BBC News reports, Astroid Could hit earth causing Massive Damage - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Truth · 07-24-2002, 01:15 AM

BBC News Online science editor

An asteroid discovered just weeks ago has become the most threatening object yet detected in space.
A preliminary orbit suggests that 2002 NT7 is on an impact course with Earth and could strike the planet on 1 February, 2019 - although the uncertainties are large.

Astronomers have given the object a rating on the so-called Palermo technical scale of threat of 0.06, making NT7 the first object to be given a positive value.

From its brightness, astronomers estimate it is about two kilometres wide, large enough to cause continent-wide devastation on Earth.

Many observations

Although astronomers say the object definitely merits attention, they expect more observations to show it is not on an Earth-intersecting trajectory.

This asteroid has now become the most threatening object in the short history of asteroid detection

Dr Benny Peiser
It was first seen on the night of 5 July, picked up by the Linear Observatory's automated sky survey programme in New Mexico, US.

Since then astronomers worldwide have been paying close attention to it, amassing almost 200 observations in a few weeks.

Dr Benny Peiser, of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK, told BBC News Online that "this asteroid has now become the most threatening object in the short history of asteroid detection".

NT7 circles the Sun every 837 days and travels in a tilted orbit from about the distance of Mars to just within the Earth's orbit.

Potential devastation

Detailed calculations of NT7's orbit suggest many occasions when its projected path through space intersects the Earth's orbit.

Researchers estimate that on 1 February, 2019, its impact velocity on the Earth would be 28 km a second - enough to wipe out a continent and cause global climate changes.

However, Dr Peiser was keen to point out that future observations could change the situation.

He said: "This unique event should not diminish the fact that additional observations in coming weeks will almost certainly - we hope - eliminate the current threat."

Easily observable

According to astronomers, NT7 will be easily observable for the next 18 months or so, meaning there is no risk of losing the object.

Observations made over that period - and the fact that NT7 is bright enough that it is bound to show up in old photographs - mean that scientists will soon have a very precise orbit for the object.

Dr Donald Yeomans, of the US space agency's (Nasa) Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, told BBC News Online: "The orbit of this object is rather highly inclined to the Earth's orbit so it has been missed because until recently observers were not looking for such objects in that region of space."

Regarding the possibility of an impact, Dr Yeomans said the uncertainties were large.

"The error in our knowledge of where NT7 will be on 1 February, 2019, is large, several tens of millions of kilometres," he said.

Dr Yeomans said the world would have to get used to finding more objects like NT7 that, on discovery, look threatening, but then become harmless.

"This is because the problem of Near-Earth Objects is now being properly addressed," he said.

heres the link to the bbc news site....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2147879.stm

LucyFan · 07-24-2002, 02:05 AM

:sarcasm: Head for the decks, the end of the world is coming!

DarleneIllyria · 07-24-2002, 02:21 AM

Well, thats some happy piece of news. Let me see, I'll be 34 then. I guess I better live out the next few years to the fullest. I hope it doesn't hit Earth, or we'll all be screwed.

Czas na Zywiec · 07-24-2002, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LucyFan
:sarcasm: Head for the decks, the end of the world is coming!

Was that supposed to be funny?

LucyFan · 07-24-2002, 02:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ricky Ricardo
Was that supposed to be funny?

Yes, it was. The reason why I said that is because I honestly think it won't hit the earth. Anything could happen from now till
February 1st 2019. I have faith in Christ that everything will be just fine. Getting panicky about it won't do anything but make you worry some more. I think, having a sense of humor about it lessens the worriness. If the asteriod does hit the earth there is nothing we can do about it but pray to the Lord that he'll rescue/save us. Just my thoughts

Please don't take this offensive or personally. It was never intended to. Thanks!

TJL · 07-24-2002, 05:30 AM

So the world is ending, huh?

Well at least I won't have to worry about paying off my Visa bill.

We'd better call Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck and get them on a space shuttle...

Only they can save us now!!!

XoVanillaRain90oX · 07-24-2002, 09:32 AM

Feb 1, 2019? I'll be 30!

