Not another 'Nasa warns of 'near miss' asteroid passing Earth - and another which could destroy it. The huge rock is due to just miss our planet in early hours of this morning - as an incredible photo is released of Bennu, an asteroid which could destroy humanity, if not for a while yet' story? Wake me up if it doesn't 'destroy humanity' somebody please? https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nasa-warns-near-miss-asteroid-13851486
Did NASA warn of a near miss, or is this yet another example of a tabloid newspaper making an OMFG story out of someone going through the NASA near Earth object catalogue and reporting a routine close approach ? ....checks the NASA press releases.... ....then looks at the wording in the story.... And blow me away if it isn't yet another example of the latter.
But why would they do it? The stories are obviously true otherwise NASA would refute them, so is it to monitor the DD project results at governments' behest, to see if it's on track or not by the number of believers? I mean, don't keep shooting the poor bloody messenger, TD? I'm trying to perform a useful public service here.
There's a huge difference between the NASA near Earth orbit database which provides a dispassionate description of the objects which intersect with the Earth's orbit and the lurid tabloid headlines which result from those tabloids' reporting of it. It's the equivalent of a car coming up with a "service due in 500 miles" notification and the owner screaming "OMFG MY CAR SAID THAT THE ENGINE IS GOING TO ASPLODE TOMORROW AND WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE HORRIBLY IN THE ENSUING CONFLAGRATION !!!11!11!!1!!1!!!" It wouldn't surprise me to find that there's a person who routinely goes through the database for anything even remotely juicy and makes a bit of pin money by then touting any story around the news outlets. By the way, what it the "DD project" ?
Dumbing Down. Yes, you've made the point about the tabloids before, but I reiterate that the so-called news is indubitably from 'the horse's mouth'.
Thanks for the clarification regarding DD. NASA has a database of near Earth objects, to which I have linked a number of times. It's accessible by the public. The information contained in the database is accurate within the limits of detection and accuracy. The inaccuracy and hyperbole is all from the tabloids.
Thanks, but that's the whole point - I don't need access to a database if I'm not going to believe a word of it? Just like all other governments and their agencies, they lie for whatever reason;** I mean they've been caught out often enough? ** well of course 'the reason' is to attract government funding for (more inverted commas I'm afraid) 'research'.
Cool website. Appears one passes close (.2 LD) next year on Sep 1. Then one really gets close, (.1 LD) on Apr 13 2029.
I know the big mean rocks are scary but that's no reason to have a tantrum. We live in a shooting gallery. It's just a matter of time. But thanks to the discovery of The Higgs Boson, we will be able to save the planet.
Pauline Gagnon, a Canadian member of CERN’s ATLAS team, told Reuters: “I hate that ‘God particle’ term…. The Higgs is not endowed with any religious meaning. It is ridiculous to call it that.” Oliver Buchmueller, another Higgs hunter, said: “Calling it the ‘God particle’ is completely inappropriate… It’s not doing justice to the Higgs and what we think its role in the universe is. It has nothing to do with God.” The Higgs Boson was dubbed the “G*ddamn Particle” by Leon Lederman since it was seemingly impossible to isolate. Lederman, a leading researcher in the field, wanted to title his book “The G*ddamn Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question?” But his editor decided that the title was too controversial and convinced Lederman to change the title to “The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question?” And since the Higgs Boson deals with how matter was formed at the time of the big bang, and since newspapers loved the term, the myth of “God” particle was born. Pippa Wells, another CERN scientist, said: “Without (the Higgs Boson), or something like it, particles would just have remained whizzing around the universe at the speed of light… Hearing it called the ‘God particle’ makes me angry. It confuses people about what we are trying to do here at CERN.” James Gillies, spokesman for CERN, said that most scientists don’t like the term “god particle” but admitted that the term does make a bit of sense when referring to the Higgs Boson. Gillies said: “Of course it has nothing to do with God whatsoever… But I can understand why people go that way because the Higgs is so important to our understanding of nature.”
All very true. My comment was meant to be amusing, in response to HWGA's post about being able to save the world.
You're being a nuisance for fun here, actually. If you don't want to get upset about potential planet-killing asteroids, don't read tabloids.
Like I said to The Don, don't shoot the messenger squire?? I can fully understand why you're feeling sheepish but hey, that's your fault not mine.
