OT Asteroid misses Earth by a hair
Fred Stone
anonymous/anonymous ought to work for signups.
LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past the
Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic collision
by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the moon.
The miss was one of the nearest ever recorded for an object of that
size, scientists said Thursday. ``It was a close shave,'' said Brian
Marsden of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge,
Mass.
...
The asteroid was not detected until three days after it sped past Earth
on June 14. When such asteroids are detected, they are usually spotted
far from Earth, when they are approaching or on their way out.
--
Fred Stone
aa # 1369; linux user # 254178; machine # 138214
Daniel Kolle
Goddidit.
Yep...
--
-Kolle (kohl-lee); 14. A.A. #2035.
EAC Director of the Department of Phonetic Spelling.
Koji Kondo is my god.
Feed not that inept troll.
Fred Stone
> Fred Stone <fsto...@earthling.com> thought hard and said:
>
>
>>http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-Asteroid-Close-Call.html
>>
>>anonymous/anonymous ought to work for signups.
>>
>>LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past the
>>Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic collision
>>by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the moon.
>>
>>The miss was one of the nearest ever recorded for an object of that
>>size, scientists said Thursday. ``It was a close shave,'' said Brian
>>Marsden of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge,
>>Mass.
>>
>>...
>>
>>The asteroid was not detected until three days after it sped past Earth
>>on June 14. When such asteroids are detected, they are usually spotted
>>far from Earth, when they are approaching or on their way out.
>
>
> Goddidit.
> Yep...
If it wasn't for Jesus, that big 'ol rock might have hit right on the
White House. It's the Will of the Lord that Bush be President! Hallelujah!
:-)
--
Fred "singed but no hard feelings" Stone
Automort
> An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past the
>Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic collision
>by a mere 75,000 mile
Maybe it would hit Mecca. In fact, maybe we could send a mission to steer an
asteroid ito an orbit that would cause it to hit Mecca, or we could begin just
by pelting a couple of those countries and attributing it to God.
Rawley
news:3D137318...@earthling.com:
> The asteroid was not detected until three days after it sped past Earth
> on June 14. When such asteroids are detected, they are usually spotted
> far from Earth, when they are approaching or on their way out.
>
It's totally obvious that the God of the bible, the one true God of the
Bible adverted this possible trajedy just to warn us of what he could do if
we all continue to do our evil deeds.
Have a shpadoinkle day!
-Rawley a.a #2029
--
"Man, I just found out that I have phlegmpis."
- Phip Miskell
"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever
conceived."
- Asimov
Neal Stein
news:20020621161626...@mb-me.aol.com...
<sarcasm>
Because innocent civilians need to die too right? That would be lovely!
</sarcasm>
--
Neal Stein a.a#1984
(A)//(E) Apatriot #4
If God really existed, it would be necessary to abolish him. --Mikhail
Bakunin "God and the State"
Automort
>It's totally obvious that the God of the bible, the one true God of the
>Bible adverted this possible trajedy just to warn us of what he could do if
>we all continue to do our evil deeds.
>
Maybe it was that preacher who diverted a hurricane by prayer a couple of years
ago.
Automort
>
>Because innocent civilians need to die too right? That would be lovely!
Those people will kill innocent civilians here out of hatred and fanaticism.
They won't stop unless something too horrifying and enormous to bear stops
them. Better them than us.
Get a grip on conflict. They will kill you and not lose an instants sleep over
it. I do not feel we owe Japan an apology for nuking them, and we don't owe the
Moslem savages any sympathy till they straighten up.
Ethan Young
WARNING! WARNING! GENERALIZATION ALERT! ALL MUSLIMS ARE EVIL!
This message brought to you by
The US gov't
and Ethan
Warning! My arms are flailing wildly!
MooJoo
Thank you, lord, for protecting us from that big rock that you sent.
--
There are no stupid questions,
but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots.
Automort
>From: "Ethan Young"
>WARNING! WARNING! GENERALIZATION ALERT! ALL MUSLIMS ARE EVIL!
For now, a viable hypothesis. Not only will it help people fight them, but the
sensible ones will work harder to disprove it.
Michael Painter
"Fred Stone" <fsto...@earthling.com> wrote in message
news:3D137318...@earthling.com...
