Science

NASA to Doomsday Asteroid Student: “Shut Up, Dimwit”

Stop looting supermarkets and get back to your homes, because NASA is saying that “doomsday” asteroid Apophis doesn’t have any significant chance of impacting Earth in 2036, basically classifying the 13-year-old German student as a moronic smartypants. In fact, even if it hit, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. Or that’s what we would like to believe, looking at all the information we have compiled:

Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • Steve L

    This from the same agency who forgot to translate figures from metric to imperial which lead to $125 million probe smashing into Mars a few years ago.

    Also my maths isn’t that great but according to your article you said that the expected impact would be 880 megatons or 880 million tons (taking mega as it usually does to mean million) so how then does your figures stack up I mean lets just look at this:

    Supposed power of Apophus if it hits: 880 Megatons
    The largest bomb ever detonated: 50 megatons
    Combined energy of explosives in WW2: 5 Megatons
    Hiroshima atomic bomb: 13 Kilotons (13,000)

    So either you guys made really big typo or I wouldn’t stop that shelter just yet.

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