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So uh, we almost got hit by an asteroid yesterday

QuestionMarkManQuestionMarkMan Registered User regular
edited March 2009 in Social Entropy++
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A 30-50 meter-wide asteroid just passed seven times closer to us than the moon, glowing so bright you could see it through a cloud. If it had hit the ocean, it would have tsunamied.

The Sydney Morning Herald says that if it had been headed toward a populated part of the world, we would have had 24 hours to act and evacuate. Sky and Telescope says that it was about twice the altitude of our communications satellites.

To put it into perspective, here's io9's list of scariest asteroid attacks on Earth, not including this one.

It would have looked somewhat similar to this, the great daylight fireball of 1972.
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QuestionMarkMan on
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Posts

  • DichotomyDichotomy Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    well uh dang

    Dichotomy on
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  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Any figures on the damage it would have done if it actually hit a populated area?

    Grey Ghost on
  • FaricazyFaricazy Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    yeah i saw this yesterday

    still holding out on tunguska being tesla doing thangs

    Faricazy on
  • DrIanMalcolmDrIanMalcolm Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    That list of incoming asteroids is disconcerting

    DrIanMalcolm on
  • FoodFood Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    That was all me, guys. I went up there and kicked the shit out of it before it even came close to earth. Fjuck that piece of ass.

    Food on
  • QuestionMarkManQuestionMarkMan Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Grey Ghost wrote: »
    Any figures on the damage it would have done if it actually hit a populated area?
    The Tunguska event asteroid (as scientists believe now) was smaller than this one and it was 5 megatons

    QuestionMarkMan on
  • TheySlashThemTheySlashThem Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    thank you, superman

    TheySlashThem on
  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    5) Comet Hyakutake. Now we're getting into civilization-threatening territory. At 2 kilometers in diameters, this comet only got within about 40 lunar distances to Earth in 1996. Compared ot our other close calls, that's pretty comfortable, but considr this: it was discovered less than two months before its closest pass. Had it been on a collision course with Earth there's almost nothing we could've done other than brace for the millions dead, massive climate disruption, crop failure, 500-foot high tsunami...you get the idea.

    Shiiiiiiiiiiit

    Grey Ghost on
  • Dr.FunkensteinDr.Funkenstein Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    It would have probably just burned up in our atmosphere and what's ever left will be no bigger than a Chihuahua's head.

    Dr.Funkenstein on
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  • LednehLedneh shinesquawk Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    God damnit don't get me started worrying about asteroid-based armageddon, this is entering no-shit phobia territory for me D:

    (armageddons, I mean, not asteroids specifically)

    if armageddon couldn't be pluralized before, it sure is now

    Ledneh on
  • FaricazyFaricazy Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    if something crashes into the moon, we're also really fucked, right?

    Faricazy on
  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Faricazy wrote: »
    if something crashes into the moon, we're also really fucked, right?

    I imagine, depending on how hard it hit, it would eventually deviate from its orbit enough to crash into us, yeah

    and then we're proper fucked

    Grey Ghost on
  • DrIanMalcolmDrIanMalcolm Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Man Fari I knew doing that shit was going to bite you in the ass

    DrIanMalcolm on
  • TheySlashThemTheySlashThem Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    man shit crashes into the moon all the time

    have you looked at it

    TheySlashThem on
  • QuestionMarkManQuestionMarkMan Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Faricazy wrote: »
    if something crashes into the moon, we're also really fucked, right?
    stuff hits it all the time

    if it hit it hard enough to crack, causing pieces to fall to Earth, then it would be bad

    Controls tides and whatnot too so that'd get screwed up

    QuestionMarkMan on
  • FaricazyFaricazy Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Man Fari I knew doing that shit was going to bite you in the ass
    totally worth it

    haven't laughed so hard this whole week

    Faricazy on
  • GafotoGafoto Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Faricazy wrote: »
    if something crashes into the moon, we're also really fucked, right?

    There's nothing to destroy on the moon so it's not like we'd lose a civilization.

    Gafoto on
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  • Meta T. DustMeta T. Dust Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Gafoto wrote: »
    Faricazy wrote: »
    if something crashes into the moon, we're also really fucked, right?

    There's nothing to destroy on the moon so it's not like we'd lose a civilization.

    Mother fucker don't you watch yu gi oh

    Meta T. Dust on
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  • SirToastySirToasty Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    That picture is amazing.

    SirToasty on
  • GafotoGafoto Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Gafoto wrote: »
    Faricazy wrote: »
    if something crashes into the moon, we're also really fucked, right?

    There's nothing to destroy on the moon so it's not like we'd lose a civilization.

    Mother fucker don't you watch yu gi oh

    I'm not really into pokemon.

    Gafoto on
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  • PkmoutlPkmoutl Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Man, I have asteroids and they hurt like hell.

    Oh wait

    Those are hemorrhoids.

    Pkmoutl on
  • iusehappymodiusehappymod Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Pkmoutl wrote: »
    Man, I have asteroids and they hurt like hell.

    Oh wait

    Those are hemorrhoids.