> http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-Asteroid-Close-Call.html
>
> anonymous/anonymous ought to work for signups.
>
> LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past the
> Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic collision
> by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the moon.
>
Did any of the psychics mention it... before the event?
Etherman
"LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past
the
Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic
collision
by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the
moon."
Begin nominated section------------------
"MooJoo" <flossy@bobbsy_twins.com> wrote in message
news:flossy-7BBEFA....@netnews.attbi.com...
>
> Thank you, lord, for protecting us from that big rock that you sent.
--------------------------------------------
Seconds?
--
Etherman
AA # pi
EAC Director of Ritual Satanic Abuse Operations
AMTCode(v2): [Poster][TÆ][A5][Lx][Sx][Bx][FD][P-][CC]
Etherman
>
> anonymous/anonymous ought to work for signups.
>
> LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past
the
> Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic
collision
> by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the
moon.
Bugger.
Ash
> In response to:
> "LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past
> the
> Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic collision
> by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the
> moon."
>
> Begin nominated section------------------
>
> "MooJoo" <flossy@bobbsy_twins.com> wrote in message
> news:flossy-7BBEFA....@netnews.attbi.com...
>>
>> Thank you, lord, for protecting us from that big rock that you sent.
>
> --------------------------------------------
>
> Seconds?
Damn. I was about to nominate it.
Seconded.
>
> --
> Etherman
>
> AA # pi
>
> EAC Director of Ritual Satanic Abuse Operations
>
>
> AMTCode(v2): [Poster][TĘ][A5][Lx][Sx][Bx][FD][P-][CC]
aa#2058
Ash
The psychics have figured out a surefire way of predicting asteroid
strikes. They publish regular reports predicting said events at set
distances in the future, then point to the reports after event happens.
The reports are always vague, because they need to cover a wide range of
events.
johac
<fsto...@earthling.com> wrote:
Actually, I think that Gawd was trying to hit Orlando FL, just as Rev.
Pat had prophesied a few years back. Gawd must be getting old. His aim
was way off this time.
On a more serious note, I hate to think of what might have happened if
that thing had landed in a populated area. And they only saw it three
days after the near miss. Shit!
>
> :-)
--
John Hachmann, aa #1782
It was the schoolboy who said: "Faith is believing what you know ain't so."
- Mark Twain (1835-1910).
Meteorite Debris
Stone<fsto...@earthling.com> sent a radio signal across the vast
expanse of deep space -._.--._.--._.--._.--._.--._.
> http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-Asteroid-Close-Call.html
>
> anonymous/anonymous ought to work for signups.
>
> LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past the
> Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic collision
> by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the moon.
>
> The miss was one of the nearest ever recorded for an object of that
> size, scientists said Thursday. ``It was a close shave,'' said Brian
> Marsden of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge,
> Mass.
I can't wait for Kansan1225 to interpret this. :-)
--
apatriot #1, atheist #1417, rot-13 on email reply
Chief EAC prophet -
Evil Atheist Conspiracy
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~pk1956/
"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever
conceived." - Isaac Asimov
Fingerprint for PGP Keys at key server or go to
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Ethan Young
Generalization is false and spreads animosity. We want to be friends with
the good Muslims, not enemies. Why make more enemies? Pointless.
Generalization leads to genocide. Please don't generalize. I know I don't
like people generalizing about atheists, especially when those
generalizations don't even depict the majority...
Ethan
*nemo*
Ash <You_can_learn...@school.com> wrote in message
news:pan.2002.06.22.05...@school.com...
> On Sat, 22 Jun 2002 14:49:39 +1000, Etherman wrote:
>
> > In response to:
> > "LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past
> > the
> > Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic collision
> > by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the
> > moon."
> >
> > Begin nominated section------------------
> >
> > "MooJoo" <flossy@bobbsy_twins.com> wrote in message
> > news:flossy-7BBEFA....@netnews.attbi.com...
> >>
> >> Thank you, lord, for protecting us from that big rock that you sent.
> >
> > --------------------------------------------
> >
> > Seconds?
>
> Damn. I was about to nominate it.
>
> Seconded.
