Lookout Below

Humans naturally have a short term view of things. We look forward to the weekend or our next vacation or maybe even retirement. But these events that may span our lifetime are just a blink of an eye in cosmic terms.

UniverseToday.com embarks on a journey to the end of time. Predictions include an end to humanity in about 10,000 years, end of life on Earth in about a half-million years, and destruction of our solar system (at left) in a few billion years. Eventually in about 10^100 years, the last black hole will evaporate, and all that will remain in the Universe are photons of radiation.

See the end at UniverseToday

NASA took the unusual step of issuing a press release to discount the prediction by a student astronomer of a catastrophic asteroid collision with Earth. 

The Near-Earth Object Program Office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, maintains its current estimates for the very low probability (1 in 45,000) of an Earth impact by the asteroid Apophis in 2036.  Apophis is estimated to be about 1,000 feet (320 meters) in diameter. If it were to strike Earth, Apophis would not be a planet-killer, but it could certainly generate significant regional damage and depending on where it struck, it has the potential to kill millions of people, experts say.

A young German student claims the Apophis impact probability is far higher because of the possibility of a collision with an artificial satellite during the asteroid’s close approach in April 2029.  However, NASA believes the asteroid will not pass near the main belt of geosynchronous satellites in 2029, and the chance of a collision with a satellite is exceedingly remote.

NASA Press Release