City-killing asteroid won't hit Earth in 2052 after all

An asteroid predicted to hit Earth in 2052 has, for now, been removed from the European Space Agency's list of rocks to be worried about. Asteroid 2021 QM1 was described by ESA as "the riskiest asteroid known to humankind," at least among asteroids discovered in the past year. QM1 was spotted in August 2021 by Arizona-based …

[heyrick]

Alright nerds, that's 30 years in which to come up with a way to drop this thing on Slough...

[ShadowSystems]

Hey! No fair!

I called dibbs on having it land on Washington DC so it could potentially wipe out that hive of scum & villany. Failing that, wiping out Los Angeles, California would have the result of turning the MPAA & RIAA into smoking glassy craters, so that's got to count in it's favour, right?

/s? *Cough*

[TeeCee]

Re: Hey! No fair!

Yes, but you'd have to pay for that.

If you start a project to aim it at Slough, you can get funding from the urban regeneration budget.

[David 132]

"Come, friendly bombs asteroid and fall on Slough...

...I haven't practiced its pronunciation enough."

[Ian Bush]

Genius! Have one of these

[Boris the Cockroach]

Aim it

at Basingstoke... nothing of value will be damaged

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: Aim it

Liz Hurley used to be there

“Hampshire is a lovely county and I have good memories of Basingstoke. I went to Kempshott Infant School followed by Kempshott Junior School and then the Harriet Costello School, which sounds frightfully grand."

https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/people/celebrity-interviews/elizabeth-hurley-on-her-basingstoke-childhood-7249580

[Cynical Pie]

Re: Aim it

Further proof of Boris the Cockroach's claim that Basingstoke has nothing of value

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Aim it

Boris? Are you confusing Liz Hurley with Liz Truss perchance?

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: Aim it

Truss hails from Leeds.

Hurley is a Hampshire lass

[Jim Mitchell]

Giant Meteor confirms it will not be on the ballot in 2052, many disappointed.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Johnson is saying he'll still be PM by then

[wolfetone]

Fair play to the asteroid

Never let it be said that asteroids don't care. They can see the shit we're in at the moment, and are well aware we will rip ourselves apart long before the asteroid even knocks on our door.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: Fair play to the asteroid

It's not space rocks that we (and especially Ukraine) has to be worried about right now - it's Putin's rockets

[Neil Barnes]

Re: Fair play to the asteroid

Wouldn't it be ironic if the official Hollywood way to solve an asteroid impact crisis - the atomic powers combine to blow the thing to bits - failed because the Russians had foolishly used all their rockets up?

[wolfetone]

Re: Fair play to the asteroid

They can't even put proper tyres on their trucks or look after their aircraft carriers, I doubt they've looked after those rockets.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Fair play to the asteroid

Someone was selling Russian nuclear missile launch keys on Ebay at one point. I'm not sure they would even have the keys to launch the things if they tried.

At the gun shows here in the US there was always a booth or two with a few shady looking Russian guys selling all kinds of cool military hardware (night vision stuff, etc.). It was all supposed to be "surplus". I guess we all know where it was really coming from now. Just as well for the Ukrainians that so much stuff was sold out the back door, as they say...

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Fair play to the asteroid

FWIW, much Russian military "surplus" comes via conscripts. They get paid a pittance and have to pay for their "accommodation" which is often very, very poor. It's been suggested that was the reason for the stalled convoy heading for Kyiv. They sold the fuel and spares.

[Claptrap314]

These guys need to up their game.

No one's going to take them seriously until they knock 40 of those off the list...

[AnotherName]

Observational effect

"The more the asteroid was observed, the greater that risk became"

So stop looking at it and all will be fine.

[TimMaher]

Re: Stop looking at it.

Exactly. Don’t look up.

[Anonymous Coward]

an expert said...

"We can safely say that the riskiest asteroid known to humankind in the last year will not strike – at least not for the next century,"

or next year... or next week... or tomorrow.... oh $#!+, that wasn't just a speak of dust on the screen!

[The Oncoming Scorn]

Re: an expert said...

Holly: Well, the thing about a black hole - its main distinguishing feature - is it's black. And the thing about space, the colour of space, your basic space colour, is black. So how are you supposed to see them?

[hatti]

Phew !! close one.

[Trollslayer]

Turn around.

[David 132]

Obligatory Pratchett quote…

‘Ye gods,' he said, under his breath. ‘The Mayor of Quirm has been struck by a meteorite . . . again.'

'Can that happen?' said Sacharissa.

'Apparently. This is from Mr Pune at the council offices there. Sensible chap, not much imagination. He says that this time it was waiting for the mayor in an alley…'

[Mike 137]

Not this one but maybe sooner

"One such larger asteroid was discovered in 2013 by Russia's space agency, and is being observed as it may hit in 2032"

So we might not have to wait the extra 20 years after all.

[Toni the terrible]

Hot Rocks

If it hit Russia Putin would claim it was a first strike by Ukraine and justify using all his ABC box of tricks on the perfidious West - should he be still alive....

When we all know these are threats by the Aliens, who move them out of the way after we have seen them.

[John Brown (no body)]

2052

I'll be 90 years old that year. After the life I've lead, I'll be lucky to be sat in a wingback chair in the care home drooling down my vest. I doubt I'll care about soom fookin asteroid. Nurse! I need more asteroid cream, they're getting itchy again.