Noted
>
> >
> > --
> > Etherman
> >
> > AA # pi
> >
> > EAC Director of Ritual Satanic Abuse Operations
> >
> >
> > AMTCode(v2): [Poster][TÆ][A5][Lx][Sx][Bx][FD][P-][CC]
>
> aa#2058
--
Nemo - EAC Commissioner for Bible Belt Underwater Operations.
Atheist #1331 (the Palindrome of doom!)
BAAWA Knight! - One of those warm Southern Knights, y'all!
Charter member, SMASH!!
http://home.att.net/~jehdjh/Relpg.html
Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus
**************************************************
Quotemeister since March 2002
**************************************************
Fred Stone
God got all confused after the Yahweh ben Yahweh cult members prayed
Hurricane Floyd away from Miami. :-)
>
> On a more serious note, I hate to think of what might have happened if
> that thing had landed in a populated area. And they only saw it three
> days after the near miss. Shit!
Kashmir. I doubt if either side would wait around to find out that it's
not the other side going nuclear. :-(
--
Fred Stone
Fred Stone
> On Fri, 21 Jun 2002 14:40:24 -0400 the ET form known as Fred
> Stone<fsto...@earthling.com> sent a radio signal across the vast
> expanse of deep space -._.--._.--._.--._.--._.--._.
>
>
>>http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-Asteroid-Close-Call.html
>>
>>anonymous/anonymous ought to work for signups.
>>
>>LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past the
>>Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic collision
>>by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the moon.
>>
>>The miss was one of the nearest ever recorded for an object of that
>>size, scientists said Thursday. ``It was a close shave,'' said Brian
>>Marsden of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge,
>>Mass.
>
>
> I can't wait for Kansan1225 to interpret this. :-)
>
Old JONAH would have had a prophecy about it for sure. :-)
Mark Whickman
>
> anonymous/anonymous ought to work for signups.
>
> LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past the
> Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic collision
> by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the moon.
>
> The miss was one of the nearest ever recorded for an object of that
> size, scientists said Thursday. ``It was a close shave,'' said Brian
> Marsden of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge,
> Mass.
>
Damn, it was supposed to fragment and hit Jerusalem and Mecca. Especially
after all that time we spent carving that "Now stop fighting" message into
it.
I've said too much.
Therion Ware
-0400, Fred Stone <fsto...@earthling.com> brought the total lines of
text written about "Re: OT Asteroid misses Earth by a hair" to 29. I
decided to observe the following about them:
<spit> I have a prophecy, guaranteed 100% accurate[1]:
<cut 5000 lines of intricate exegesis and math with prime numbers>
... and I say unto ye the sons and daughters of men what the most HIGH
and HOLY GODDESS, She who is called ISHTAR LILITH said unto me, LAST
THURSDAY about 9.45 BST, as a matter of fact, that 'some bad things
will nearly happen and other bad things WILL HAPPEN. Don't say I
DIDN;T WARN YOU."
<cut 8000 lines of more prime numbers, birth dates and newspaper
headlines interspersed with Biblical quotations>
[1] or your future back.
--
"Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You."
- Attrib: Pauline Reage.
Inexpensive VHS & other video to CD/DVD conversion?
See: <http://www.Video2CD.com>. 35.00 gets your video on DVD.
There is no EAC, so delete it from the email, if you want to communicate.
Therion Ware
+0100, "Mark Whickman" <markwh...@blackfortress.freeserve.co.uk>
brought the total lines of text written about "Re: OT Asteroid misses
Brilliant idea though. Perhaps someone should suggest it to the NSA /
CIA, or maybe the French.
ken...@shangrila.net
Pooh! It just shows there can't possibly be a god. If there were that
sumbitch would have hit right smack in the middle of Israel/Palestine.
quibbler
>
> anonymous/anonymous ought to work for signups.
>
> LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past the
> Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic collision
> by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the moon.
>
> The miss was one of the nearest ever recorded for an object of that
> size, scientists said Thursday. ``It was a close shave,'' said Brian
> Marsden of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge,
> Mass.
a "debris cross" at the WTC site, that they would take an asteroid
strike as the confirmation of everything they had been erroneously
predicting for the last serveral thousand years. If it hit a
populated area then it was divine judgment on that city. If it hit an
unpopulated area then it was a "warning". If it hit the ocean (which
might be the worst scenario), then he was reminding us what the
Noachian flood was like. Never mind the fact that simple laws of
physics could most likely completely explain why the collision took
place.
