The end of days elements are out there

[The King]

Mile-wide deep space asteroid captured in NASA radar images
It came as close to us as it will for next 200 years, and that was still millions of miles away

A team of NASA scientists has captured amazing radar images of a huge, mile-wide asteroid as it drifted silently millions of miles from Earth — its closest approach to our planet for the next 200 years.

Astronomers with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., used the agency's Deep Space Network antenna in Goldstone, Calif. to capture three new radar views of asteroid 2007 PA8 between Oct. 28 and 30. By the end of the cosmic photo session, the asteroid was about 5.6 million miles (9 million kilometers) from Earth.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49714613.../#.UJvrsGevmH4

This is one of those things that could perhaps destroy the world today (as we know it), that being said, it's nice to know that this thing won't show it's face again for another 200 years.

[Historian]

DISCOPATTY: "Damn...another missed opportunity!"

[gebobs]

As of Monday, the asteroid was about 4 million miles (6.5 million km) from our planet. That is about 17 times the distance between the Earth and moon.

Phew! :-)

[BuffaloWingEater]

Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck won't be alive in 200 years! What are we going to do!? Steven Tyler may still be alive however

[MikeInRoch]

I wonder what the official policy is if NASA finds one that will kill us within, say, a couple months. Do they bother telling anyone if they can't do anything about it anyway?

[gebobs]

I wonder what the official policy is if NASA finds one that will kill us within, say, a couple months. Do they bother telling anyone if they can't do anything about it anyway?

You're scaring me.

[YardRat]

[TigerJ]

A mile wide asteroid is not big enough to cause an "extinction event." But it would certainly set civilization back. Depending on where it hit, it could have resulted in a few billion lives lost.

[mysticsoto]

I wonder what the official policy is if NASA finds one that will kill us within, say, a couple months. Do they bother telling anyone if they can't do anything about it anyway?

There are models out there tracking a significant amount of asteroids - it is unlikely that they missed one big enough, and with an orbit wide enough to cross our path. I have read that in a hundred yrs or so, there will be one that passes significantly close enough for us to keep an eye on it...

[sukie]

I wonder what the official policy is if NASA finds one that will kill us within, say, a couple months. Do they bother telling anyone if they can't do anything about it anyway?

Naw they will continue photoshopping images of Arctic ice cap melt offs since that is where the coin is at.

[MikeInRoch]

There are models out there tracking a significant amount of asteroids - it is unlikely that they missed one big enough, and with an orbit wide enough to cross our path. I have read that in a hundred yrs or so, there will be one that passes significantly close enough for us to keep an eye on it...

I think you under-estimate what we haven't found yet...

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/stats/

There's a chart where it shows an average of about 10-ish kilometer-wide asteroids newly discovered per half year for the last several years.

Asteroids aren't what concern me most anyway (not that I'm really that concerned). Most of these asteroids have a relatively small period, which gives us a chance to see them. It's comets that have really long periods that we might not see until they are making their "final approach".

[gebobs]

I think you under-estimate what we haven't found yet...

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/stats/

There's a chart where it shows an average of about 10-ish kilometer-wide asteroids newly discovered per half year for the last several years.

Asteroids aren't what concern me most anyway (not that I'm really that concerned). Most of these asteroids have a relatively small period, which gives us a chance to see them. It's comets that have really long periods that we might not see until they are making their "final approach".

True enough, but the Earth is a pretty small target and exerts little gravitation to attract them closer. As I'm sure you know, the chances are infinitesimal that it would happen even in the next 1000 years.

[MikeInRoch]

That's why I'm really not all that concerned.

[Discotrish]

It won't be an actual asteroid hitting and destroying the earth. It will be two of them colliding in view of the earth. (people may be fearful we will be hit, but we won't be. At least not by the two large ones)

Patti

[MikeInRoch]

When will that be again?

[JATMtheJATM]

tuesday during the simpsons on your local fox affiliate.

[BADTHINGSMAN]

I wonder what the official policy is if NASA finds one that will kill us within, say, a couple months. Do they bother telling anyone if they can't do anything about it anyway?

I think id rather not know. It would be easier to go out with it being a surprise event.

[mysticsoto]

It won't be an actual asteroid hitting and destroying the earth. It will be two of them colliding in view of the earth. (people may be fearful we will be hit, but we won't be. At least not by the two large ones)

Patti

LOL! The odds of that happening are even lower than the odds of one of your predictions coming true...