Mamma I'm too young to diiiiiiiie!!!!!!!! lol

Anyways, I hope it doesn't hit the earth and then yea we'll all be totalli screwed.

Mr. Shy Guy · 07-24-2002, 09:49 AM

Well that kind of sucks. I'll be 31 when the asteroid would hit. My mother's birthday is actully Feburary 2. Not a very good presesnt, huh? I seriously hope that nothing happens.

Kay Scarpetta · 07-24-2002, 12:02 PM

......I mean ok. God said the world was going to end some day in time, so it might be then, might not. Simple as that.

Mossopp · 07-24-2002, 01:22 PM

I'm not worried about the end of the world. After all, it's gotta happen someday, right?
I was in Glasgow yesterday, I was walking down Argyll Street and I heard this weird, like, whistling noise that seemed to be coming from up in the sky. I and a lot of other people on the street looked up - it was like something was falling down on us.....
It turned out to be some kind of wierd aeroplane flying overhead but it did freak me out a wee bit.
That's how I imagine the world ending - hearing an odd noise, looking up and seeing something just flying towards us - BANG!!!! End of story.
I dunno if it'll be an asteroid, if it'll be a bomb, if it'll be an alien craft... I dunno if it'll happen anytime soon but I do know that I don't expect to live to see my 30th birthday.

Which means I have 10 years left.

Mysty Eyes · 07-24-2002, 01:30 PM

Well... this is not unheard of. Just last March we had another close call, that we had no warning about at all. It'll happen, possibly, one of these millennia. But I'm not gonna panic while I'm waiting. It'll happen when it happens, and we won't live to see the aftermath; we'll simply join the spirits and folklore of the dinosaurs.

March 2002 headline:

Whew! Stealth asteroid nearly blindsides Earth
http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/0...dside/?related

The space boulder passed Earth within 288,000 miles (461,000 kilometers) -- or 1.2 times the distance to the moon -- on March 8, but since it came from the direction of the sun, scientists did not observe it until four days later.

The object, slightly larger than one that flattened a vast expanse of Siberia in 1908, was one of the 10 closest known asteroids to approach Earth, astronomers said.

Warm & Fuzzy · 07-24-2002, 02:52 PM

Only time will tell...

However, I feel that there's no use for paranoia, it has never done any good and never will.

Czas na Zywiec · 07-24-2002, 03:44 PM

Yea, Paranoia can be really bad, kind of how everyone said that the world will end in 2000 withe Y2K craze. And did it happen? No. God will end the end when he wants to and no one wil know when. Just becaiuse scientists say it will happen doesn't mean it really will.

*Marilyn Monroe* · 07-24-2002, 04:37 PM

I think that God will end the earth when we least expect it, mainly because he told us thats when he would, but you know what i mean. I dont think that the asteroid will amount to be any thing majorly serious. If God was going to end the earth, you think he'd give us that much notice in advance? I dont.

Montana Ponine · 07-24-2002, 07:23 PM

Hmmm... I'm not one bit worried about this but I hope the world doesn't end while we're all still alive. That would be quite depressing...but then again if the world ended we'd all be gone so we wouldn't be able to mourn over it. Anyway. Asteroid, please don't hit us.