Mr. Vega
Sounds like the terrorism warnings we've been getting ;)
Jack
Mike Smith
=In response to:
="LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field
=hurtled past the Earth a week ago, missing what could
=have been a catastrophic collision by a mere 75,000
=miles -- less than a third of the distance to the moon."
=
=Begin nominated section------------------
="MooJoo" <flossy@bobbsy_twins.com> wrote in message
=news:flossy-7BBEFA....@netnews.attbi.com...
=>
=> Thank you, lord, for protecting us from that big rock
=> that you sent.
=--------------------------------------------
=
=Seconds?
Seconded.
__________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Mike Smith | aa #1164 | Founder of SMASH
__________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
"What profit has not that fable of Christ brought
us!" - Pope Leo X
quibbler
> Goddidit.
> Yep...
Or maybe cosmic terrorists hijacked an asteroid and tried to crash it
into the earth, but were thwarted by brave passengers and crew members
at the last moment. ;). I find that option that I just made up out
of thin air to be more probable than a magic sky fairy is pulling
special strings to make event turn out according to some bizarre
"master plan".
johac
<fsto...@earthling.com> wrote:
I believed that I heard that discussed as a possible 'doomsday
scenario' during the Cold War. If a meteor struck either the US or
Russia, each would think that the other side was responsible and
launch.
Highandlofty
"Ethan Young" <laisse...@att.net> wrote in message
news:7jWQ8.48805$LC3.3...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
dgillesp
Mike Smith wrote:
> "What profit has not that fable of Christ brought
> us!" - Pope Leo X
For perspective on this so-called quote:
"It was generally acknowledged, even by those who were unfriendly
towards him [Pope Leo X], that he was unfeignedly religious and strictly
fulfilled his spiritual duties. He heard Mass and read his Breviary
daily and fasted three times a week. His piety cannot truly be
described as deep or spiritual, but that does not justify the continued
repetition of his alleged remark: "How much we and our family have
profited by the legend of Christ, is sufficiently evident to all ages."
John Bale, the apostate English Carmelite, the first to give currency to
these words in the time of Queen Elizabeth, was not even a contemporary
of Leo. Among the many sayings of Leo X that have come down to us,
there is not one of a skeptical nature. In his private life he
preserved as pope the irreproachable reputation that he had borne when a
cardinal. His character shows a remarkable mingling of good and bad
traits." Catholic Encyclopedia
Carl Funk
>
> On a more serious note, I hate to think of what might have happened if
> that thing had landed in a populated area. And they only saw it three
> days after the near miss. Shit!
>
had hit. Unless it directly hit a building, I doubt if anyone would've
been killed.
A couple of years ago I saw a meteoroid come straight at me. At first
it was just a light, but it just kept getting brighter and brighter,
without moving in the sky. Then it *slowly* started falling toward the
horizon. By this time I could see that it was a fireball, flames shooting
off to the side, and burning pieces flying off as it broke up.
After it disappeared from my view, behind the building across the street,
I waited to hear the sound of impact. I never heard anything. Two
weeks later, I found out why. A local newspaper reported the meteorite,
saying the 911 emergency operator had received several phone calls about
a fiery plane crash at a particular intersection -- 18 miles from where
I witnessed the fiery descent. Fire trucks were dispatched to that
location, but they couldn't find anything. As far as I could determine,
*nobody* ever found the crash site. Okay, it was a rural area, mostly
just woodlands, with a few scattered houses, but hunters probably go
through there every year.
I'd say the thing had to be at least as large as a 747 airplane (based on
what I saw from 18 miles away), so it might've been a little smaller than
the one that just missed the Earth (described as being "the size of a
football field"), so the damage would've been a bit more severe if this
one had hit, but not by very much, I'd wager.
--
Carl Funk
a.a atheist #1229
Al Klein
posted in alt.atheism:
>Thank you, lord, for protecting us from that big rock that you sent.
