Asteroid Watch!

The odds of getting killed on the way to the convenience store to buy the ticket are several orders of magnitude higher than the odds of buying the winning ticket.
I've never won the lottery but twice my detour to the convenience store avoided a fatal accident I would have had if I'd have taken the direct route home!
:ROFLMAO:
 
Yeah. Hale-Bopp was amazing, but a finger could cover it.

I think this exaggeration comes from the 1910 Halley's comet. It was truly spectacular, covering 45 to 60 degrees of sky.

As a kid, I was very interested in astronomy and almost pursued it as a profession. I remember mentioning this to my grandma, and how I was excited I'd be grown up in 1986 to see Halley's comet. She sat me down and reminisced about the 1910 event (she was 11 years old). She and her sisters went up on the flat roof of a Chicago building and reclined. She said it filled the sky (made big hand waving motions) and it was incredible.

1986 came along and it was a dud. I went out to the middle the everglades and saw a smudge. Who hoo!
I found a photograph that shows the 1910 Halley’s comet in the night sky and gives a good perspective. View from Port Townsend WA 1910, from Reddit:
IMG_6474.jpeg
 
I don't really worry about such stuff. If it happens, it happens. If they are telling us about it now, then the skeptic in me says the estimates they are giving us are probably low.
Fair enough. But I'm curious, who is this "they" you think are down-playing the odds of it hitting Earth?

I mean, who would gain? Click-bait news outlets seem to have the most to gain by over-hyping it. That by itself makes me think it's less likely, not more. Politicians and government likewise have nothing to gain by down-playing things which might distract us from what they're really up to. Even scientists like to have papers published and grants awarded, and so would be incentivized to spin things on the more dramatic side.
 
Fair enough. But I'm curious, who is this "they" you think are down-playing the odds of it hitting Earth?

I mean, who would gain? Click-bait news outlets seem to have the most to gain by over-hyping it. That by itself makes me think it's less likely, not more. Politicians and government likewise have nothing to gain by down-playing things which might distract us from what they're really up to. Even scientists like to have papers published and grants awarded, and so would be incentivized to spin things on the more dramatic side.
No sense in me saying more and getting MOD EDITS or timeouts in the penalty box.
 
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Some trivia -

Almost 25 years ago my job was 3rd party computer support for the 21st Space Wing, Air Force Space Command which involved a System called PAVE PAWS (PAVE Phased Array Warning System) a Cold War early warning radar and computer system developed to "detect and characterize a sea-launched ballistic missile attack against the United States". After the Cold War the system was given a second mission, to detect space debris and asteroids. In this particular site (El Dorado, Tx) it monitored the Southern Hemisphere.

It was a fascinating system part of which consisted of a huge grid screen/map of that had every piece of space debris labeled/numbered and monitored with the ability to steer the beam of the phased array radar electronically without moving the fixed antenna, so it can be pointed in a different direction in milliseconds, allowing it to track many objects at the same time.


with the technology today I am sure it is an even more complex system - but the El Dorado site was mothballed and sent to Taiwan where it is still active.
 
Retire NOW! since you "probably" only have a few years to live, no matter what your health is.
And ice cream for breakfast, every day! Replace with your own favorite dessert or other rich food.

I wonder how many near misses have come in the last few hundred years without us knowing it, or seeing it only after it was clear to miss. Or have there been any times of hysteria where people thought it might hit?
Having literally built some of the equipment that detected this, I'm not worried. I'm not disputing their findings, just saying I'm confident that improved observations will reduce the risk, and if not, we might endure a mini-iceage as has happened a few times in the historical period, usually from major volcanic eruptions. We'll survive. And there is not much you can do individually to improve your lifestyle in an "asteroid winter." If the worst happens, it will be long enough that stocking up won't help. Animals will be similarly hurt so that fishing and hunting plans will help only slightly.

But seriously, I'm not even slightly worried about an asteroid impact!
 
No sense in me saying more and getting MOD EDITS or timeouts in the penalty box.
Well, yeah, if we're straying into illuminati territory, I want no part of that, either. I was just thinking out loud, trying to figure out who could gain by down-playing the risk. I still can't think of anyone, without going down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. So yes, we'll leave it there.
 
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Well, yeah, if we're straying into illuminati territory, I want no part of that, either. I was just thinking out loud, trying to figure out who could gain by down-playing the risk. I still can't think of anyone, without going down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. So yes, we'll leave it there.
Short sellers. Downplay the risk and then when Coca Cola, P&G et al lose 20%-40% of their customers...$$$$! Actually, I'd guess that something like this would have a catastrophic effect on markets worldwide, so a huge buying opportunity.
 
No one ever knows how it’s going to play out at any given moment in time, so fools errand IMO. If markets crash so bad how do you even get your money? If everyone expects markets to crash someone will always have been way ahead of you.
 
Having literally built some of the equipment that detected this, I'm not worried. I'm not disputing their findings, just saying I'm confident that improved observations will reduce the risk, and if not, we might endure a mini-iceage as has happened a few times in the historical period, ...
So that's the fix for global warming!
 
So that's the fix for global warming!
See! The universe has a certain equilibrium that eventually gets everything back to center.
 
Seriously! Think of all the risks:
- Killed traveling there
- Shot during a robbery you walk upon
- Paralyzed from a slip and fall in the shop
- Paper cut while scratching the ticket leading to MRSA and subsequent sepsis and death

Just not worth the risk!

Now, what was the topic?
And things get even worse in the off chance you win! That rarely ends well.
 
IMO we're just a little smudge in earth's history. The earth will continue on once humans are just fossils. Just as the dinosaurs with much more history than us. Might be a difficult concept for most.
 
Yes it will. The earth was once a mostly CO2 atmosphere until the microbes appeared that furiously photosynthesized, transforming our atmosphere. Those microbes still exist (Cyanobacteria aka blue-green algae).

My point is that very likely some life forms will be able to take over after massive disasters.
 
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Yes it will. The earth was once a mostly CO2 atmosphere until the microbes appeared that furiously photosynthesized, transforming our atmosphere. Those microbes still exist (Cyanobacteria aka blue-green algae).

My point is that very likely some life forms will be able to take over after massive disasters.
In a sense, cyanobacteria were the first major polluters and caused a mass extinction of other organisms.
 
In a sense, cyanobacteria were the first major polluters and caused a mass extinction of other organisms.
Considering how fast they transformed the atmosphere, I’m not surprised. And then came along a huge number of oxygen breathing organisms.
 
Per Panspermia theory, asteroids seeded Earth with life. If correct, it suggests at least primitive life exists most anywhere it lands on a suitable planet
 
IMO we're just a little smudge in earth's history. The earth will continue on once humans are just fossils. Just as the dinosaurs with much more history than us. Might be a difficult concept for most.
Yes, and there is a good chance that we will be the cause of our own demise.
 
If it turns out that it will land, it be the ultimate lawn chair, pop corn and beer spot.
A glorious exit.
Beats hiding in in bunker.
 
Or if it lands not so near, it could become unpleasant quickly.
 
Well, yeah, if we're straying into illuminati territory, I want no part of that, either. I was just thinking out loud, trying to figure out who could gain by down-playing the risk. I still can't think of anyone, without going down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. So yes, we'll leave it there.
I think simply that downplaying the risk by politicians is likely (I would) because if you told everyone it's a high chance of the end of the world. It would be chaos.

Many folks would act to get an early start on death. Others would feel now there is no rules so anarchy is acceptable.
The stock market would probably crash as lots of folks cashed in and bought underground shelters, food, ammo, gold, silver, etc.

Much better and easier to downplay it and hope nothing happens.
 
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