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Is this the end of the world?
Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 6:37 am
by s rougier
NASA has announced that a 60m asteroid may strike the Earth on 15 Feb next year. It's too late to do anything about it except to try and predict the location of any impact.
Re: Is this the end of the world?
Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:24 am
by one eyed jack
If it is then..It was nice knowing you.
Enjoy this song while it happens. It will ease your suffering if you just accept it
Re: Is this the end of the world?
Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:38 am
by one eyed jack
Hopefully, fate will give us two minutes extra at the end to reflect on how great that song is before the first of many shock waves blows us apart.
Re: Is this the end of the world?
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:39 am
by JamesW
According to frankthring in the 'Aliens on Earth' thread, the Maya predicted that the end of the world would occur on 21 Dec 2012, in which case we won't be around next February anyway to worry about asteroid impacts. !wink!
(Note: I should add that Mayan scholars dispute that any such prediction was ever made, as do the present day Maya. The idea is generally regarded as pseudoscience and a misreprentation of Maya history and beliefs.)
Re: Question for boffins!
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:54 am
by jimslip
Not quite the end apparently:
My question for any boffins out there is this:
What powers the Earths continuous orbit around the Sun, why doesn't the Earth just slow down and stop?
Re: Is this the end of the world?
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:13 pm
by Alex L
The perfect one to go out on!!
Played just after what's in store for us:
Re: Question for boffins!
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:55 pm
by william
Jim Inter planetary physics my dear fellow-
Basically the earth is falling to the sun all the time but the pesky sun moves and it continues to fall pulled by the gravity of the sun - the sun moving keeps it all moving and it a headache trying to work it all out like what makes the sun move ? all about gravitational forces
How refreshing
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 4:39 pm
by andy at handiwork
JamesW wrote:' (Note: I should add that Mayan scholars dispute that any such prediction was ever made, as do the present day Maya. The idea is generally regarded as pseudoscience and a misreprentation of Maya history and beliefs.)"
Its always refreshing to read something rational and sensible on here.
Re: Question for boffins!
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:22 pm
by JamesW
jimslip wrote:
> why doesn't the Earth just slow down and stop?
Because there is no air resistance in space nor any other source of drag or friction to slow the Earth down.
Re: Question for boffins!
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:34 pm
by Peter
JamesW wrote:
> jimslip wrote:
>
> > why doesn't the Earth just slow down and stop?
>
>
> Because there is no air resistance in space nor any other
> source of drag or friction to slow the Earth down.
>
>
Although the moon affects the earth, and is slowing us down at a minuscule rate. We add a 'leap second' every so often to account for this.