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Large Asteroid Impact Likely -- But Not For A While

Posted by timothy on from the everything-that-rises-must-converge dept.

PhxBlue writes: "Astronomy.com has released a report, submitted to the 5 April Science magazine, that an asteroid known as 1950 DA has 1:300 odds of impacting Earth and causing widespread devastation. The good news is, the impact wouldn't happen until 16 March 2880; and the solutions suggested by the scientists don't involve Tea Leoni or Bruce Willis."

2 of 38 comments (clear)

  1. Since when is 1:300 *LIKELY* by JPawloski · · Score: 1, Informative

    Since when are those odds *LIKELY* that it will hit Earth? What a sensationalist piece of crap...

    At any rate, and physicist or astronomer will tell you that the uncertainty in these equations is enormous, and that there's a 1/300 chance that the odds 1/300 are even correct.

  2. Near Earth Orbit page for this object by EvilBastard · · Score: 4, Informative
    http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/1950da/

    And while you are there, don't forget to print out a copy of http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/ to put on your wall, preferably next to the ship date or schedule for your latest project. Makes an excellent background for your desktop also

    Make note of 2000 SG344, which has a cumulative 1 in 1300 chance of hitting us in the period of 2068-2101 also.

    Or go to the Java Orbital Diagram and check out August 2049 for Asteroid 2002 CU11

    When was the last time you bought a lottery ticket ? What are the odds on that-life changing event, vs the odds on that page ?

    Here ends my happy thoughts for the day