    I wouldn't want earth hit with a giant Hemorrhoid either.

    iusehappymod on

    Hamlet will be Hamlet
    An ineffable tragedy of the human spirit that still resonates, even today.
  • WrenWren ninja_bird Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    be nice if it landed in my backyard because space rock is worth a hella lot

    you know assuming the impact didn't incinerate me

    Wren on
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    TF2 - Wren BF3: Wren-fu
  • LinksvilleLinksville Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Faricazy wrote: »
    if something crashes into the moon, we're also really fucked, right?
    stuff hits it all the time

    if it hit it hard enough to crack, causing pieces to fall to Earth, then it would be bad

    Controls tides and whatnot too so that'd get screwed up

    If I recall correctly it also regulates our (somewhat) stable rotation.

    Linksville on
  • crwthcrwth THAT'S IT Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Pkmoutl wrote: »
    Man, I have asteroids and they hurt like hell.

    Oh wait

    Those are hemorrhoids.

    I wouldn't want earth hit with a giant Hemorrhoid either.

    pus everywhere

    crwth on
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  • PkmoutlPkmoutl Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    crwth wrote: »
    Pkmoutl wrote: »
    Man, I have asteroids and they hurt like hell.

    Oh wait

    Those are hemorrhoids.

    I wouldn't want earth hit with a giant Hemorrhoid either.

    pus everywhere

    Butt blood.

    There is nothing really grosser on earth than butt blood.

    Well, maybe there is, but I'm the squeamish type.

    Pkmoutl on
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Grey Ghost wrote: »
    Any figures on the damage it would have done if it actually hit a populated area?
    The Tunguska event asteroid (as scientists believe now) was smaller than this one and it was 5 megatons

    34sqao6.png

    Everyone in the inner two circles dies immediately. Furthermore, the ground in these circles is flattened, even with an airburst (similar to Tunguska, which did not hit the ground) to rock. Everything else in the outer circles probably dies afterwards. I dunno, 5 million people. If the thing did London I could give you better population estimates.

    But the bottom line is something like this could hit the ocean and noone would die whatsoever. And the chances of that are extremely likely compared to it hitting NYC.

    Getting killed by asteroid is incredibly unlikely, even if it hits the Earth. There are impacts every year, all over the place. Even more hit the atmosphere.

    As someone said, the Moon gets hit all the fucking time. So do we. But the weather systems, erosion and atmosphere hide the craters extremely well.

    Anything over, I dunno, a mile wide kills us all mind you. No matter where it hits.

    The_Scarab on
  • GafotoGafoto Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    You do know your blood circulates right Pk? The blood going through your anus is now circulating around your brain!

    Gafoto on
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  • FaricazyFaricazy Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    scarab, there are over 11 million people in the tristate

    i figure that would be 4 mil dying immediately, another 3 mil in the outer circles, the rest probably fucked too

    Faricazy on
  • PkmoutlPkmoutl Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Gafoto wrote: »
    You do know your blood circulates right Pk? The blood going through your anus is now circulating around your brain!

    NO IT DOESN'T NO NO NO NO NO

    Butt blood is its own species

    I am not listening to you lalalalalalalalalaa

    Pkmoutl on
  • QuestionMarkManQuestionMarkMan Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Time to break this baby out
    800px-Armageddon_Disney_Studios_Par.jpg

    QuestionMarkMan on
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Yes I meant 5 million instantly killed. To many variables to predict the rest.

    The_Scarab on
  • FaricazyFaricazy Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    I DON'T WANNA CLOOOOOOOSE MY EYEEEEEEES

    Faricazy on
  • SirToastySirToasty Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Time to break this baby out
    Why did that thing have a vulcan cannon again?

    SirToasty on
  • crwthcrwth THAT'S IT Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Faricazy wrote: »
    I DON'T WANNA CLOOOOOOOSE MY EYEEEEEEES

    oh fuck you

    crwth on
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  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Faricazy wrote: »
    I DON'T WANNA CLOOOOOOOSE MY EYEEEEEEES

    I DON'T WANNA FAAAAAAAAALLL ASLEEEEEEEEEEEP

    Grey Ghost on
  • crwthcrwth THAT'S IT Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    NO SHUT UP SHUT UP

    GODDAMMIT

    crwth on
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  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    crwth wrote: »
    NO SHUT UP SHUT UP

    GODDAMMIT

    'CAUSE I MISS YOU, BABY
    AND I DON'T WANNA MISS A THAAAAAANG

    Grey Ghost on
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    SirToasty wrote: »
    Time to break this baby out
    Why did that thing have a vulcan cannon again?

    I address you tonight not as the President of the United States, not as a leader of a country, but as a citizen of humanity. We are faced with the very gravest of challenges. The Bible calls this day "Armageddon"-the end of all things. And yet, for the first time in the history of the planet, a species has the technology to prevent its own extinction. All of you praying with us need to know that everything that can be done to prevent this disaster is being called into service.
    The human thirst for excellence, knowledge, every step up the ladder of science, every adventurous reach into space, all of our combined technologies and imaginations, even the wars that we've fought have provided us the tools to wage this terrible battle. Through all of the chaos that is our history, through all of the wrong and the discord, through all of the pain and the suffering, through all of our times, there is one thing that has nourished our souls, and elevated our species above its origins, and that is our courage.
    The dreams of an entire planet are focused tonight on those fourteen brave souls traveling into the heavens. And may we, citizens the world over, see these events through. God speed, and good luck to you.

    The_Scarab on
  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    edited March 2009
    everyone knows that if an asteroid were to hit it would hit LA and the only thing left would be the Hollywood sign because otherwise you wouldn't have a frame of reference for your film and I lost my train of thought

    DJ Eebs on
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