this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2025
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Space

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Ngl at this point I’m rooting for the space rock

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The space rock is likely not going to hit earth. If it does it's unlikely to hit land. If it does, it's unlikely to hit major population centers.

If it defies all odds and does that, it's going to happen in a location that is already struggling, and not in an area that's causing the suffering.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Hopefully it doesn't hit republic city, the Maga people will fill the media with " the deep state controlled it "

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 days ago

I'm team asteroid. Let it come baby.

[–] [email protected] 111 points 3 days ago (5 children)

The way things are going down here I'm cheering for the asteroid tbh.

[–] [email protected] 63 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Eh calculated impact path ranges from south america through africa and india. None of these are where i want it to land.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Same here but I figure the rates are going to be really cheap so I can just use up my vacation days and travel to wherever it hits.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Very kind of you to use your vacation days.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 3 days ago (8 children)

Even if it's at the top end of the predicted range, an impact would be ~40MT equivalent. Enough to level a city, but not an extinction event by any means; plus the likely impact path is across central America, the Atlantic, central Africa and north India - not really regions that have the resources to respond to a threat like this. Personally I'm hoping it misses, because I don't see the counties that could do something about it stepping up right now, so you'd be looking at maybe 100 million people displaced from their homes and an insurmountable humanitarian crisis

[–] [email protected] 41 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Personally I’m hoping it misses

In midst of all this funnymaking, I'd like to point out for the record that anybody who genuinely wants it to hit Earth is fucking insane. Some combination of sociopath and psychopath.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago (2 children)

The only scenario in which I would really want it to hit would be if it would lead to moderate global cooling without hitting populated areas. If it can dislodge enough particulates over one of the poles to block out some sun and give us a couple of years of reprieve from global warming, without actually killing anyone or destroying much wildlife, that would be nice.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 days ago

It would be an ice agea where crops fail, people starve and we go back to business as usual.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Well what if it hits Dallas, or Riyadh? That would probably slow down oil production.

I wonder if an impact in the middle of the oil fields in like Ghawar ir Kuwait would be enough.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Most countries on Earth would treat this as a global catastrophe and put up funds regardless of where it's projected to impact.

Maybe not the current US, though.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 days ago

Came here to remark, β€œIn hopes they can steer it at us?”

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

2.3% Got my hopes up for a second there

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Hell, I got excited when I saw it was that high.

in 2032

FUCK.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Finally, some good news in the current media cycle

[–] [email protected] 52 points 3 days ago (1 children)

For those interested in how they come up with the impact probabilities and why it's really important that JWST is looking at this, Scott Manley did a great video on this recently: https://youtu.be/Esk1hg2knno

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yeah, great video. Deflecting it seems surprisingly doable if the will is there.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

I like how he brought up the fact that if we try and fail, then what? What happens if NASA bumps it just enough to push it from Africa to India?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

Whoever had β€œcity killer asteroid” on their bingo card you can check it off now.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

An impact from such a rock wouldn't trigger a mass extinction like the much larger, dino-snuffing Chicxulub impactor did 66 million years ago. But an asteroid that size could wreak regional havoc similar to the Tunguska impactor that flattened some 80 million trees in the Siberian wilderness in 1908

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 days ago (14 children)

Can it direct the asteroid to mar a Lago?

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

But we might be able to mine it for trillions. Think of all the cell phones we could make!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

That's like a new model every 3 to 6 months!

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Xcom programmers say the asteroid has a roughly 2.3% chance of impacting Earth in 2032.

So it's a sure thing!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Can't wait to empty a SMG clip into an alien's face point blank and miss.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 days ago (1 children)

in 2032

Can someone tell it to hurry up already?

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Spoilers: it looks like a big rock

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago

I got the image from James Webb early.

Spoiler

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I swear the last time I saw news about this asteroid a week or less ago it was like 1.9%

[–] floofloof 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yes, they reassessed and found it more likely to hit.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

I don't like this 2 point trend line given how much time we have lol

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 days ago

Here's my nominee to head up the "study"

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