[mewzilla]

Um, you might want to check out the title :) Has the little devil sped up?

[bedolido]

Relative Article:


Fancy a punt that life on earth will be wiped out in the next 10 years?

Well the odds are good at 909,000/1.

The only drawback is that you won't be around to pick up your winnings.

The astronomical odds are offered by bookmakers William Hill.

It was prompted by news that scientists believe an asteroid may hit Planet Earth on March 21, 2004.

The newly-discovered danger, known as 2003 QQ47, is around two-thirds of a mile wide and has been classified as "an event meriting careful monitoring" by astronomers.

But the fact you won't be around to collect your cash has not deterred one punter from having a flutter.

"One customer who placed a bet on the world ending said that he would collect his winnings in Heaven," said William Hill spokesman Graham Hill.

Now the bookmaker has opened a book on a whole range of unlikely events occurring, all at odds of 909,000/1.

They include glamour girl Jordan becoming Queen, Michael Jackson having a head transplant and Tony Blair being abducted by aliens.

[KansasConservative1]

Someone has "sexed up" the dossier!

on March 21, 2014.

[BluH2o]

2014 is ten years down the road from 2004 ... I'm sure you knew that, right?

[Publius6961]

March 21, 2004?

Can't we be a bit more specific?

Time and location, please.

[montag813]

Hillary is hoping the asteroid hits New Hampshire.

[Dead Corpse]

Just Damn.

We're all gonna die.

Where's Bruce Willis when you need him.... ;-)

[Cold Heat]

I await it's arrival!

I wonder if it will be a slow news day when it comes.

[Constitution Day]

Aaaaaah!! The atmosphere!! AAAAAAH!!!

[Tamzee]

No worries... These guys have it covered :-)

[Izzy Dunne]

I don't get it.
The title says 2004.
The first article says 2014.
The 2nd (unsourced) article says 2004.
What does "fancy a punt" mean???

IS ANYONE DRIVING THIS BUS?

[aruanan]

Asteroid may hit Planet Earth on March 21, 2004.

Scientists monitoring an asteroid have warned it could collide with Earth in just over a decade.

One of these things is not like the other. One of these things is not the same.

[.cnI redruM]

Just another reason to build and deploy NMD...

[mhking]

From Space.com:

Asteroid Given Slight Odds of Hitting Earth in 2014


A newfound asteroid has a 1-in-909,000 chance of hitting Earth in the year 2014 based on limited observations of its current path, astronomers said over the weekend. Those odds are likely to evaporate as more is learned about the object's trajectory.



In all similar cases in the past, the chances of a large rock hitting the planet have been reduced to zero when more data was collected. Meanwhile, astronomers gave asteroid 2003 QQ47 a rating of 1 on the Torino hazard scale, meaning it merits "careful monitoring." The scale runs from zero to 10 and only objects rated 8 and above -- none ever have been -- represent certain collisions.



Asteroid 2003 QQ47 is about three-quarters of a mile wide (1.2 kilometers), large enough to cause widespread regional catastrophe and even global damage were it to impact Earth. Most researchers believe large impacts in Earth's history have contributed to severe climate change and even the elimination of some plant and animal species.



The newly discovered rock is classified as a Near Earth Object (NEO). Its orbit was calculated based on 51 observations over seven days. It was discovered Aug. 24 by the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research Program (LINEAR), in Socorro, New Mexico.



"As additional observations are made over the coming months, and the uncertainties decrease, asteroid 2003 QQ47 is likely to drop down the Torino scale," said Kevin Yates, project manager for the UK NEO Information Center.



A press release by the NEO Information Center has contributed to headlines about 2003 QQ47 in media around the world this morning. Similar scenarios in the past have fueled public concern and even fear prior to an object being determined harmless.

[bert]

ping for chatastrophists

[stevem]

Look, this is exactly what you would expect and fits perfectly with ALL the global warming models.

[Frapster]

It says that were it to hit the earth it would be traveling at over 75,000 mph. I don't buy it. The asteroid in the movie 'Deep Impact' was traveling much slower than that.

[music_code]

Can someone tell me why the reason for the extinction of the dinosaurs is always assumed to be a large asteroid hitting the earth millions of years ago, in spite of no evidence...when in fact, the Biblical Flood of Noah offers a much more compelling answer as to why they died out?

The existence of dinosaur fossils worldwide points strongly to sudden burial via huge amounts of water and sediment, which is exactly what happens in a flood.

[CougarGA7]

When does the Mayan calender end again?

[verity]

Thanks!

I made a notation in my daily planner to leave that date open.