bringing their A-game.
Fourth and final reaction: I want a chain of custody on the money that's going into establishing how real of a threat this is. This feels an awful lot like Paul Krugman's desperate last stab at getting that extra stimulus money he wanted.
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Mar '11
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
Apep the Uncreator sounds like a GhostBusters villain.
Nibiru sounds pretty weak in comparison. Just saying.
Edited on January 9, 2013 at 7:46pmJun '10
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
No big deal. I'll be 84. All others are on their own.
Edited on January 9, 2013 at 7:51pmApr '11
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
Though the probability has gone down, 2.7% chance is still awfully large considering the size and scale of our solar system, let alone the galaxy and the universe.
Sep '11
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
I won't suspect Krugman unless we hear that the asteroid is full of aliens who plan to invade, and that we must begin a massive military build up for the coming conflict.
Conservatives as a whole need to up the hyberbole when joking about liberals. They've moved to a point where it's actually hard to parody their beliefs.
Jan '11
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
I wont worry unless they move tax day to April 12.
Jan '11
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
We need to have a national conversation about trajectory with meteors.
Oct '10
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
"I want a chain of custody on the money that's going into researching this thing."
If we can just end global warming, the convection currents will save the world. Carbon credits will be redeemable on April 14, 2036.
Apr '11
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
If the asteroid does indeed hit Earth, we all know why it will: Racism.
Oct '11
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
Researching this is a pittance. Trying to deflect it would require a large fraction of planetary GDP. The good: orbital mechanics are hard science that does not require GIGO modeling like man caused global global warming hysteria. The bad: if impact is confirmed we probably don't have the political will to do anything about it.
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/when-worlds-collide/
Dec '10
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
Don't sweat it. Black Swan theory tells us that if we are spending all of our time staring at asteroids and supervolcanoes to see whether they are about to wipe us out, something else entirely that we simply didn't see coming is going to do the job.
A burst of radiation or a cloud of ions ejected from a star being destroyed by a black hole is probably hurtling toward Earth at this moment, and we won't see it until it's too late even to worry.
Jul '10
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
C. U. Douglas
If the asteroid does indeed hit Earth, we all know why it will: Racism. · 1 minute ago
"Minorities, Women, and children hardest hit."
May '10
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
Okay, Doom and Gloomers. April 13, 2036 is a SUNDAY.
In fact it's Easter.
Since we don't know the exact year of Christ's birth it could very well be exactly 2000 years since the resurrection.
Having put to rest the Mayan Conspiracy of 2012 you may now start a new rumor of the impending End Times.
Edited on January 9, 2013 at 8:24pmDec '10
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
Or maybe it's a planet from another star system heading our way in a game of galactic snooker.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/09/28/was-giant-planet-ejected-from-our-solar-system/
http://www.space.com/18461-rogue-alien-planet-discovery.html
http://www.space.com/15023-warp-speed-planets-light-speed.html
Dec '10
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
tabula rasa: No big deal. I'll be 84. All others are on their own. · 35 minutes ago
Edited 35 minutes ago
I'll be 79. Probably not even to the Official Retirement Age.
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
I just ran the numbers and Barack Obama will be 74 when this happens. That means he would be probably be our equivalent of Morgan Freeman.
Sorry, Earth. We had a nice run.
Apr '11
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
Troy Senik, Ed.: I just ran the numbers and Barack Obama will be 74 when this happens. That meanshe would be probably be our equivalent of Morgan Freeman.
Sorry, Earth. We had a nice run. · 0 minutes ago
Well if this rumored House Joint Resolution that ends presidential term limits goes all the way through the amendment process, why Obama just might even be president still!
This would just further prove the point of my last posting.
Jul '10
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
April 14, 2036:
"Dems ask, 'Why do meteors not like Us?'"
"Obama increases NASA budget to 'reach out' to meteors."
May '10
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
And still President-for-Life!
(And I was going to photoshop a newspaper headline... but not sure if any will be in business by then.)
Edited on January 9, 2013 at 8:55pmFeb '12
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
Alright, so here's my only contribution to this.
Can I get a federal grant for studying the effects on a two parent, one-child households in Tyler, Texas of the fear and terror the prospect of this asteroid hitting the earth has created?
I think $500,000.00 will sufficiently cover my expenses for a proper study. I'll even publish my results on the website of the government's choice.
Jan '11
Re: Don't Miss Your Chance to Preview Our Coming Destruction
Fastflyer: Researching this is a pittance. Trying to deflect it would require a large fraction of planetary GDP. The good: orbital mechanics are hard science that does not require GIGO modeling like man caused global global warming hysteria. The bad: if impact is confirmed we probably don't have the political will to do anything about it.
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/when-worlds-collide/ · 59 minutes ago
We would need a World Government to muster the resources to stop this threat!!! Could start taxing this year so we can conduct the environmental studies.