Monday 9 February 2009

Headline of this and the next centuries

From The New Scientist:

Asteroid bound for Earth! Warn your grandchildren!

Asteroid 1999 RQ36 was discovered a decade ago, but it was not considered particularly worrisome since it has no chance of striking Earth in the next 100 years - the time frame astronomers routinely use to assess potential threats.

Now, new calculations show a 1 in 1400 chance that it will strike Earth between 2169 and 2199, according to Andrea Milani of the University of Pisa in Italy and colleagues (www.arxiv.org/abs/0901.3631).

9 comments:

Dave H said...

DILLIGAF?

Snafu said...

Do they know if it will hit Iran or North Korea!?!

Mark Wadsworth said...

North Korea won't exist by then, as North & South Korea will have re-united, so hopefully it will hit Iran - that way we don't get a nasty tsunami either.

Anonymous said...

"that way we don't get a nasty tsunami either."

Unless it lands in the Caspian Sea - which will ruin the caviar market.

Mark Wadsworth said...

U, I just condemned millions of Iranians to death and you've a cavil about caviar? That makes you even more heartless than I am!

Snafu said...

The Caspian sea will be dry by then...

Anonymous said...

I though our beloved leader had already saved the world. Was he perchance fibbing?

Anonymous said...

Hihi, the tedious, lengthy timespan till certain demise reminds of the "Ugly coyote" gag, falling, and falling, and falling...

Anonymous said...

...ohh, the long-gone joy of saturday-morning television.