07-24-2002, 01:15 AM	#1
Truth •°·Alien Believer·°• Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: May 15, 2001 Posts: 3,463	BBC News reports, Astroid Could hit earth causing Massive Damage BBC News Online science editor An asteroid discovered just weeks ago has become the most threatening object yet detected in space. A preliminary orbit suggests that 2002 NT7 is on an impact course with Earth and could strike the planet on 1 February, 2019 - although the uncertainties are large. Astronomers have given the object a rating on the so-called Palermo technical scale of threat of 0.06, making NT7 the first object to be given a positive value. From its brightness, astronomers estimate it is about two kilometres wide, large enough to cause continent-wide devastation on Earth. Many observations Although astronomers say the object definitely merits attention, they expect more observations to show it is not on an Earth-intersecting trajectory. This asteroid has now become the most threatening object in the short history of asteroid detection Dr Benny Peiser It was first seen on the night of 5 July, picked up by the Linear Observatory's automated sky survey programme in New Mexico, US. Since then astronomers worldwide have been paying close attention to it, amassing almost 200 observations in a few weeks. Dr Benny Peiser, of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK, told BBC News Online that "this asteroid has now become the most threatening object in the short history of asteroid detection". NT7 circles the Sun every 837 days and travels in a tilted orbit from about the distance of Mars to just within the Earth's orbit. Potential devastation Detailed calculations of NT7's orbit suggest many occasions when its projected path through space intersects the Earth's orbit. Researchers estimate that on 1 February, 2019, its impact velocity on the Earth would be 28 km a second - enough to wipe out a continent and cause global climate changes. However, Dr Peiser was keen to point out that future observations could change the situation. He said: "This unique event should not diminish the fact that additional observations in coming weeks will almost certainly - we hope - eliminate the current threat." Easily observable According to astronomers, NT7 will be easily observable for the next 18 months or so, meaning there is no risk of losing the object. Observations made over that period - and the fact that NT7 is bright enough that it is bound to show up in old photographs - mean that scientists will soon have a very precise orbit for the object. Dr Donald Yeomans, of the US space agency's (Nasa) Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, told BBC News Online: "The orbit of this object is rather highly inclined to the Earth's orbit so it has been missed because until recently observers were not looking for such objects in that region of space." Regarding the possibility of an impact, Dr Yeomans said the uncertainties were large. "The error in our knowledge of where NT7 will be on 1 February, 2019, is large, several tens of millions of kilometres," he said. Dr Yeomans said the world would have to get used to finding more objects like NT7 that, on discovery, look threatening, but then become harmless. "This is because the problem of Near-Earth Objects is now being properly addressed," he said. heres the link to the bbc news site.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2147879.stm
	__________________ Justin (I am an Alien Believer ) (A Seattle Mariner Fan) (And Down with Spyware!) R.I.P John Ritter Last edited by Truth; 07-24-2002 at 01:22 AM.

07-24-2002, 05:30 AM	#6
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	So the world is ending, huh? Well at least I won't have to worry about paying off my Visa bill. We'd better call Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck and get them on a space shuttle... Only they can save us now!!!
	__________________ "I think I'll stroll up to the front to see how the shooting's going..." - Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce Read my blogs! http://centralparkamisguide.com/ http://dvdcriticscorner.com Visit me on Facebook!http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=641138880 Hey, I do the tweet thing too! http://twitter.com/TomLevier My shop of handmade items! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColdGarageCreations Last edited by TJL; 07-24-2002 at 05:33 AM.

07-24-2002, 09:32 AM	#7
XoVanillaRain90oX youre RAD <3<3 Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 14, 2001 Location: SwEdEn BaBii! Posts: 3,416	Feb 1, 2019? I'll be 30! Mamma I'm too young to diiiiiiiie!!!!!!!! lol Anyways, I hope it doesn't hit the earth and then yea we'll all be totalli screwed.
	__________________ <3Lisa With one look in your eyes.. & suddenly I knew, I'd fallen for you Proud PLAY fan, that's right 2001 - forever.

07-24-2002, 09:49 AM	#8
Mr. Shy Guy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Oct 30, 2001 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 7,871	Well that kind of sucks. I'll be 31 when the asteroid would hit. My mother's birthday is actully Feburary 2. Not a very good presesnt, huh? I seriously hope that nothing happens.
	__________________ Det. Butler: Are you on any type of medication Mr. Bean? Mr. Bean: Not that I'm aware of... Det. Butler: Well...you could certainly use some...

07-24-2002, 12:02 PM	#9
Kay Scarpetta Defy Gravity 8.26.05 Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 04, 2001 Location: La Vie Boheme Posts: 28,013	......I mean ok. God said the world was going to end some day in time, so it might be then, might not. Simple as that.
	__________________ The people who think they know everything about Broadway make me laugh. They've never seen a Broadway play in their life. "oh mi godddd RENT's a mooovie! lyke 525600 minuuuuuuutes!" No. To be a Broadway Freak, you must live, eat, sleep, study, devout, think, obsess, dream, believe Broadway. You must know original & revival casts, soundtracks, performance runs, dates, theatres, numbers, how many Tony Awards A Chorus Line won. You must be Broadway. That's right bitches. I AM Broadway.

