NINETY new DOOM ASTEROIDS found in 2014

In December 2013, NASA re-activated the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) and in the twelve months since the project discovered three new comets and 40 previously-unknown near-earth objects, eight of which have Earth-bonking potential. NEOWISE started life in 2009 as WISE – the Wide-field Infrared Survey …

[hplasm]

Surely-

Rocks like these are where we should be spending billions of "Terror Threat" monies?

(Not actually on them...)

[Jedit]

"Rocks like these are where we should be spending billions of "Terror Threat" monies?"

Well, that depends on whether we can characterise the rocks as moons. If they can, and if someone can find an image of one of these moons presenting a left side crescent with a star just above and to the right of it, then I'm sure it will be identified as a terror threat on the spot.

[Neil Barnes]

Hmm.

Better get a hat, then.

[Chris Miller]

Earth-bonking?

or Earth-borking?

[AbelSoul]

Re: Earth-borking?

Earth-bonking is a more than adequate description.

[Anonymous Coward]

data from the 2011 mission is still being analysed

Humanity RIP: They never knew what hit them

[Simon Harris]

<7.5million km, >110m ...

Does that make the moon a hazardous object?

[Snowman]

Re: <7.5million km, >110m ...

"Does that make the moon a hazardous object?"

The moon's orbit had already been assessed and it is gradually moving away from us at ~3.78 centimeters per year, this rate though will slow as it's orbit increases so it will have an even more stable orbit over time, baring a collision with another large object of course.

[Jonathan Richards 1]

Say what?

The caption on that video says:

Green circles represent near-Earth objects (asteroids and comets that come within 1.3 astronomical units, or Earth-moon distances, of the sun).

An AU is not the distance from the Earth to the moon; does anybody understand what they're driving at, or is it just a mistake? I'm speculating that it should have said '... or 389 Earth-moon distances,' since that's approximately the ratio.

[Sir Sham Cad]

Re: Say what?

Maybe they're trying to say 1.3 AU, where an AU is the distance of the earth/moon system from the Sun. Which is still a horrible approximation and terribly worded.

TBH, I read it as you did, that they'd screwed up the definition of an AU.

[asdf]

Re: Say what?

>TBH, I read it as you did, that they'd screwed up the definition of an AU.

parsnip parsec what's the difference?

[Little Mouse]

Hot Fudge Sundae

Let's go burn down the observatories, so this'll never happen again!

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Hot Fudge Sundae

...which falls on a Tuesdae this year.

[MajorTom]

Did they move?

When I first glanced at the screenshot from the old Asteroids game I thought I saw them slowly moving in random directions. My mind must have provided some imaginary animation.

Thanks for reminding me of the good times from 30+ years ago!

[WalterAlter]

Comets and Meteors Trump Global Warming

Let's put the quotes back in "Mother" Nature.

[Glenn 6]

I just pictured Bender saying "Welp, we're boned!" while cracking open a beer.

[cray74]

Big Robot Party

"I just pictured Bender saying "Welp, we're boned!" while cracking open a beer."

I'd worry less if Bender was here. He's got a demonstrated ability to move Earth with the help of some of his pals. It'd just take the right bribe.

http://basementrejects.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/futurama-season-5-1-crimes-of-the-hot-robots-farting-bender-review-episode-guide.jpg

[Anonymous Coward]

Just saying

If it does turn out that there is a >2 mile (ie mass extinction) level asteroid with predicted impact in the 6 month to 1 year range what the hell do we do?