We're Dooooomed I says, Doomed!!!

Cookie_Monster

According to Nasa anyway:

AN asteroid with a one in 625 chance of striking Earth in 30 years' time has been identified by NASA.

The 460 foot ball of rock named 2011 AG5 is potentially on course to hit this planet on February 5, 2040.

The United Nations Action Team on near-Earth object has begun discussions about how to divert the asteroid, amid fears that the likelihood of a collision could increase over the next few years.

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asteroid-heads-towards-earth-with-one-in-625-chance-of-hitting-planet-3034689.html

The Indo add an interesting comment to it too:

NASA has said that options include deflecting the asteroid by attaching a probe to it and using the extra gravity this would create to steer it away from Earth over the course of millions of light years.

Taking the long option...


So AH, would you say it's time to crack open your neighbours head and feast on the goo inside?

Seachmall

I've a better chance of getting laid this weekend.


In short: We're perfectly safe.

Sykk

Big bro Jupiter will use it's gravity 'n shít to make sure the rock bro doesn't come in here all like yoyo getting up in Earth's face be shizzle 'n shít

tmc86

There's one of these stories every year! - must have been a slow day for news

dan hibiki

bruce willis. problem solved.

Fran1985

so its gona hit earth in 30 years, but NASA are putting a probe on it to divert it away over the course of a million years?

What am i missing?

Cookie_Monster

Fran1985 wrote: »

What am i missing?

the same editorial skills the Indo seem to be?

Standard Toaster

If only there was some way we could fire a Nokia 5110 at it. Saved

CreepingDeath

Isn't it funny how this is announced the day after Barack Obama announces cuts to the Nasa budget...

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/72900--with-budget-cuts-scientists-upset-nasa-tries-to-rescue-mars-focus-with-cut-rate-2018-flight

wes

Light years is a unit of distance and not time.....

Having said that, we aren't capable of sending any craft millions of light years away nor detecting an asteroid light years away, so the comment is still odd.

Dravokivich

dan hibiki wrote: »

bruce willis. problem solved.

Should of been Ben Affleck.

Chuck Stone

If they blast Whitney Houston's version of 'I Will Always Love You' at it in microwaves it will be naturally repelled.

danniemcq

sure we're all f*cked in December anyway

nike319

Are you sure this isn't the plot to a new Hollywood movie ?

Fran1985

danniemcq wrote: »

sure we're all f*cked in December anyway

The Budget?

AngryBollix

Thats a lot of gravitational space sh1t

Plazaman

5th February 2040 ? Damn, I have something on that day, hope it's not ruined.

Encrypted Pigeon

Fran1985 wrote: »

The Budget?

No, the other one

AeoNGriM

Dravokivich wrote: »

Should of been Ben Affleck.

Should HAVE gone to specsavers tbh.

KKkitty

Blast it with the piss of a thousand boardsies!!

barr32

If that hits us game over, untill then im gona party like its 19 99

Ficheall

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

... amid fears that the likelihood of a collision could increase over the next few years...

Seems like some rocket scientists (or journalists, I suppose) could do with a crash course (no pun intended) in statistics.

Logical Fallacy

Fran1985 wrote: »

so its gona hit earth in 30 years, but NASA are putting a probe on it to divert it away over the course of a million years?

What am i missing?

A Light Year = 10 trillion kilometers, give or take.

It's a unit of distance, not time.

Ficheall wrote: »

Seems like some rocket scientists (or journalists, I suppose) could do with a crash course (no pun intended) in statistics.

Why? There is nothing wrong with what they said. Predicting the course of an asteroid of comet is quite difficult due to a massive amount of different factors to take into account. Early predictions are vague, as they gain more observations they become more and more accurate. There is a middle period where the expect route will shrink in area but that area will still include the Earth, as the Earth is the same size in a shrinking area of space that the body may pass through the likelihood of impact rises.

chin_grin

"I'm gonna sing the Doom song now!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqcn_TPu4qQ

44leto

450 feet is only a baby, so some are doomed, you just have to hope it hits somewhere inconsequential like the northside.

The KT asteroid or comet that hit Earth 65 million years ago was the size of everest.

We really should be more worried about Global warming, that has already hit Earth, Global warming is the worst extinction event there is, 250 million years ago it wiped out 99% of all life on Earth.

Logical Fallacy

44leto wrote: »

450 feet is only a baby, so some are doomed, you just have to hope it hits somewhere inconsequential like the northside.

The KT asteroid or comet that hit Earth 65 million years ago was the size of everest.

We really should be more worried about Global warming, that has already hit Earth, Global warming is the worst extinction event there is, 250 million years ago it wiped out 99% of all life on Earth.

Indeed, but while we may be exacerbating the situation it's a cycle and it will happen again...so not too much we can actually do about it except minimise our affect on the actual cycle itself.

Dravokivich

AeoNGriM wrote: »

Should HAVE gone to specsavers tbh.

My eyesight is fine.

Myrddin

44leto wrote: »

We really should be more worried about Global warming, that has already hit Earth, Global warming is the worst extinction event there is, 250 million years ago it wiped out 99% of all life on Earth.

