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Fifty Meter Asteroid Might Hit Earth In 2098

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the warn-your-grandkids dept.

eldavojohn writes "The Bad Astronomer brings word of an asteroid discovered with a tiny chance of hitting Earth. While it's only 50 meters wide, it could have the impact of a 20 megaton bomb. It's still twenty million miles away so if it hits us, it won't happen until 2098. The real story here is how a remarkable telescope, dubbed Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System, that went operational in May found its first potential target in our growing impact alert system for Earth."

11 of 295 comments (clear)

  1. Key Words: by Rip+Dick · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "...might... ...tiny chance... ...could... ...if..."

    1. Re:Key Words: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      But if it does hit, it is nearly certain that most of the people alive now won't be alive after the impact. Oh the humanity!

  2. Re:i'll be dead by grub · · Score: 4, Funny


    Fuck you. I'll be 133 years old hooked up to machines and tubes.
    I CARE

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  3. Who will save us? by Manos_Of_Fate · · Score: 5, Funny

    We'd better freeze Bruce Willis, just to be sure.

    --
    Isn't enough that I ruined a pony, making a gift for you?
    1. Re:Who will save us? by Antisyzygy · · Score: 4, Funny

      We better freeze the members of Aerosmith as well, otherwise he won't have epic tracks to listen to on his way to the asteroid.

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      That brings me to an interesting point, / . is just "the ramblings of socially-inept, technology-literate news-mongers".
  4. Re:No problem, send in a driller by AvitarX · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, Bruce Willis' head in a jar at least.

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    Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
  5. Re:Well... by Chowderbags · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Steamboat Willie will still be copyrighted.

  6. Re:How can it destroy the Earth? by mcgrew · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm eligible for retirement in 2012, so the world as I know it will surely end. Don't know about the rest of you guys, though. More importantley...

    Our calendar ends on Dec 31st of THIS YEAR! WE'RE ALL DOOMED!

    --
    Free Martian Whores!
  7. Re:i'll be dead by soloport · · Score: 5, Funny

    I CARE TOO This asteroid has been poised for millions of years, ready to strike Earth in 2098, and the story has made it to /. just now? Come on editors!

  8. Past events and geologic timespans by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I was thinking recently that we were lucky that most of the ecosphere-killing events in our history were astoundingly long ago and that our local space should be pretty clear by now. And then I realized that the dinosaur extinction event that happened 65 million years ago took place when the Earth was about 98.6% as old as it is now. If the Earth was now a day old, the dinosaurs were wiped out at 11:40PM. Suddenly those past catastrophes seemed not as comfortingly ancient.

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    Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
  9. Re:And... by masmullin · · Score: 4, Funny

    All you need is brainz! All you need is brainz! All you need is brainz brainz... brainz is all you need.

    when I find myself in times of trouble, mother mary comes to me... and I eat her brainz, its yummy, its yummy.

    yesterday, my mortality was so far away, but i find that I am rotting today. oh i believe in yesterday