Why Asteroid Panic Is On the Rise

space.com ^ | 08 March 2012 | Natalie Wolchover

[Milton Miteybad]

In psychology, this is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. People who lack knowledge in a given area, such as science, are unable to accurately assess their own abilities in that area, and so they aren't aware that they are coming to blatantly false conclusions.

David Dunning, a psychologist at Cornell University who first characterized the phenomenon, recently explained, "Many people don't have training in science, and so they may very well misunderstand the science. But because they don't have the knowledge to evaluate it, they don't realize how off their evaluations might be."



I believe this describes the AGW proponents to a "T", with the only difference being that they are completely eaten up with the Dunning-Kruger effect despite having ample academic credentials.

None of them really know how much they don't actually know, so they attempt to compensate for this deficit by using flawed computer models that have had a ZERO rate of success in predicting climate change. Reliance on these fatally flawed computer models results in the AGW bunch coming to tragicomically wrong conclusions, and not one of them seems to know why every statement they may make is subsequently shown to be completely wrong in light of real-world events.

But you can tell it's starting to piss them off. ;-)

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

“If it lands in the Pacific, who will notice?”

Perhaps the people in the countries who get hit with the tsunami or tsunamis.

Scientists aren’t especially worried about this asteroid’s trajectory in February, 2013, but it will be back in the year 2020. Some scientists are concerned that it will come even closer to Earth in 2020, perhaps close enough to hit our planet. Time will tell.....

[discostu]

Humans really like the end of the world. I think it feeds our procrastinator instinct, why do today if the world will be destroyed tomorrow.

[doc11355]

Yeah, except the last one caused the dark ages.

I thought the Dark Ages were caused primarily by the collapse of the Roman Empire and the loss its civilizing and cultural influence.

[KoRn]

I believe they would keep it top secret if they did see a big one headed our way.

[Myrddin]

I've had dinner in Sylacauga one evening. Besides the restaurant where I had dinner, the greatest source of entertainment is wandering inside the Walmart store. The locals do that for amusement and free air conditioning.

[JoeProBono]

[dragnet2]

I believe they would keep it top secret if they did see a big one headed our way.

Excellent point, and they would likely attempt that if they could, however they would have a problem, as there are thousands of Amateur Astronomers today, who do their own research/observations who have access to fairly sophisticated equipment and access to the Internet.

In the event of a major pending event, would they attempt to discredit them, for the good of all?

I don't know.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

I visited Meteor Crater back in 1974, when I was rather young. It is VERY impressive.

A meteor only 80 feet in diameter created this crater.
It hit what is now northern Arizona anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 years ago. Diamonds were formed instantly, and everything within a 100 mile radius was incinerated. Of course, this was long before any Indians were in the Southwest. It would be a long time after this impact before the ancestors of the Indians crossed over from Asia to Alaska via the land bridge now known as the Aleutian Islands.

The crater is 60 stories deep and about one mile in width.
I climbed part of the way down into the crater when I visited. From what I remember, I heard that Apollo astronauts trained at this crater before their moon missions.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Cousin Eddie ?

[Telepathic Intruder]

Space.com is usually pretty accurate. They may be referring to semi synchronous orbit, which is 2 orbits per day, about 12,500 miles altitude. The GPS satellites use it.

[Theophilus]

People who lack knowledge in a given area, such as science, are unable to accurately assess their own abilities in that area, and so they aren't aware that they are coming to blatantly false conclusions.

• All people lack knowledge in the given area of science.
• No one is able to assess their own infinitesimal ablility in that area.
• False conclusions are inevitable and common.

[Atlas Sneezed]

150 feet across is not even very big. Not dangerous at all unless it lands nearly on top of you. Well, within a mile maybe.

---

Actually, it would create a crater a mile wide. The 150-foot diameter is the same as the estimated size of the meteorite that created the crater in Arizona.

[LibWhacker]

But even so, NASA assures the world that there is no chance of asteroid 2012 DA14 hitting Earth next year. Zero, zip, zilch.

Well, Natalie, to be even more precise, in the real world probabilities are never zero and I doubt NASA said that.

[dragnet2]

A meteor only 80 feet in diameter created this crater. It hit what is now northern Arizona anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 years ago. Diamonds were formed instantly, and everything within a 100 mile radius was incinerated.

Some people like to "Blow off" the possibility of a big event, but they forget or fail to realize the earth, during the course of it's history, has been hit multiple times causing earth changing, cataclysmic impacts.

And it will happen again.

[P.O.E.]

What did the Mayans know, and when did they know it?

[KoRn]

"In the event of a major pending event, would they attempt to discredit them"

....or MUCH worse. (they better keep away from small aircraft, restaurants, shooting ranges, and hot tubs)

[patton]

Yes and no - Rome collapsed, got sacked by the Gauls, etc., then a storm of astoriods hit, bombed everybody in Europe back to the stone age, then...

It was a busy place.

But look at the bright side - our ancestors survived it!

Whoo-hoo - our team won!

[Telepathic Intruder]

Right, I spoke a little too soon. I was thinking on the order of a few kiloton equivalent, but apparently it’s in the few megatons instead. Not earth threatening, but not gentle as a lamb, either.

[xp38]