December 24, 2004
Near Miss This Time. Next Time?
Instapundit noted the near-miss of an asteroid earlier this week. Yesterday there was news that we might not be so lucky in 2029.
Scientists said Thursday that a recently discovered asteroid has a chance of hitting Earth in the year 2029, but that further observations would likely rule out the impact scenario.The asteroid is named 2004 MN4. It was discovered in June and spotted again this month. It is about a quarter mile (400 meters) wide.
That's bigger than the space rock that carved meteor crater in Arizona, and bigger than one that exploded in the air above Siberia in 1908, flattening thousands of square miles of forest. If an asteroid the size of 2004 MN4 hit the Earth, it would do considerable localized damage.
Or maybe we will (be lucky, that is:)
Scientists stressed, however, that the rock would likely miss the planet.A statement was released by NASA asteroid experts Don Yeomans, Steve Chesley and Paul Chodas.
"The odds of impact, presently around 1 in 300, are unusual enough to merit special monitoring by astronomers, but should not be of public concern," the scientists said. "These odds are likely to change on a day-to-day basis as new data are received. In all likelihood, the possibility of impact will eventually be eliminated as the asteroid continues to be tracked by astronomers around the world."
Posted by SoccerDad at December 24, 2004 10:45 AM | TrackBack