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2007-02-23
Britney Back in RehabEgypt nabs suspected terrorist5-year sentence Tongsun ParkU.S. Troops Bust Poison Gas FactoryTerror suspect 'will be tortured' if deportedTrain blasts: Probe reveals new detailsS.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom Says Alcohol Affected Job
Posted by:Fred

#10  FOTSGreg jeeps man where you get the catastrophe calculator?
Posted by: Shipman   2007-02-23 22:16  

#9  Not to worry! I heard it's only 300m across and will land in the middle of Iran.
Posted by: gorb   2007-02-23 17:51  

#8  That's FOTSGreg for ya: always looking at the bright side!
Posted by: USN, Ret.   2007-02-23 16:20  

#7  If an asteroid the size of Alaska did impact the Earth germs or bacteria would be the absolute least of our worries,

From http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/

Your Inputs:
Distance from Impact: 19320.00 km = 11997.72 miles
Projectile Diameter: 2414010.00 m = 7917952.80 ft = 1499.10 miles
Projectile Density: 1500 kg/m3
Impact Velocity: 17.00 km/s = 10.56 miles/s
Impact Angle: 45 degrees
Target Density: 1000 kg/m3
Target Type: Liquid Water of depth 1000.00 meters, over typical rock.

Energy:
Energy before atmospheric entry: 1.60 x 1030 Joules = 3.81 x 1014 MegaTons TNT
The average interval between impacts of this size is longer than the Earth's age.
Such impacts could only occur during the accumulation of the Earth, between 4.5 and 4 billion years ago.

Major Global Changes:
The Earth is not strongly disturbed by the impact and loses negligible mass.
The impact does not make a noticeable change in the Earth's rotation period or the tilt of its axis.
The impact does not shift the Earth's orbit noticeably.

Crater Dimensions:

The crater opened in the water has a diameter of 5830 km = 3620 miles

For the crater formed in the seafloor:
Transient Crater Diameter: 3560 km = 2210 miles
Transient Crater Depth: 1260 km = 782 miles

Final Crater Diameter: 10400 km = 6440 miles
Final Crater Depth: 4.79 km = 2.97 miles

The final crater is replaced by a large, circular melt province.
The volume of the target melted or vaporized is 1e+10 km3 = 2.41e+09 miles3
Melt volume = 1.7 times the crater volume
At this size, the crater forms in its own melt pool.

Thermal Radiation:

Time for maximum radiation: 1380 seconds after impact

Your position is inside the fireball.
The fireball appears 126 times larger than the sun
Thermal Exposure: 7.02 x 1011 Joules/m2
Duration of Irradiation: 304000 seconds
Radiant flux (relative to the sun): 2310

Effects of Thermal Radiation:


Clothing ignites

Much of the body suffers third degree burns

Newspaper ignites

Plywood flames

Deciduous trees ignite

Grass ignites


Seismic Effects:
What does this mean?


The major seismic shaking will arrive at approximately 3860 seconds.
Richter Scale Magnitude: 14.4 (This is greater than any earthquake in recorded history)
Mercalli Scale Intensity at a distance of 19320 km:

IX. General panic. Damage considerable in specially designed structures; well-designed frame structures thrown out of plumb. Damage great in substantial buildings, with partial collapse. Buildings shifted off foundations. Serious damage to reservoirs. Underground pipes broken. Conspicuous cracks in ground. In alluviated areas sand and mud ejected, earthquake fountains, sand craters.

X. Most masonry and frame structures destroyed with their foundations. Some well-built wooden structures and bridges destroyed. Serious damage to dams, dikes, embankments. Large landslides. Water thrown on banks of canals, rivers, lakes, etc. Sand and mud shifted horizontally on beaches and flat land. Rails bent slightly.


Ejecta:
What does this mean?


Little rocky ejecta reaches this site; fallout is dominated by condensed vapor from the projectile.


Air Blast:

The air blast will arrive at approximately 58500 seconds.
Peak Overpressure: 1.38e+07 Pa = 138 bars = 1970 psi
Max wind velocity: 2980 m/s = 6670 mph
Sound Intensity: 143 dB (Dangerously Loud)
Damage Description:


Multistory wall-bearing buildings will collapse.

Wood frame buildings will almost completely collapse.

Multistory steel-framed office-type buildings will suffer extreme frame distortion, incipient collapse.

Highway truss bridges will collapse.

Highway girder bridges will collapse.

Glass windows will shatter.

Cars and trucks will be largely displaced and grossly distorted and will require rebuilding before use.

Up to 90 percent of trees blown down; remainder stripped of branches and leaves.

ie Your position is inside the fireball.

Buh Bye!

This is not just a dinosaur killer, it is a planet killer. The other side of the planet (12 thousand miles away from the point of impact) is inside the fireball.

All life on the surface of the planet is gone.

There's no known asteroid of this size within 1-2 years striking distance of this planet. Something this size would have been located, tracked, and identified by amatuer and professional astronomers alike long, long ago.

I do like Rita though.


Posted by: FOTSGreg   2007-02-23 14:52  

#6  It's nice that you can see Rita and Grace in the sme screen. Not. Even. Close.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2007-02-23 10:39  

#5  Giant Meteor Heading Toward Earth Covered in Germs

Joe!
Posted by: KBK   2007-02-23 10:37  

#4  meteor labeled ZG-7134 by NASA will impact Earth on March 21, 2008.

Where will Hillary be campaigning on that day? Just askin'.
Posted by: Jonathan   2007-02-23 09:31  

#3  Someone must be interfering with Ceres orbit, maybe not since that's Texas sized. Download Stellarium and run to the date.

SPoD there's Linux version.
Posted by: Shipman   2007-02-23 06:40  

#2  Joe, that would be an asteroid. A meteor refers to sizes not bigger than an oversized boulder. Nothing on NASA.

I like the precise info though: March 21, 2008 at 11:16 am ET. At least I'll will be awake so won't miss the fireworks. ;-)
Posted by: twobyfour   2007-02-23 03:01  

#1  FARK.com > BBSPOT > ALaska-sized?, Germs-filed? meteor labeled ZG-7134 by NASA will impact Earth on March 21, 2008. Can't be RITA's fault, must be Britney's???
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2007-02-23 01:50  

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