Thank you, Mafia, for not breaking my knees. :)
--
Al - rukbat at optonline dot net
Zymurgist # 2
Lord Calvert
>> that thing had landed in a populated area. And they only saw it three
>> days after the near miss. Shit!
>>
>You would be surprised at how little damage it would've done, if it
>had hit. Unless it directly hit a building, I doubt if anyone would've
>been killed.
Uhhh...the meteor that just missed was about 100m long. It would have had the
kinetic impact of a multi-megaton nuclear blast had it hit.
Rich Goranson, Amherst, NY, USA (aa#MCMXCIX)
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as
I'm the dictator." - George W. Bush, during a photo-op with Congressional
leaders 18 December 2000
Mike Smith
=Mike Smith wrote:
=> "What profit has not that fable of Christ brought us!"
=> - Pope Leo X
=
=For perspective on this so-called quote:
=
="It was generally acknowledged, even by those who were
=unfriendly towards him [Pope Leo X], that he was unfeignedly
=religious and strictly fulfilled his spiritual duties. He heard
=Mass and read his Breviary daily and fasted three times a
=week. His piety cannot truly be described as deep or
=spiritual, but that does not justify the continued repetition
=of his alleged remark: "How much we and our family have
=profited by the legend of Christ, is sufficiently evident to all
=ages."
=John Bale, the apostate English Carmelite, the first to give
=currency to these words in the time of Queen Elizabeth,
=was not even a contemporary of Leo. Among the many
=sayings of Leo X that have come down to us, there is not
=one of a skeptical nature. In his private life he preserved
=as pope the irreproachable reputation that he had borne
=when a cardinal. His character shows a remarkable
=mingling of good and bad traits."
= Catholic Encyclopedia
Check http://www.tektonics.org/popeleox.html
__________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Mike Smith | aa #1164 | Founder of SMASH
__________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
"Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and
thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith." - Ezekiel 4:15
johac
Funk <cf...@ameritech.net> wrote:
According to the reports, this asteroid was approx. 100m in diameter.
It is esrimated that its impact would have released energy equivalent
to the 1908 Tunguska event.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020621/sc_nm/space_
asteroid_dc_2&printer=1
dgillesp
Excellent article. Martin Luther called Pope Leo X the Anti-Christ, but
fact is Leo was really more Anti-Luther.
Denny
Mark Whickman
"Carl Funk" <cf...@ameritech.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.17802035b...@news.kal.sbcglobal.net...
> In article <jhachm-3C4AE4....@news.ixpres.com>,
jha...@remove.ixpres.com says...
> >
> > On a more serious note, I hate to think of what might have happened if
> > that thing had landed in a populated area. And they only saw it three
> > days after the near miss. Shit!
> >
> You would be surprised at how little damage it would've done, if it
> had hit. Unless it directly hit a building, I doubt if anyone would've
> been killed.
>
If it had impacted on land the explosion would be close to 30 megatonnes. A
big bang.
Automort
>If it had impacted on land the explosion would be close to 30 megatonnes. A
>big bang.
>
God kept it away.
satyr
>I'd say the thing had to be at least as large as a 747 airplane (based on
>what I saw from 18 miles away), so it might've been a little smaller than
>the one that just missed the Earth (described as being "the size of a
>football field"), so the damage would've been a bit more severe if this
>one had hit, but not by very much, I'd wager.
A meteorite 100 yards in diameter would weigh more than two million tons. A
meteorite of one sixth that size hit Arizona 50,000 years ago and the hole is a
mile wide and 600 feet deep. If you had been standing 18 miles from that
impact, you would have likely been killed when the shock wave arrived 90 seconds
later.
satyr #1953
Chairman, EAC Church Taxation Subcommittee
Director, Gideon Bible Alternative Fuel Project
Carl Funk
> On Sun, 23 Jun 2002 23:04:12 GMT, Carl Funk <cf...@ameritech.net> wrote:
>
> >I'd say the thing had to be at least as large as a 747 airplane (based on
> >what I saw from 18 miles away), so it might've been a little smaller than
> >the one that just missed the Earth (described as being "the size of a
> >football field"), so the damage would've been a bit more severe if this
> >one had hit, but not by very much, I'd wager.
