SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  
From: LindyBill4/19/2005 6:35:13 AM
  Read Replies (2) of 793954
 
If it hits in 2034 and I am still around, I will be 100. Good way to go. Of course women and minorities will be the most affected.
Lucifer's hammer?

By TigerHawk

I never know whether stories like this one are distressing, or ultimately comforting:
theaustralian.news.com.au
A GIGANTIC asteroid that is on a course to miss the Earth by a whisker in 2029 could go around its orbit again and score a direct hit a few years later.

Astronomers have calculated that the 350m-wide asteroid called 2004 MN4 will pass by Earth at a distance of between 24,140km and 40,235km - about one-tenth of the distance between the Earth and the moon and close enough to be seen with the naked eye.

Though they are sure it will miss us, the astronomers are worried about the disturbance such a close pass will give to the asteroid's orbit. It might put 2004 MN4 on course for a collision in 2034 or a year or two later.

The unpredictability of its behaviour means the danger might not become apparent until it is too late.

Why Lucifer's hammer? Science fiction afficionados -- or even simply fans with a clue -- know that the granddaddy of all asteroid catastrophe books is Lucifer's Hammer , by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. After thirty years, it remains the global catastrophe novel to beat.
Report TOU ViolationShare This Post
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  

HomeMailHotSubjectMarksPeopleMarksKeepersSettings
Terms Of UseContact UsCopyright/IP PolicyPrivacy PolicyAbout UsFAQAdvertise on SI
© 2025 Knight Sac Media.  Data provided by Twelve Data, Alpha Vantage, and CityFALCON News