Will An Asteroid Destroy The World As We Know It?

By James Donahue

An asteroid, this time a granddaddy of all space rocks, was recently discovered racing into our solar system and for a while some thought it might be on a possible collision course with Earth.

And the doomsday prophets were thinking that this flying bolder, measuring about 800 meters wide, may be the thing that destroys the world as we know it. That will not be the case, at least this time around. Its earliest fly-by is June 21, 2008. This massive rock, code named 2006 HZ51, gets another crack at it in 2036. And it continues to circle in a wide trajectory that keeps bringing it within range of our planet at regular intervals thereafter.

So how much of a danger is 2006 HZ51? Astronomers who study such things say the odds of impact now stand at one in six million, which makes it quite low. But that one chance lingers as a probable doomsday scenario that some folks can’t ignore.

The asteroid watchers have identified another big rock, this one named 99942 Apophis, as yet another possible disaster in the year 2029, or in 2036. It is a rock measuring 390 meters wide. Careful mathematics has shown that this rock will miss the Earth in 2029, but they have not ruled out 2036. It has an estimated impact-probability of one in 5,560, which is slightly more dangerous than 2006 HZ51. But not much.

Interesting to note that both asteroids appear to be on a possible collision course with our planet in the same year, 2036. That is just 30 years away.

The comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 made a recent close fly-by as it passed through our solar system. Astronomers said the comet fell apart when it passed us in 1995 so it returned in three parts. And because it came as close as six million miles, some warned that parts of this comet might strike Earth causing terrible destruction. Their warnings failed to materialize.

So what would happen if one of those big rocks actually hits the earth?

NASA estimates the energy of the biggest asteroid, Apophis, at 850 megatons, would be extremely destructive. The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, one of the most violent volcanic blasts in known history, was roughly 200 megatons. And that was enough to blow ash into the stratosphere and affect global weather patterns for about a year.

Scientists say an asteroid’s impact could vary, depending on the angle that it comes in at, and while it could do a lot of damage where ever it strikes, it is unlikely to have long lasting global effects, as depicted in recent Hollywood films.

So why has there been so much concern about asteroid and comet strikes in recent years?

There is a growing awareness, at least on a subconscious level, that the Earth is dying and that the human race is now rushing toward extinction. It is known subconsciously, although few people are willing to speak about it on a conscious level.

Because of the way the subconscious consciousness works, everybody senses that something is coming, but they haven’t identified just what it is. The Christians perceive of this event as the Second Coming of Christ and the rapture of the saints. Others are having visions of the world in flames. And armies of the world are gearing up for a global war.

The problem has been the reckless overpopulation of our planet, and the industrialization of the major nations. We have carelessly ravaged the world’s natural resources and foolishly dumped toxic chemicals and human waste in open streams and lakes. We have polluted our soil, our water and our air.

Because we failed to be good stewards and keep the covenent our planet is now dying and there is very little that can be done about that.

This is what the masses are sensing. But they are still refusing to identify the problem. Most people would rather blame an asteroid for what is about to happen instead of ourselves.

--January 2007