I recieved quite a scare tonight. Thank God I'm pretty sure it's not true.

[SmileyBoy]

Thank God that I'm 98 percent sure that it's bullshit.

So, here's the story: I was lurking around the Skyscraperpage.com message boards, and someone in the city discussions forum posted this thread:

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?s=0a6cd4dd5cec3680d07f5da447aa1f87&threadid=32016

This guy made this claim of an asteroid 6.4x3.6 miles in diameter 8.5 million miles away on a direct course to colliding into the South Atlantic Ocean in less than five days.

Now, I almost had a heart attack when I read it. But I'm a little calmer now, because of these important factors:

1) The thing was posted almost 3 hours ago, but there's NO MENTION of it on TV or any other news web site. I guess it's not technically a story, because the person posting it never posted a story about it. It's not CNN on TV, Not CNN.com, not the DU, not MSNBC on TV, not Faux News, not the local news either. I mean, if word got out that the world was going to end in five days, I think it would be getting more coverage than the 9/11 attacks.

2) The person posting it didn't post any story link to it.

3) People replying to the thread are just joking about it, and making fun of that crappy movie "Armaggedeon".

Now here's the thing: I have a panic/anxiety disorder, and this type of thing (asteroid collisions) is my biggest fear in my life. I've had this type of fear since the 4th grade. PLEASE don't construe this as me being a naive fool. Like I said, I almost had a heart attack when I read it, and for somebody with this type of fear and anxiety like I have, it can be pretty traumatic. I'm still shaking right now.

But I'm starting to feel a little better than a couple hours ago. It's three hours now, and no other mention of it on ANY MEDIA OUTLET. I'm pretty sure it was a hoax. I guess you CAN say anything on the Internet. I just need some reassurance. I just still feel like crap right now, and I'm trying to overcome the initial trauma.

I need to be less gullible. I kind of feel like a fool.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. Do you think if it were true, the governments of the world would

tell us?
:tinfoilhat:

[Cooley Hurd]

6. Hasn't it already been discussed and decided...

...by the US, UN, et. al. that, if such an event is imminent, they wouldn't tell us for fear of starting a panic?

If that's the case, then the person on skyscraperpage.com might be correct.

It's the end of the world as we know it?

[bluestateguy]

2. we'd have much more than 5 days

We'd have at least a few months. A few nukes could blow it to pieces. I'm certainly in favor of keeping a few nukes around for that. We're doing a pretty good job of destroying the earth all by ourselves.

[AngryYoungMan]

3. "8.5 million miles away" is closer than the sun, by a factor of ten.

The sun's 93 million miles away. If it was that close thousands of telescopes could see it.

[SmileyBoy]

4. Thanx for the reassurance.

This was some hoax propped up by some crazy guy.

[Cloud]

5. Don't worry

An asteroid that size is pretty big but not large enough to cause any serious damage. Also, if it lands in the middle of the ocean it will just cause some massive todal waves. You only need to worry about that if you live near the coast.

And most of all like you said it hasn't been mentioned anywhere else. An astroid 5 days away from impact would show up pretty big on a telescope and in observatories.

I think the poster that posted that is talking out of his/her ass. Don't worry about it.

Although my biggest fear is not an asteroid impact but a nuclear war.

[SmileyBoy]

7. I live smack-dab in the middle of the continent.

I'm in North Dakota. 2000 miles from either coast.

[Wickerman]

10. with all the nukes moved out

you're as safe as can be. Just don't step in an old silo when you are out hiking.

[whirlygigspin]

12. asteroid and comet impact hazard-ames research center

as follows:
http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/

Following is information on the small asteroid known last January 13-14 as AL00667. A preliminary analysis of the discovery data for this object yielded a possible impact with Earth in less than 2 days time -- a situation not encountered previously in the Spaceguard Program. Although we knew at the time that such a prediction of imminent impact was improbable, a collision could not be ruled out. And if a possibility of an impact in 2 days existed, what should we do about notifying governments or the public? The story of this situation on January 13, 2004, is included as part of a paper by Clark Chapman (Southwest Research Institute) presented on February 22 at the Planetary Defense conference of the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics). Several paragraphs taken from this paper are reproduced below. Following these quotes from Chapman's paper are additional quotes from a letter Brian Marsden (Minor Planet Center) wrote to CCNet on 14 January on the same subject. Finally, there is a statement posted on the website of the IAU (International Astronomical Union) discussing what lessons we should draw from the story of AL00667, and how such a situation might be better handled in the future.

Asteroids never cease to surprise us. We may never encounter a situation just like this again, but we are fairly sure to have other crises as the rate of discovery of NEAs continues to increase.

David Morrison

[AngryYoungMan]

14. Wrong.

The "dinosaur killer" was five miles wide.

[Dogmudgeon]

8. That's a picture of Comet Wild

"Wild" is a German astronomer, so it's pronounced "Veelt".

No chance of a collision. The photo was taken by the comet satellite Project Stardust a few months ago.

Besides, just about every loon who posts about an impending asteroid impact says that it will hit in the "South Atlantic", because it allows people to fantasize New York City being wiped out by a super-tsunami.

