View Single Post
@_@ Artman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Philly
 
2009-08-13, 10:56

I recall (honestly I do) reading an 2004 AP release that Nasa gave a press conference to announce that there was an asteroid heading perilously to Earth.

Incredibly, this announcement coincided with the Indian Ocean earthquake which:

Quote:
The shift of mass and the massive release of energy very slightly altered the Earth's rotation. The exact amount is not yet known, but theoretical models suggest the earthquake shortened the length of a day by 2.68 microseconds, due to a decrease in the oblateness of the Earth.[26] It also caused the Earth to minutely "wobble" on its axis by up to 2.5 cm (1 in) in the direction of 145° east longitude,[27] or perhaps by up to 5 or 6 cm (2.0 to 2.4 in).[28] However, because of tidal effects of the Moon, the length of a day increases at an average of 15 µs per year, so any rotational change due to the earthquake will be lost quickly. Similarly, the natural Chandler wobble of the Earth, which in some cases can be up to 15 m (50 ft), will eventually offset the minor wobble produced by the earthquake.
Before the press conference Nasa recalculated the asteroid's path with this new data and realized that it was enough to alter their impact data.

So no killer asteroid.

I have searched high and low for this and nothing returns with that AP release or with Nasa announcing this revelation (including this Wikipedia link).

Was this all bullshit?

"I always question the received reality. The consensus reality is often intentionally misleading." - George Carlin
  quote