Many asteroids are heading towards Earth

Don’t look now – but we’re currently seeing a string of stories about an impending global catastrophe. But, altering reports of epidemics and climate change, this global catastrophe is caused by the impact of a giant asteroid. or the offender. or both. This may sound ominous given recent events. Filme da Netflix “Don’t Look” The planet Earth is threatened by a “planet killer” asteroid.

But how worried are we really — and what would happen if we really hit that body?

My experience shows that killer asteroids tend to strike in the summer months when the news on Earth is bad. Perhaps we are so tired of the grim news about the spread of the COVID variant omicron and the problems associated with it that a deadly (or comet) asteroid can make a refreshing change.

Some British newspapers turned to Nostradamus, the astrologer in the 16th century. A couple published stories in late 2021, and 2022 was the year Nostradamus predicted the world would end. Giant collision with an alien object. This hook contains programmed organisms that may (or likely not) come close to Earth in 2022.

My favorite list was published in Al Shams newspaper, Who described five asteroids It goes to Earth only in January.

The frightening headline and the accompanying image of the Earth in clear danger somewhat distorted the following phrases in the image, as the newspaper stated that “all asteroids expected this year will pass Earth at a great distance and are unlikely” to collide with Earth. planet. “We have already missed (or missed) the first two asteroids on this list (2021 YQ and 2021 YX) that hit Earth on January 5 at distances of 1.3 and 2.4 million miles, respectively.

No, I haven’t noticed them either – and I’m studying asteroids. Three more asteroids are expected to pass between 1 million and 5 million miles from Earth in the coming days, ranging in size from the size of a car to the Statue of Liberty. The person who gets the closest point will still be four times farther from the moon, so no points are too close.

Doesn’t it look realistic?

Don’t look for an allegory, it uses the global catastrophic impact of the “planet killer” to the global catastrophic impact of climate change. It is a tale of corruption, corruption, and political and institutional self-interest that is put before the health and well-being of humanity. It’s also very funny

Without excluding too many spoilers, the plot revolves around two astronomers (a graduate student and her professor) who discover a comet that will collide with Earth in six months. They try to tell the President of the United States (played wonderfully by Meryl Streep), but she is more interested in the midterm elections.

The film satirizes right-wing American politics, the impact of donations to political parties on politics (and politicians), and the growing ability of modern technology to gather information about health, habits, and lifestyle and the use of that information by tech giants. . .

However, he does not make fun of science: the discovery of a comet (half) is real. It should have been since then Amy Mainzer, Principal Investigator NASAFrom new ways Asteroid Tracking Program, was a production science consultant. In the movie, astronomers present their findings to Planetary Defense Coordination OfficeWhich, as seen in the movie, is a real organization run by NASA.

Is the movie realistic? Earth was hit by big asteroids in the past – which is why there are no giant dinosaurs roaming the planet today. It is bombarded every day with tons of dust and meteors. The Planet Killer is sure to be written in the future (although it happens at most once every 50 million years) – and international governments take this much more seriously than it appears in the movie.

over there Well tested protocol To report on new asteroids and comets, here’s what we know about those that passed near Earth this month.

There are also plans to Mitigating potential consequences From an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. This often depends on the distraction of the asteroid’s path, because trying to bring it down at the last moment is futile – it will consume a lot of energy. The November launch of NASA’s DART mission, a technical test mission, will help highlight how best to fend off Earth-threatening asteroids.

But where the “no-look” program really touches the nail is the lack of preparedness for an emergency if (when) it finally occurs and mitigation plans fail. I go back here to the history of climate change. There is no plan B. In the movie, the motto “Don’t Look For” is a denial that a comet is about to destroy the planet – portrayed as fake news.

I think it’s a great movie. It is entertainment. But it’s not fake news. We are a global community and we must work together.

Written by Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open University.

This article was first published in conversation.