Yep, those dinosaurs were so selfish with their huge carbon footprints. You'd think we'd learn from their past mistakes

Cee-Jay-Cee

If everyone on the northern hemisphere stood on chairs and jumped of simultaneously then we could shift the earth downwards out of the way of the asteroid. We're probably better to wait till nearer the time to organise it as it may take a few attempts to get it shifted out of the way.

I'll bump this thread in 29years time and we'll organise something then.

44leto

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Indeed, but while we may be exacerbating the situation it's a cycle and it will happen again...so not too much we can actually do about it except minimise our affect on the actual cycle itself.

I don't know there MAYBE a tech solution, at least I hope there is, nuclear atmosphere processors like in the film Alien. I jest, there is nothing we could do about it and if an asteroid the size of Everest or Greenland had us in our sights again there is nothing we could do, not even Bruce Willis could save us.

faceman

Theres another due to hit around 2027/2030 so come 2040 no one will be alive to worry about it.

Except the cockroaches

44leto

EnterNow wrote: »

Yep, those dinosaurs were so selfish with their huge carbon footprints. You'd think we'd learn from their past mistakes

Well those gas guzzling dinosaurs got hit by an asteroid/comet, then the fractured Earth went all volcanic, but the impact was the main problem.

I don't really care to be honest, I am an atheist, when I die it is the end of the Earth.

bigneacy

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Taking the long option...

A light-year is a unit of distance, not time. Get educated dummy.

Stiffler2

Hopefully it'll land on Leinster House / The Dáil

dlofnep

We're due a good smack soon either way. Earth gets hit quite often, just not on a human time scale.

Lone Stone

When comet elenin got close it got a can of whoop ass of the sun, the sun will protect us its our master.

Son Of A Vidic

Plazaman wrote: »

5th February 2040 ? Damn, I have something on that day, hope it's not ruined.

Most likely it will be, but shít happens as they. Not to worry though, incontinence pads are easily changed.

Cookie_Monster

bigneacy wrote: »

A light-year is a unit of distance, not time.

yes and given the massive massive distance involved it's going to take quite a long time for the asteriod to traverse it, a lot more than 30 years...

Biggins

Feck!

I will just have to cancel my order of version 105 of the iPad.
Crap... and I was looking forward to it!

RobbingBandit

Lone Stone wrote: »

When comet elenin got close it got a can of whoop ass off Amun Ra, Ra will protect us he is our master.

FYP

RobbingBandit

1 in 625 chance of hitting us, I like those odds.

Friel

44leto wrote: »

I don't know there MAYBE a tech solution, at least I hope there is, nuclear atmosphere processors like in the film Alien. I jest, there is nothing we could do about it and if an asteroid the size of Everest or Greenland had us in our sights again there is nothing we could do, not even Bruce Willis could save us.

There is nothing Bruce Willis can't save. How dare you. He took down a helicopter... WITH A CAR!

RobbingBandit

Biggins wrote: »

Feck!

I will just have to cancel my order of version 105 of the iPad.
Crap... and I was looking forward to it!

You should be happy,it is foretold Ipad 105 is in fact Skynet incarnate.

RobbingBandit

Friel wrote: »

There is nothing Bruce Willis can't save. How dare you. He took down a helicopter... WITH A CAR!

He couldn't save Ashton Kutcher

Doc Ruby

I'm good.

Friel

RobbingBandit wrote: »

He couldn't save Ashton Kutcher

Probably by choice...

cloptrop

We are just parasites on planet earth , maybe this asteroid is a bout of anti biotics or something , anyhow dont worry too much the earth doctor is a quack he has threatened asteroid medicine every year since I can remember.

Sindri

Take some advice from Homer Simpson.;)


Homer:Well, then I have a backup plan. See? While the unprepared are still sitting around twiddling their thumbs and going:
[twiddles his thumbs, hums a goofy tune]
Bart: [interrupts] Dad! The plan.
Homer:I'm getting to that! So anyway, they're going:
[twiddles his thumbs more, hums more]
Bart: [interrupts] Dad!
Homer: So anyway, we get in our car and take the bridge out of town, all the while they're still going:
[twiddles his thumbs and hums again]
Lisa: [interrupts] Dad, they're firing the rocket!
Homer: [knocked backwards by the blast] All right!


Or


Homer: What's everyone so worked up about? So there's a comet; big deal. It'll burn up in our atmosphere and what's ever left will be no bigger than a chihuahua's head.


The Simpson's hasn't lied to me yet. We'll be grand.;)

dominiquecruz

This might sound a tad pessimistic, but who cares if the earth ends tomorrow? I mean, we're all dying anyway - would it not be nicer to go collectively?!

wonderfulname

wes wrote: »

Light years is a unit of distance and not time.....

Having said that, we aren't capable of sending any craft millions of light years away nor detecting an asteroid light years away, so the comment is still odd.

But the posters point is still valid -

light year = the distance light travels in a year
impact = 30 years away
distance = MILLIONS OF LIGHT YEARS

So asteroids can travel thousands of times faster than the speed of light then...

alandublin33

the horn will be gone off me by then so I dont mind