Speaking of Astronomy...

[Toadman]

We just dodged a bullet from outer space. Did anyone else catch wind of this?

[deltaf508]

I try to keep fairly up to date with astronomy topics and I didn't hear about this either. Glad it didn't hit, but I suppose someday we won't be so lucky. The earth is like a trout in a shark pond

Gary

[ryogenetic]

How scary a thought. 1. that the story was written. 2. the fact that some day one might hit.

The space rock 2001 YB5, ID'd by the arrow could have wiped out france according to a scientist in britian.

Man It seems that this kind of article would have done better in a tabaloid.

RYO

Wow.. I hadn't heard of this either. Hmmm...

I found this interesting:

What particularly troubles Peiser is that scientists only first spotted 2001 YB5 in early December. What if it had been heading on a collision course?

"That's not enough time for any initiatives for deflection. If we had 20 or 30 years' time, then we could develop a technology to deflect an object. With our current lacked of preparedness, we are helpless," he said.

I wonder if information like this (if they did discover an asteroid on a collision course with Earth) would be released? Leaked, maybe. If so, would it cause global panic? Would you panic? Food for thought.

[Randolph Carter]

That is truely bone chilling I believe there should be an organization whose sole purpose is to create the technology to deflect one of these monsters off its course if need be. Or perhaps develop the technology to mine it to the bone as it seems we as a species excel at devouring resources quickly (a true benefit) hopefully we then could use the resources to build space stations (we wouldnt have to launch the materials from the surface of earth) and other installations that would perhaps help us breach our solar system as a species. What if some type of small robots (or large) attached themselves by the billions (built from another intercepted bullet) and began detaching pieces of debris from its surface very quickly while other bots intercepted those pieces and flew them to a processing plant. Im sure even frozen or near gaseous objects could be depleted in this manner. Something else is with the right technology perhaps we could build satellites that would form a perimeter while the center would be in the path of these bullets and some type of friction barrier could be created to simulate these things entering the earths atmosphere there could be several set up and as it passes and burns a little of itself off the satellites move to a new position ahead of it? It would be interesting to be apart of developing technologies for these purposes. More than likely deflection will be the easiest solution but I cant help the sci fi aspect of my imagination.

[Randolph Carter]

I believe I would like to be told just so I could at least enjoy the days or weeks before the collision. Besides IMHO I think anyone would want the chance to say goodbye to loved ones.

[jnas]

You notice that we are just now hearing of the one that near missed. I doubt very seriously we would hear anything until just before an asteroid was going to hit.

[Jonty]

Read about this in the papers this morning. Apparently this piece of rock is on a roughly 4 year orbit around the Solar System so does this mean we will have to watch out again in four years time, and is it keeping to its present orbit?

If it did hit Earth it would come in at 20 miles a second - just imagine - if you looked up at the sky you would see nothing, next second you're dead.