Anyone remember the Apollo asteroid 4581 Asclepius? Was the world freaking out?

Question

I was on 4, just curious.thanks.

Wikipedia elaborates:
On March 23, 1989 the 300 meter (1,000-foot) diameter Apollo asteroid 4581 Asclepius (1989 FC) missed the Earth by 700,000 kilometers (400,000 miles) passing through the exact position where the Earth was only 6 hours before. If the asteroid had impacted it would have created the largest explosion in recorded history, thousands of times more powerful than the Tsar Bomba.

Answer 1

I seem to remember that we only really found out about it after it had gone passed us - so we didn't have the opportunity to panic.

Either that, or the authorities witheld the information to prevent us all from panicking.

Answer 2

6 hours is a LONG time in terms of space and the speeds which things are travelling.
But people love the "the world is ending" stories. Makes them feel they should do something I guess.

Answer 3

Hi. I remember it and I think answer 1 is correct. http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce4mx.html
In addition there have recently been Trojan bodies discovered which are in a horse shoe shaped orbit, and get pretty close. http://www.dtm.ciw.edu/sheppard/satellites/trojan.html