Nostradamus And the Doomsday Comet
April 27th 2008 04:46
Is this related to NOSTRADAMUS when he refers to, ASTEROID IMPACT ? This is a grey area where speculation, interpretation and science mix, although an interesting area I prefer it be left to the philosophers. I don’t want to get into an argument about the works of NOSTRADAMUS or attacking the views people may have about his writings. There are many parallels in NOSTRADAMUS writings to fit just about any historic event that has happened on Earth, likewise there are certain passages in his book that can be used to interpret future events. Whether he referring to a comet or an asteroid is uncertain for but for now it does make for interesting ideas.
When you consider a distance of 500 meters it does not mean much, it is just a statement. But when you consider this distance, 500 meters can cause serious consequences on Earth.
500 meters is just wide enough to trigger concerns that an asteroid due to pass near Earth on April 13, 2029 may shift its orbit enough to return and strike the planet seven years later.
Within the range of possible asteroid simulated encounters with Earth lie a handful of gravitational "sweet spots," areas some 500 meters across that are also known as keyholes. The physics may sound complex, but the potential ramifications are plain and simple. If the asteroid passes through a potential keyhole, its new orbit could altered significantly to send it slamming into Earth in 2036.
For the moment it is unclear if ground-based observatories alone will be able to provide enough accurate information to devise a strategy to divert the asteroid, if that becomes necessary. NASA is considering whether it needs to tag the asteroid, known as 99942 Apophis, with a radio beacon before 2013. In order to plot the orbit of the asteroid for possible deviations in it new orbit. Timing is paramount If an attempt is made to divert the asteroid before 2029, they need to nudge the space rock's position by roughly half a kilometer and this is achievable with current technology. Any diversion after 2029, the asteroid would have to be moved by a distance as least as large as Earth's diameter. This is well beyond our capabilities.
According to an article by Donald Yeomans who heads NASA's near-Earth object project at JPL. Said ” Ten years ago, we would have been blissfully ignorant. Today, at least five programs worldwide are hunting down near-Earth objects. NASA is well on its way toward achieving its goal of cataloging 90 percent of the near-Earth objects larger than 0.6 miles across by 2008. And it is devising ways to ensure that information about potential hazards reaches top decision makers throughout the government.
Based on available data, astronomers give Apophis a one kilometer wide chunk of space debris a 1-in-15,000 chance of a 2036 strike. Unfortunately NASA’s calculation is incorrect. A German schoolboy proved that the chances of an asteroid hitting the Earth were higher than initially believed, the odds are now 1 in 450 chance that the Apophis asteroid will collide with Earth.
Yet if the asteroid hits, they add, damage to infrastructure alone could exceed $400 billion. When the possibility of the asteroid passing through two other keyholes is taken into account, the combined chance of the asteroid hitting the planet shifts to 1 in 10,000, notes Clark Chapman, a senior scientist with the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo.
"A frequent flier probably would not want to board an airliner if there's a 1-in-10,000 chance it's going to crash," he says.
The asteroid in question was discovered last June. Initially, it looked as though it might strike Earth in 2029. But additional observations eliminated that possibility. Instead the asteroid will come within 34,000 kilometers of Earth just inside the range where major communications satellites orbit. The asteroid will be visible to the naked eye in the night skies where it will appear to be a bit dimmer than the North Star.”
But this estimated distance carries an uncertainty that spans several thousand kilometers either side of its expected path a region of space that includes three gravitational keyholes. The asteroid entering any one of these additional gravitational keyholes would change the asteroid path dramatically.
When you consider a distance of 500 meters it does not mean much, it is just a statement. But when you consider this distance, 500 meters can cause serious consequences on Earth.
500 meters is just wide enough to trigger concerns that an asteroid due to pass near Earth on April 13, 2029 may shift its orbit enough to return and strike the planet seven years later.
Within the range of possible asteroid simulated encounters with Earth lie a handful of gravitational "sweet spots," areas some 500 meters across that are also known as keyholes. The physics may sound complex, but the potential ramifications are plain and simple. If the asteroid passes through a potential keyhole, its new orbit could altered significantly to send it slamming into Earth in 2036.
For the moment it is unclear if ground-based observatories alone will be able to provide enough accurate information to devise a strategy to divert the asteroid, if that becomes necessary. NASA is considering whether it needs to tag the asteroid, known as 99942 Apophis, with a radio beacon before 2013. In order to plot the orbit of the asteroid for possible deviations in it new orbit. Timing is paramount If an attempt is made to divert the asteroid before 2029, they need to nudge the space rock's position by roughly half a kilometer and this is achievable with current technology. Any diversion after 2029, the asteroid would have to be moved by a distance as least as large as Earth's diameter. This is well beyond our capabilities.
According to an article by Donald Yeomans who heads NASA's near-Earth object project at JPL. Said ” Ten years ago, we would have been blissfully ignorant. Today, at least five programs worldwide are hunting down near-Earth objects. NASA is well on its way toward achieving its goal of cataloging 90 percent of the near-Earth objects larger than 0.6 miles across by 2008. And it is devising ways to ensure that information about potential hazards reaches top decision makers throughout the government.
Based on available data, astronomers give Apophis a one kilometer wide chunk of space debris a 1-in-15,000 chance of a 2036 strike. Unfortunately NASA’s calculation is incorrect. A German schoolboy proved that the chances of an asteroid hitting the Earth were higher than initially believed, the odds are now 1 in 450 chance that the Apophis asteroid will collide with Earth.
Yet if the asteroid hits, they add, damage to infrastructure alone could exceed $400 billion. When the possibility of the asteroid passing through two other keyholes is taken into account, the combined chance of the asteroid hitting the planet shifts to 1 in 10,000, notes Clark Chapman, a senior scientist with the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo.
"A frequent flier probably would not want to board an airliner if there's a 1-in-10,000 chance it's going to crash," he says.
The asteroid in question was discovered last June. Initially, it looked as though it might strike Earth in 2029. But additional observations eliminated that possibility. Instead the asteroid will come within 34,000 kilometers of Earth just inside the range where major communications satellites orbit. The asteroid will be visible to the naked eye in the night skies where it will appear to be a bit dimmer than the North Star.”
But this estimated distance carries an uncertainty that spans several thousand kilometers either side of its expected path a region of space that includes three gravitational keyholes. The asteroid entering any one of these additional gravitational keyholes would change the asteroid path dramatically.
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