Asteroid 2024 YR4 Will Narrowly Miss Earth… For Now
The world’s population can rest easy. Asteroid 2024 YR4 will likely miss Earth when it passes near our planet on Dec. 22, 2032. Although astronomers never considered a collision likely, concerns at NASA increased when the likelihood of impact reached 3 percent last month. Trajectory forecasts corrected twice during the next several weeks, but astronomers are now confident in their zero percent probability of the city-killer striking Earth. While the asteroid doesn’t rival the dinosaur killer that struck Earth 65 million years ago, the 300-wide celestial slingshot would likely surpass Hiroshima’s atomic blast radius while killing millions of people.
Could Humans Survive an Asteroid Impact?
Understanding humanity’s survival rate following an asteroid impact is unknown. We’ve never tested the theory, although three people likely died when an asteroid exploded above Tunguska in 1908. Asteroids apparently have a thing for Russians as the former Soviet state dodged another orbiting bullet a a smaller asteroid exploded over Chelyabinsk in 2013, creating a large flash caught on countless dashboard cameras – the Russians are paranoid about insurance fraud, thus necessitating constant video footage to back up insidious claims – and shattering windows within 200 square miles. Most space debris burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere before making contact with the Earth, but larger asteroids could smash through the troposphere before cratering in the third rock from the sun – thankfully Earth is 70 percent water.
Humans could survive an asteroid impact if they shelter underground minutes before a direct strike. Underground shelters with support systems, like climate control, pressurization, and electrical hookups could prolong humans’ tethered existence for several months, although their responsibility for rebuilding civilization would be negate such life-saving measures unless a willingness to repopulate to planet is high on their accelerationist’s agenda. Although discussing ‘Doomsday’ scenarios helps kill time at the office, such rhetoric is met with more jeers than cogent follow-ups.
Preparing for More Dangerous Threats Than Asteroid 2024 YR4
If you’re thinking of making any poor life decisions, like spending wildly before filing for bankruptcy or impulsively marrying your best friend before embarking on a decades-long crime spree based on Asteroid 2024 YR4, you should think again. Apocalyptic news stories are good for clicks, but seldom nothing else, as the dry science and reasoning deflates the overblown hype. Still, the irrational asteroid fear is enough for many to reconsider more common terrestrial threats, like tornadoes and burglaries. Tornado Alley is widening, placing millions of people into storm-prone communities woefully unprepared for Mother Nature’s most destructive force. Our panelized safe room kits and aboveground tornado shelters can protect families with an affordable reprieve from life’s growing storms. Although prepping for doomsday assuages frayed nerves subconsciously originating from the visceral loss-of-control feeling and existential doom that envelops us all, sensible storm protection gives your family more than a fighting chance against Earth’s more dangerous and common storms.