Why is nobody talking about the extinction level event on April 29th?

[OgNasty]

While everyone is busy buying toilet paper and masks to hide from the flu, why is nobody talking about NASA’s warning of a potential extinction level event?

https://www.ibtimes.com/nasa-warns-4-kilometer-planet-killer-asteroid-currently-headed-earth-2936111

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[odolvlobo]

While everyone is busy buying toilet paper and masks to hide from the flu, why is nobody talking about NASA’s warning of a potential extinction level event?

because:

During its approach, it will be ... roughly 4 million miles from the planet’s center.

That's 16 times the distance to the moon.

[OgNasty]

While everyone is busy buying toilet paper and masks to hide from the flu, why is nobody talking about NASA’s warning of a potential extinction level event?

because:

During its approach, it will be ... roughly 4 million miles from the planet’s center.

That's 16 times the distance to the moon.

A fair point.  I'm still far more afraid of this asteroid than the Coronavirus, but perhaps that is because I'm not elderly and don't have a compromised immune system so it literally cannot cause me any harm outside of my IRA.  I guess my follow-up question would be, how close would scientists have to estimate an end of the world threat in order for people to discuss it and how certain are you that their models take into account all of the anomalies in space that could cause unforeseen changes in an asteroid's flight path?

[odolvlobo]

While everyone is busy buying toilet paper and masks to hide from the flu, why is nobody talking about NASA’s warning of a potential extinction level event?

because:

During its approach, it will be ... roughly 4 million miles from the planet’s center.

That's 16 times the distance to the moon.

A fair point.  I'm still far more afraid of this asteroid than the Coronavirus, but perhaps that is because I'm not elderly and don't have a compromised immune system so it literally cannot cause me any harm outside of my IRA.  I guess my follow-up question would be, how close would scientists have to estimate an end of the world threat in order for people to discuss it and how certain are you that their models take into account all of the anomalies in space that could cause unforeseen changes in an asteroid's flight path?

I would be more worried about coronavirus. You are much more likely to die from that than from any asteroid impact, even if you are young and in good health.

The paths of asteroids can be predicted very accurately. There aren't many "anomalies" in space that would affect their orbits. It's the ones that we don't know about that will kill us.

[Vod]

The paths of asteroids can be predicted very accurately. There aren't many "anomalies" in space that would affect their orbits. It's the ones that we don't know about that will kill us.

Especially one six weeks away.  A space vehicle travelling beside an asteroid could steer it by gravity, but only over countless light years.

The one to worry about is 99942 Apophis.  In 2029 there is a 3.2% chance the asteroid will hit earth seven years later.   I changed the subject line, since the OP fell for clickbait.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/asteroid-warning-april-2020/

[joeypan]

Man, don't be fictional. The chance for E.L.E to happen is very low. NASA always know what they should to do. All we need now is focusing on control the flu, prevent it spreading larger.

[josephsonand]

A fair point.

The same applies to you. That's just the "news" that you wrote about is known a long time ago and in the same way a very long time ago everything was calculated by the above-mentioned people from NASA, who are many times smarter than you and are much more competent in this field.

You, in turn, relied on the clickbait of the print press, which in an attempt to earn the last penny from clicks, came up with a loud title for the article, although even in the core of this article there is not a single statement that the collision is bound to happen. It only talks about probability, but you won’t believe it, this is not the first such asteroid.

[Cnut237]

The paths of asteroids can be predicted very accurately. There aren't many "anomalies" in space that would affect their orbits. It's the ones that we don't know about that will kill us.

Very true. It is a bit of a concern that ground-based observations are limited to the northern sky, after the southern program lost its funding way back in 2014, and is yet to be replaced. Of course we do still have space-based detection of the full sky, but the ground-based blind spot is a serious concern. Funding has now been obtained to fill the blind spot, but until construction is complete that gap is still there...
It's quite revealing of government priorities that the gap existed for a few years with no plans to fill it.

I'm still far more afraid of this asteroid than the Coronavirus, but perhaps that is because I'm not elderly and don't have a compromised immune system so it literally cannot cause me any harm outside of my IRA

The problem with this of course is that you can still be a carrier, and pass it on to any elderly or immunocompromised people you may know.


The coronavirus is more of a threat to individual humans; asteroids are more of a threat to survival of the human species.

[Banadony]

it is because NASA has made a lot of similar predictions about asteroids and meteoroids hitting the earth and none has happened. i think they are all trying to be relevant.  there is a bigger threat to worry about which is the coroniavirus and it is spreading fast.
The devil we know is better than the angel we don't know. 

[nullius]

The one to worry about is 99942 Apophis.  In 2029 there is a 3.2% chance the asteroid will hit earth seven years later.

Oh, no!  If panicked talking apes destroy the world right now, then I may not live for long enough to probably not be killed by an asteroid later.

I changed the subject line, since the OP fell for clickbait.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/asteroid-warning-april-2020/

OP’s article, with my decorations added:

NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) is currently tracking a massive asteroid that’s expected to approach the planet next month. According to the data collected by the agency, the approaching asteroid is big enough to destroy the planet during an impact event.

Screenshot of what NASA’s CNEOS says (from Vod’s Snopes link):

Oops!  From the Daily Express article:

CLARIFICATION: This article originally claimed that asteroid 52768 (1998 OR2) will approach our planet in April, and that the rock would be "heading our way". In fact it will pass on close approach at an estimated distance of 3.9 million miles from Earth. The article was also accompanied by a graphic showing a stylised asteroid hitting Earth. The diameter of that stylised asteroid was 1,500km, not the 4.1km which asteroid 52768 (1998OR2) actually measures. That graphic has been removed. In addition, a graphic marked 'asteroid warning' has also been removed.

People should stop nitpicking.  There is no big difference between 1,500 km. and 4.1 km.  And 3.9 million miles is really too close for comfort!  How can you be sure that we will be safe?

Also, they are killjoys for removing the asteroid warning graphic.  It must have made the whole article feel exciting—like watching a movie.  We need a replacement:

⚠ ASININITY WARNING! ⚠

Stupidity will destroy the world.

Now, that is scary!

* nullius panics.

Man and Technics

“Optimism is cowardice.” — Spengler (writing most of a hundred years ago)