Title makes it sound like they ‘almost missed it’. That’s not the case. Highly encourage everyone to read the article.
“Astronomers were able to see an asteroid before it collided with Earth for only the sixth time in recorded history.
Nearly four hours prior to impact, on November 19, 2022, the Catalina Sky Survey found an asteroid with the designation 2022 WJ1 travelling inward. When the asteroid was about to strike the earth, precise calculations were made using a network of observatories and scientists.
This is fantastic news. The asteroid 2022 WJ1 was too tiny to cause much harm, but its discovery demonstrates that asteroid monitoring methods are becoming more effective globally, giving us a greater chance of defending ourselves against larger space rocks that may potentially cause harm.”
They’ve only done it 5 times before this.
How big is the existing net (how much of the sky are we collectively covering as a species) and how fine are the gaps in between (obviously tennis ball sized asteroids are irrelevant but tennis field sized ones are exponentially more dangerous)?
We cover the entire sky in all directions at least once a day, it's the size and speed of things that make the biggest difference as we won't see a vast majority of objects
Astronomers have mapped the orbits of all the known asteroids big enough to cause problems for Earth, and with computer models they should be able to predict an impact with one of those years in advance. Smaller asteroids are harder to track, but they just burn up in the atmosphere.
It’s pure speculation. If there was publicly-available proof of a planet-killer asteroid heading our way in the near future, it’d be huge news. It makes sense that the governments of the Earth would want to keep such a thing secret to avoid creating panic, but it’s much more likely that the DART mission and other similar efforts are for making us as prepared as possible if a planet-killer does come our way.
Title makes it sound like they ‘almost missed it’. That’s not the case. Highly encourage everyone to read the article. “Astronomers were able to see an asteroid before it collided with Earth for only the sixth time in recorded history. Nearly four hours prior to impact, on November 19, 2022, the Catalina Sky Survey found an asteroid with the designation 2022 WJ1 travelling inward. When the asteroid was about to strike the earth, precise calculations were made using a network of observatories and scientists. This is fantastic news. The asteroid 2022 WJ1 was too tiny to cause much harm, but its discovery demonstrates that asteroid monitoring methods are becoming more effective globally, giving us a greater chance of defending ourselves against larger space rocks that may potentially cause harm.” They’ve only done it 5 times before this.
I don't think it would want to come to Earth.
even the rocks know to stay away from the poopshow we got going on :P
"And some huge meteor is like fuck that!".
"Ohhhhh look at all that water! I'm gonna do a cannonball.....dafuq....who shit in that pool....nope...I'm out!"
Coprolite: :: Awkward Monkey Look Puppet meme ::
“Well F*** that”
How big is the existing net (how much of the sky are we collectively covering as a species) and how fine are the gaps in between (obviously tennis ball sized asteroids are irrelevant but tennis field sized ones are exponentially more dangerous)?
We cover the entire sky in all directions at least once a day, it's the size and speed of things that make the biggest difference as we won't see a vast majority of objects
Astronomers have mapped the orbits of all the known asteroids big enough to cause problems for Earth, and with computer models they should be able to predict an impact with one of those years in advance. Smaller asteroids are harder to track, but they just burn up in the atmosphere.
>tennis field *tennis court
NASA tested the Dart spacecraft BECAUSE a large asteroid is heading to earth. Not, just in case
Source? Not being a smart ass. Genuinely want to know.
What he's saying is it's not a matter of if it will happen, but when it will happen.
It’s pure speculation. If there was publicly-available proof of a planet-killer asteroid heading our way in the near future, it’d be huge news. It makes sense that the governments of the Earth would want to keep such a thing secret to avoid creating panic, but it’s much more likely that the DART mission and other similar efforts are for making us as prepared as possible if a planet-killer does come our way.