The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
What will you be doing?
Probably getting smushed by a big rock from space
------------ (from bbc.co.uk)
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 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 2km wide, large enough to cause continent-wide devastation on Earth.
Dr Benny Peiser
Although astronomers are saying the object definitely merits attention, they expect more observations to show it is not on an Earth-intersecting trajectory.
It was first seen on the night of 5 July, picked up by the Linear Observatory's automated sky survey programme in New Mexico.
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 its 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 28km 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 astronomers will soon have a very precise orbit for the object.
Dr Donald Yeomans, of Nasa's 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 kms," he said.
Dr Yeomans told BBC News Online that 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.
Probably getting smushed by a big rock from space
------------ (from bbc.co.uk)
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 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 2km wide, large enough to cause continent-wide devastation on Earth.
Dr Benny Peiser
Although astronomers are saying the object definitely merits attention, they expect more observations to show it is not on an Earth-intersecting trajectory.
It was first seen on the night of 5 July, picked up by the Linear Observatory's automated sky survey programme in New Mexico.
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 its 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 28km 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 astronomers will soon have a very precise orbit for the object.
Dr Donald Yeomans, of Nasa's 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 kms," he said.
Dr Yeomans told BBC News Online that 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.
Page:
look at it this way
if it does hit it will solve all our problems...
wont have to pay off morgage
world peace
no more killing
no one will be hungry
its a blessing really
if it does hit it will solve all our problems...
wont have to pay off morgage
world peace
no more killing
no one will be hungry
its a blessing really
Wouldn't it be a pain in the @rse if the frickin' asteroid hit Europe?
Of all the continents...it's hits ours...
That is, of course, if it even does hit.
Of all the continents...it's hits ours...
That is, of course, if it even does hit.
Wonder if the bookies will take bets on which continent gets wiped out:
Asia 2/1
North America 3/1
Africa 3/1
South America 4/1
Bob to win Big Brother 2018 8/1
Asia 2/1
North America 3/1
Africa 3/1
South America 4/1
Bob to win Big Brother 2018 8/1
Linx wrote:
> Mr Gynaecologist wrote:
> Wahoo it may bring nice weather to the UK!
>
> to bad no one will be alive to enjoy it
Doh!
> Mr Gynaecologist wrote:
> Wahoo it may bring nice weather to the UK!
>
> to bad no one will be alive to enjoy it
Doh!
Mr Gynaecologist wrote:
> Wahoo it may bring nice weather to the UK!
to bad no one will be alive to enjoy it
> Wahoo it may bring nice weather to the UK!
to bad no one will be alive to enjoy it
There is probably an asteroid near the earth right now that will just miss
You always hear NASA detected an asteroid after it just missed the earth by 25KM... oh yeah they miss them but not the ones due to hit 17 years
Stupid Earth... go on asteroid smash it up good... my family will come back for me in their UFO
You always hear NASA detected an asteroid after it just missed the earth by 25KM... oh yeah they miss them but not the ones due to hit 17 years
Stupid Earth... go on asteroid smash it up good... my family will come back for me in their UFO
SHEEPY wrote:
>
> Researchers estimate that on 1 February 2019 its impact velocity on
> the Earth would be 28km a second - enough to wipe out a continent and
> cause global climate changes.
Wahoo it may bring nice weather to the UK!
>
> Researchers estimate that on 1 February 2019 its impact velocity on
> the Earth would be 28km a second - enough to wipe out a continent and
> cause global climate changes.
Wahoo it may bring nice weather to the UK!
Craw wrote:
> Only to wake up the next morning to find out it missed!
Bah. Then you could just send some flowers and say you were drunk.
> Only to wake up the next morning to find out it missed!
Bah. Then you could just send some flowers and say you were drunk.
Tóm wrote:
> So how many people will be telling their bosses to kiss their aarses
> on the 31st of January 2019?
Only to wake up the next morning to find out it missed!
> So how many people will be telling their bosses to kiss their aarses
> on the 31st of January 2019?
Only to wake up the next morning to find out it missed!
Rosalind wrote:
> SHEEPY wrote:
> They're just creating mass hysteria... well maybe not now but they
> will.
>
> Its like the millenium bug all over again
except the millenium bug didn't destroy all know life
> SHEEPY wrote:
> They're just creating mass hysteria... well maybe not now but they
> will.
>
> Its like the millenium bug all over again
except the millenium bug didn't destroy all know life
Page: