A more detailed report can be found here which includes the video clip of the strike. :)
Astronomers were excited by the 1994 Shoemaker-Levy event because they had never seen an impact before. But there have now been three more impacts in the past four years. I doubt they're popping champagne[ see video at 43/44 mins.] over these events anymore.
voyageur said:
Yeah, I don't know why some reports keep saying it was a 'small asteroid' that hit Jupiter, as if to try to minimize it. But if you think about it for half a second, if it was small and it did that then we are screwed! And if it was large we are equally screwed!
This also puts a new perspective on the size of such comets and whether NASA is being honest about it. If I remember correctly, James McCanney estimated the comet Shoemaker-Levy to be the size of our Moon from the impact on Jupiter. If this were even remotely true, we may be dealing with planet-sized comets and their fragments would be huge.
QuantumLogic
Jedi
Windmill knight said:
If the general public knew things that large and powerful were in our vicinity, the control system would break down very quickly since there is nothing we know that exists that could stop/prevent an impact that enormous. It really makes you wonder- the largest objects made public on the NEO list at NASA are only 3-4km diameter, when clearly there are MUCH larger objects out there that dwarf anything we are told about. Just imagining the moon or something of similar size hitting the Earth is rather sobering.
D
Deleted member 8431
Guest
Windmill knight said:
Considering the size of the thing, if that had to hit earth, I wouldn't put too much faith in the survival of the human race.
I would also not rely on NASA too much for that kind of information. I feel that they are even struggling at trying to cover up all the activity (them and perhaps many more). But fortunately for us, we have this forum and SOTT.
Thanks guys for all the great work.
And Happy Birthday Laura!