Nibiru, the 12th planet, was supposed to cruise into the solar system late last year and allow the superhuman Anunaki to harvest us as their slaves. That didn't happen, either.

Relax. Your death will have to be postponed.

--bkl
(Edited to add link)

[SmileyBoy]

9. That's a picture of Comet Wild??? Thank GOD!!!

I know about that NASA sattelite that's exploring it.

Yes, my death will be posponed.:):):):)

I'm feeling much better now. Thanks.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

11. I'd recommend

that you take the opportunity to enjoy something when faced with this fear in the future. Please don't misunderstand...I'm not undermining your feelings.

It's like the famous Zen parable which tells about a monk who was walking along a high cliff when he encountered a ferocious tiger. Acting quickly, the monk grabbed hold of a thin vine, swung himself off the cliff, and slid down a dozen feet. Dangling high above the jagged rocks below, the monk looked up to see the tiger poised hungrily at the edge of the cliff. Then the monk felt a strange vibration in his hands. Looking up, he saw a mouse chewing the vine. The monk looked at the hungry tiger, then at the waiting rocks below, then back at the mouse. He shook the vine, but the mouse kept on chewing. Then the monk noticed a small plant growing out of a crevice in the cliff. On the plant was one large, luscious red strawberry. The monk reached out a hand and picked it. Then he placed the fruit in his mouth, savoring its wonderful sweetness.

The instant he knew his life was almost over, he leapt at the chance to enjoy what treasure life had yet to offer him in his final moments.

Peace to you... :hug:

[AngryYoungMan]

15. Great picture!

Where is that?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

21. I'm not sure...

I got it from here: http://www.redjellyfish.com/fun/e-cards-info.html

[FDRrocks]

13. I wonder if there is a world-wide contingency plan for this kind of thing.

I don't doubt that world governments have talked about the possibilites. I just wonder what the hell anyone could do in that scenario.

[AngryYoungMan]

16. Invade Iraq.

eom

[mouse7]

22. Eliminate Capital Gains and Estate Taxes. n/t

[VOX]

17. northwest, on the link you posted, there is a hilarious response there...

Ninth inning at Wrigley, game seven of the World Series.
Cubs up 10-1. Two outs.
impact
- - - - -
I roared with laughter at this!

Seriously, I totally understand the kind of stuff that panic disorder can do -- I've suffered with it for years.

Hang in there, guy :toast:

[Dogmudgeon]

18. A few more words

I, too, have a weird fear of EotW (End of the World) events; asteroids, especially. When I was a kid, I used to have vivid and terrifying dreams of giant rocks coming at me. By "giant", I mean the size of mountains. And yes, even at age 5 or 6, I would wake up shaking and with my heart pounding.

I don't believe these were prophetic dreams -- I think such symbols of death are archetypal to the human mind, and thinking about possible impacts to the Earth can trigger a surge of fear. It's probably just as well, since even relatively small impactors could cause a lot of damage, and in the past five years (since Deep Impact), several NEO (Near-Earth Object) watches have been established.

As much as we all like to think we're immune to irrational fear ... we aren't. It keeps a lot of people in business. If it's any consolation, the number and intensity of just my own fears would require scientific notation! :)

My father worked in the Army as a nuclear missile technician from the early 1950s until about 1975. He was called away rather abruptly during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and once again in the late 1960s. I was five in 1963, so you can imagine how that affected my perception of nuclear war. (Needless to say, I'm not very happy with the recent hipster practice of calling anything to do with nuclear war "Nuke Porn.")

As people become more anxious and fearful, it will become easier and easier to convince people that they're helpless -- which helps political agendas quite a bit, when you think about it.

--bkl
"Live brave, die free."

[SmileyBoy]

19. Thanks everyone. It's nice to hear some reassurance.

I'm gonna try to go to bed now.

[AlFrankenFan]

20. I know how you feel

I have an anxiety disorder, and when we studied about this in 6th grade I was in constant fear of such a thing happening. These people were just BSing and trying to get some attention. Don't worry.

[NYC]

23. This would have been reported by scientists.

Scientists have said nothing about any approaching asteroid. They don't just come out of nowhere.

You should simply consider that the person was deliberately misleading, and perhaps you should wonder if this person knows about your fear. Perhaps he posted this to upset you specifically.

Please don't worry about an asteroid hitting within five days.

[Turbineguy]

24. Bush had better

get on board AF1 pronto and fly in circles. This is not like Osama bin Laden, who would never harm him (his best recruiter doncha know).

[SmileyBoy]

25. Update: It's just a picture of Comet Wild.

I've learned that we've known about Comet Wild for several years now, that it's just a passing comet, and NASA has sent a spacecraft to it to study the object. I found in the URL properties that the pics were taken of Comet Wild from the spacecraft.

It's just some idiot trying to stir up trouble.

[alwynsw]

26. Does Orson Welles come to mind?

War of the Worlds. 'nuff said

[SmileyBoy]

27. Yeah, it was a hoax. See my above post. (nt)