>
> A meteorite 100 yards in diameter would weigh more than two million tons. A
> meteorite of one sixth that size hit Arizona 50,000 years ago and the hole is a
> mile wide and 600 feet deep. If you had been standing 18 miles from that
> impact, you would have likely been killed when the shock wave arrived 90 seconds
> later.
>
I figured that, since I could see details from a distance of 18 miles,
then the thing I saw was rather large. Several things wrong with that,
as it turns out.
First, what I saw was the heated air around the meteoroid, not the actual
rock itself (it was early morning, before dawn.) Since I could see pieces
breaking off and burning, it was probably by then a spread of many small
rocks, with my eyes resolving several small fireballs into one large one,
fooling me into thinking that it was a large meteoroid.
Secondly, I tried estimating how much angular displacement that blob was,
by finding a comparably sized image of a smaller, closer object. The answer
was about 50 times smaller than the calculation for a 100 meter object at
a distance of 18 miles, implying that I could resolve details smaller than
2 meters at that distance. (Something I would've deemed impossible, if I
hadn't done the math.)
Thirdly, I figured that much of the energy would be frittered away in
friction, as in much of the rock being burned up by the air. Yes, the
starting energy of the rock goes up as the cube of the size, but the amount
of air heated by the meteoroid's passage goes up as the square of the size.
(Imagine a cylinder of air, the base a circle of radius r, a height of
several miles, that gets heated to a very high temperature.) I must be
getting senile, thinking that the r-squared friction factor kept the
r-cubed energy factor from growing exponentially, so the impact energy
would only rise linearly, as in a 100 meter rock only doing 100 times as
much damage as a 1 meter rock.
Can you spot my error? The friction doesn't divide the potential energy,
it subtracts from it. Say a 1 meter rock has a potential energy of P,
and it loses F energy to friction in its fall to Earth, then the kinetic
energy (K) at impact would be:
K = P - F
For a 100 meter rock, the potential energy would be 100^3 P, and the
energy loss to friction something like 100^2 F, so the kinetic energy
at impact would be something on the order of:
K2 = 1000000*P - 10000*F
which is clearly not 100*K, as I had naively expected. Just using some
arbitrary numbers, like P = 10*F, gives K = 9*F and K2 = 9990000*F,
so K2 would be about a million times higher than K. If my suspicion that
F is *much* smaller than P is true, then it gets much worse, of course.
Not only does the 100 meter meteoroid start with a million times as much
potential energy as a 1 meter meteoroid, but it loses a smaller fraction
of that to friction, so impacts with *more* than a million times as much
energy.
Thanks, everyone, for challenging my stupid statement and making me use
some of that expensive education that I went to all of that trouble
to attain.
Beowulf
<fsto...@earthling.com> ejaculated:
>Daniel Kolle wrote:
>> Fred Stone <fsto...@earthling.com> thought hard and said:
>>
>>
>>>http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-Asteroid-Close-Call.html
>>>
>>>anonymous/anonymous ought to work for signups.
>>>
>>>LONDON (AP) -- An asteroid the size of a football field hurtled past the
>>>Earth a week ago, missing what could have been a catastrophic collision
>>>by a mere 75,000 miles -- less than a third of the distance to the moon.
>>>
>>>The miss was one of the nearest ever recorded for an object of that
>>>size, scientists said Thursday. ``It was a close shave,'' said Brian
>>>Marsden of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge,
>>>Mass.
>>>
>>>...
>>>
>>>The asteroid was not detected until three days after it sped past Earth
>>>on June 14. When such asteroids are detected, they are usually spotted
>>>far from Earth, when they are approaching or on their way out.
>>
>>
>> Goddidit.
>> Yep...
>
>If it wasn't for Jesus, that big 'ol rock might have hit right on the
>White House. It's the Will of the Lord that Bush be President! Hallelujah!
>
>:-)
>
Of course, it was also the will of the Lard to create the big fucking
rock in the first place and to hurtle towards earth.
Therefore, god likes to fuck with us.
Therefore, god's a big fucking asshole who you shouldn't invite to
your parties, especially if you're serving alcohol.
"You know I don't think they have enough gods on sticks."
- Cameron Diaz in "There's Something About The Virgin Mary"