meteorite?

Question

I remember several years ago, when I was in year six or something like that, there was a great hoo-ha about a meteorite which was headed straight for us and would hit in about 31 years time. What ever happened about that? Was it even real? Or are we all doomed?

Answer 1

What tends to happen in these cases is that new asteroids are discovered, their orbits are plotted, and claculations show that it might come close to us in a few years time, but will still miss. Somehow this gets distorted in the media as 'we're all doomed because this asteroid is going to hit us'.

What then happens is that new observations are made, orbital calculations are improved, and it turns out that the asteroid will miss us by an even bigger margin than was originally thought.

Answer 2

By definition, a meteorite is already in our atmosphere. Before hitting the atmosphere, it is a meteroid. They are small.

Bigger threats are asteroids (same thing, but bigger).

Every once in a while, a newly discovered asteroid -- for which we have little information, therefore only an approximate orbit -- looks like, maybe, perhaps, it could get close to us. We all get excited. We observe it and get better data. Then we discover that it will miss us.

Journalists get excited when someone (not an astronomer) says, excitingly: "Here's the big one! We are doomed" Big front page news.

When we finally say: "Nope. No danger." the correction goes on page 29, below the ad for used-car rentals.

Check out this site
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/orbits/
for the complete list of 907 potentially hazardous asteroids (updated daily)

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BTW
the magnetic flip (reversal of polarity) has nothing to do with the ozone layer (caused by UV rays from the Sun acting on high altitude molecules), tsunamis cyclones or rain. Meteorological phenomenons are not affected by magnetism.

Maybe it (the polarity flip) could result in a temporarily reduced magnetosphere, reducing our protection from charged particles (solar wind, cosmic rays). However, this protection will not drop to zero. However, there will come a time when your Scout Magnetic Compass will not be as useful as it once was.

Answer 3

Yes you are right. There was a meteor coming towards earth.
The era of dinosourers was ended due to the strike of a meteor they say. So a strike by a heavenly body like that is definitely disastrous.

Fortunately for us the one that was detected passed by earth a bit too far away than we expected.

Wait. do not relax. There are yet more problems that we are facing now, which will take us to the dooms day. It is found out that the earth is losing its gravity. It is also in the process of shifting its polarity which happens once in 300000 years. In addition to that the depletion of Ozone layer and increased radiation is causing problems. More cyclones, More Tsunamis, more Rain, and more natural calamities are likely to come. Just wait and see.

Answer 4

No it wasn't true. They discovered that the meteor will only get close but won't hit the earth.

Answer 5

don't believe everything you hear... or read... don't believe me.

but don't stop reading!