07-24-2002, 02:05 AM	#2
LucyFan Still Loving Lucy! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 23, 2001 Location: In the Wonderful World of Lucy! Posts: 8,198	:sarcasm: Head for the decks, the end of the world is coming!

07-24-2002, 02:21 AM	#3
DarleneIllyria Gone Forum Star Join Date: Oct 15, 2000 Posts: 19,086	Well, thats some happy piece of news. Let me see, I'll be 34 then. I guess I better live out the next few years to the fullest. I hope it doesn't hit Earth, or we'll all be screwed.

07-24-2002, 01:22 PM	#10
Mossopp asleep at the wheel Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 30, 2000 Location: Helensburgh, Scotland Posts: 3,726	I'm not worried about the end of the world. After all, it's gotta happen someday, right? I was in Glasgow yesterday, I was walking down Argyll Street and I heard this weird, like, whistling noise that seemed to be coming from up in the sky. I and a lot of other people on the street looked up - it was like something was falling down on us..... It turned out to be some kind of wierd aeroplane flying overhead but it did freak me out a wee bit. That's how I imagine the world ending - hearing an odd noise, looking up and seeing something just flying towards us - BANG!!!! End of story. I dunno if it'll be an asteroid, if it'll be a bomb, if it'll be an alien craft... I dunno if it'll happen anytime soon but I do know that I don't expect to live to see my 30th birthday. Which means I have 10 years left.
	__________________ "Heavy metal has been my life since I was 10 years old. It's the only thing I know, it's the only thing I care about." Dimebag Darrell, 1966 - 2004

07-24-2002, 01:30 PM	#11
Mysty Eyes Dreaming... Senior Member Join Date: Feb 04, 2002 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 1,144	Well... this is not unheard of. Just last March we had another close call, that we had no warning about at all. It'll happen, possibly, one of these millennia. But I'm not gonna panic while I'm waiting. It'll happen when it happens, and we won't live to see the aftermath; we'll simply join the spirits and folklore of the dinosaurs. March 2002 headline: Whew! Stealth asteroid nearly blindsides Earth http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/0...dside/?related The space boulder passed Earth within 288,000 miles (461,000 kilometers) -- or 1.2 times the distance to the moon -- on March 8, but since it came from the direction of the sun, scientists did not observe it until four days later. The object, slightly larger than one that flattened a vast expanse of Siberia in 1908, was one of the 10 closest known asteroids to approach Earth, astronomers said.

07-24-2002, 02:52 PM	#12
Warm & Fuzzy Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 02, 2001 Posts: 10,254	Only time will tell... However, I feel that there's no use for paranoia, it has never done any good and never will.
	__________________ "To the world, you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world." ~Unknown

07-24-2002, 03:44 PM	#13
Czas na Zywiec what up Forum Star Join Date: Jun 28, 2001 Location: Southwest Side, Chicago Posts: 18,398	Yea, Paranoia can be really bad, kind of how everyone said that the world will end in 2000 withe Y2K craze. And did it happen? No. God will end the end when he wants to and no one wil know when. Just becaiuse scientists say it will happen doesn't mean it really will.

07-24-2002, 04:37 PM	#14
Marilyn Monroe Diamonds... Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 24, 2001 Location: Where gentlemen actually prefer brunettes Posts: 4,811	I think that God will end the earth when we least expect it, mainly because he told us thats when he would, but you know what i mean. I dont think that the asteroid will amount to be any thing majorly serious. If God was going to end the earth, you think he'd give us that much notice in advance? I dont.
	__________________ That certain night, the night we met. There was magic abroad in the air. There were angels dining at the Ritz. And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

07-24-2002, 07:23 PM	#15
Montana Ponine Tragically Beautiful Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 18, 2001 Location: Sondheimville Posts: 4,529	Hmmm... I'm not one bit worried about this but I hope the world doesn't end while we're all still alive. That would be quite depressing...but then again if the world ended we'd all be gone so we wouldn't be able to mourn over it. Anyway. Asteroid, please don't hit us.