Armageddon?

[Kovu]

Watching it now. Love the film by the way, makes me cry.

But could it happen?

 

[Moose]

Turn over and watch Lee Mack

 

[buggi]

i'm watching King Kong. Love the film. Makes me cry. But... Could it happen?

 

[longers]

Which one is that? The one with Aerosmith on the soundtrack?

 

[marinyork]

Which particular aspect are you asking about?

 

[Kovu]

Aerosmith. Yeah just playing that track now.

buggi. Is it the new one on itv2 and yeah it could happen, what about mighty joe young?

 

[longers]

Ah, if it's that one then I don't know the answer.

 

[Kovu]

Which particular aspect are you asking about?

Blowing the big rock up.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I'm watching/listening to Randy Newman on BBC4... It did happen. Bollocks to trashy movies...

 

[buggi]

yea, that's the one Kovu. it makes me cry when he dies

 

[Night Train]

I think the prospect of climate change is far more scary and certainly likely. The more I research about it the scarier it gets and the more likely it seems it will all go wrong.

 

[buggi]

we're all doomed dont cha know! i'm off to the see the polar bears before they die

 

[marinyork]

Blowing the big rock up.

It seems possible to split an asteroid but it would have to be intercepted much earlier. It is not regarded as a good idea generally in discussions as much of the energy would be used in breaking up the comet/asteroid. If you had several pieces smashing into earth in different places it could actually do more not less damage e.g. Comet Schumacher-Levy 9. Alternatives have been suggested that are more credible like using powerful thermonuclear weapons to blow the asteroid off course from a position far out or painting one side of the asteroid white.

 

[Night Train]

Depending on how solid the asteriod was it would be better to slowly push it off course over a long period of time then to try and blow it up. Potential for damage would depend on how big it is, how fast it is going, if it strikes with a glancing blow or a direct hit and if it hit on land or in the sea.

However, to try to deflect one first we would have to see it long before it hit us.

 

[longers]

How would painting one side of it white help?
Question asked from position of complete ignorance.
It makes me think that that will help/make it veer off course somehow but I haven't a clue how. Please enlighten .