Comments on: How often do we get smacked by space rocks? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Sat, 10 Jan 2009 02:41:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Shootist http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23906 Shootist Sat, 24 Nov 2007 04:16:35 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23906 There are demonstrated impacts of 1200 (Australia) and 4800 (SSE of Madagascar) years ago. Add to this the large bolide exploding over the Laurentide Ice Sheet 12,900 years ago. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/104/41/16016 Yes, impacts are far more frequent than most believe. Anything remotely sounding of catastrophism has been kept out of journals for decades. I took one look at the 1000km2 strewn field in southern Egypt and was convinced the planet is whacked more often, and harder, than anyone guessed. 23 24 08N 27 10 55E There are demonstrated impacts of 1200 (Australia) and 4800 (SSE of Madagascar) years ago. Add to this the large bolide exploding over the Laurentide Ice Sheet 12,900 years ago.

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/104/41/16016

Yes, impacts are far more frequent than most believe. Anything remotely sounding of catastrophism has been kept out of journals for decades. I took one look at the 1000km2 strewn field in southern Egypt and was convinced the planet is whacked more often, and harder, than anyone guessed.

23 24 08N 27 10 55E

]]> By: Irishman http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23905 Irishman Fri, 17 Nov 2006 19:25:35 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23905 Poor choice on the part of Phil to pick something that doesn't have consistent sizes. But the word he said was "county", and Tim G brought up Liechtenstein, which is a count<i>r</i>y. Not the same thing. Poor choice on the part of Phil to pick something that doesn’t have consistent sizes. But the word he said was “county”, and Tim G brought up Liechtenstein, which is a country. Not the same thing.

]]> By: ABR http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23904 ABR Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:44:20 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23904 Max Al -- leaving population out of the magnitude discussion, I suppose it would depend on which county you had in mind to wipe out. At 13 square miles, Kalawao Co, Hawaii would make for a "smaller" catastrophe than Liechtenstein (62 square miles). However the median land area per county in the US is something like 620 square miles. Coconino County, Arizona where the Meteor Crater is located is a whopping 18,600+ square mile area. All I'm saying here is that country vs. county may be a slight oversimplification. Max Al — leaving population out of the magnitude discussion, I suppose it would depend on which county you had in mind to wipe out. At 13 square miles, Kalawao Co, Hawaii would make for a “smaller” catastrophe than Liechtenstein (62 square miles). However the median land area per county in the US is something like 620 square miles. Coconino County, Arizona where the Meteor Crater is located is a whopping 18,600+ square mile area. All I’m saying here is that country vs. county may be a slight oversimplification.

]]> By: Max Al http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23903 Max Al Thu, 16 Nov 2006 14:58:07 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23903 Tim G.-- "wipe out Liechtenstein" - is a countRy catastrophe. What is talked about in the article is a county - no 'R'. Smaller catastrophe, to be sure... but changes the magnitude... don't ya think. Relavent Implication is comment re: If it hit over a major city, well... Max Al Tim G.– “wipe out Liechtenstein” - is a countRy catastrophe.

What is talked about in the article is a county - no ‘R’.

Smaller catastrophe, to be sure…
but changes the magnitude…
don’t ya think.

Relavent Implication is comment re: If it hit over a major city, well…

Max Al

]]> By: Gary Ansorge http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23902 Gary Ansorge Thu, 16 Nov 2006 04:10:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23902 Tim G: That video reminds me what Warner Von Braun called the H-bomb:"Dot greaten biggen ear splitting lauden boomer,,," Cool video, but I'm sure glad it was never used in combat,,, GAry 7 Tim G: That video reminds me what Warner Von Braun called the H-bomb:”Dot greaten biggen ear splitting lauden boomer,,,”

Cool video, but I’m sure glad it was never used in combat,,,

GAry 7

]]> By: Bob http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23901 Bob Wed, 15 Nov 2006 22:55:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23901 Tsunamis aside, one aspect that over gets overlooked is the secondary effects a large impactor can have. The above comment that stated that the shock wave went 3x around the world ought to give one pause. Shockwaves bouncing (multiple times) off of fragile danger spots...Yellowstone caldera? New Madrid Fault? San Andreas? Big island of Hawaii and the Azores both have large chunks of land (with existing cracks) just waiting to slide into the ocean. Tsunamis aside, one aspect that over gets overlooked is the secondary effects a large impactor can have. The above comment that stated that the shock wave went 3x around the world ought to give one pause. Shockwaves bouncing (multiple times) off of fragile danger spots…Yellowstone caldera? New Madrid Fault? San Andreas? Big island of Hawaii and the Azores both have large chunks of land (with existing cracks) just waiting to slide into the ocean.

]]> By: Mark Martin http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23900 Mark Martin Wed, 15 Nov 2006 18:16:10 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/11/14/how-often-do-we-get-smacked-by-space-rocks/#comment-23900 “How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress.” That is so true. It reminds me of an interview I saw at least as far back as the early '90s with Steven Weinberg. It was a documentary about hunting for the Top quark, and whereas many of the run-of-the-mill scientists were all expressing hope that it would be verified soon, Weinberg said something more to the effect of, "What a lot of us are hoping for is that the Top quark won't be found, either where it's predicted or at all. That way we'll have a failure of the Standard Model, and we'll have something as a guide so we can make a better theory." That's a class-act. “How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress.”

That is so true. It reminds me of an interview I saw at least as far back as the early ’90s with Steven Weinberg. It was a documentary about hunting for the Top quark, and whereas many of the run-of-the-mill scientists were all expressing hope that it would be verified soon, Weinberg said something more to the effect of, “What a lot of us are hoping for is that the Top quark won’t be found, either where it’s predicted or at all. That way we’ll have a failure of the Standard Model, and we’ll have something as a guide so we can make a better theory.”

That’s a class-act.

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