[samtheman]

I know. I know. I'm skeptical too. But read it. It's interesting. It at least makes me want to learn more about the subject.

[samtheman]

There's also a video introduction to the article.

[Man50D]

That tears it! I’m moving!

[KoRn]

*

[SampleMan]

In 1980, only 86 near-Earth asteroids and comets were known to exist. By 1990, the figure had risen to 170; by 2000, it was 921; as of this writing, it is 5,388.

According to liberal logic (global warming) we were safer in 1980, before the data was collected.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Well we know this sort of thing happens at regular intervals. The question is when.

[Cvengr]

Then again, I don't believe we've had a Leonids meteor shower as significant as recorded from the 1800s.

[orlop9]

This is proof that mankind’s burning of fossil fuel has led to increasing numbers of asteroids, we must do something before it’s too late.

[sig226]

It’s Bush’s fault!

What else do you need to know?

:)

[Bommer]

"WHAT ABOUT US??? First you kill us with "Gorebot Warming" and now meteors? Humans suck! Oh and your Coca Cola sucks too! There I said it!"

[SES1066]

There is a some good reason for long-term thinking in this article. The science that has taken us from 86 potential impactors in 1980 to 5,388 now is the same science that has begun to realize how much history has been influenced by actual impacts.

The last notable earth impact was the 1908 Siberian 'Tunguska' impact.The world was very lucky that this occurred over an almost unpopulated land mass as that was an estimated 500 kiloton (TNT equivalent) event. If this meteor has struck minutes earlier or later we might be living in a radically different world. A few moments later and St.Petersburg, home of the Romanov Tsars would have been very close to the air burst. A later moment and it would be over the shallow Baltic, tsunamis on Baltic shores? Earlier impacts over Canada or Alaska would have been notable.

Regardless, the estimate for this kind of minimal to no crater event (stony meteor) ranges on one to several centuries. Such an equivalent event on Washington DC or Moscow or Beijing or others, could potentially trigger a nuclear exchange unless sufficient foreknowledge is available. Impacts of larger or denser metors are being discovered on a frequent basis as this Atlantic article discusses, especially now that 'water surface' sites are being looked for.

When you look at these impacts and how they could effect our current world, think of what we need to do with only a small fraction of the monies that are now being discussed for mitigating 'manmade' global warming that is, IMHO, unproven theory. The bonus to working to mitigate astronomic impactors is that it will increase our space capabilities and that would lead to things I think of as advances in human history.

[SunkenCiv]

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Rain of Iron and Ice: The Very Real Threat of Comet and Asteroid Bombardment by John S. Lewis	Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets by John S. Lewis

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