Posted on 03/23/2017 5:44:02 AM PDT by C19fan
That is a concept that is fairly common in science fiction. A very small nudge on a body very far away will move it enough to be no threat. You can put a solar sail on an asteroid, for example, and over time the course change will be significant. However, on bodies that far away, it is difficult to predict if they are a threat or if we are nudging them into a path that threatens us.
Interesting. Could we not intercept material by going outside the ort cloud? Viking is out there already, is it not?
I play it safe and don’t go out a night when it’s in the visible sky.
Yeah, and still going. Dono if it is sending anything back any more. If it finds something NASA will probably get the word out.
It may have already happened. Think about it.
Depends where the spin axis is oriented—GRB.
Near term danger is probably the Apollo asteroids because they are known to cross earth's path every so often.
From Wiki:
Due to misunderstandings caused by the 2009 publication of the star’s 15% contraction, apparently of its outer atmosphere, Betelgeuse has frequently been the subject of scare stories and rumors suggesting that it will explode within a year, leading to exaggerated claims about the consequences of such an event. The timing and prevalence of these rumors have been linked to broader misconceptions of astronomy, particularly to doomsday predictions relating to the Mayan calendar. Betelgeuse is not likely to produce a gamma-ray burst and is not close enough for its x-rays, ultraviolet radiation, or ejected material to cause significant effects on Earth.
“Hope it’s not the same day that Yellowstone blows.”
And the New Madrid goes off at the same time.
Understanding that the debris may be traveling 10% or so of the speed of light, Gamma rays travel AT the speed of light, still HUNDREDS of years out when it happens. still nothing to worry about.
The point is that we would learn about the event at the same time the gamma rays arrived.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.