Curious Folks Ask 2: 188 Real Answers on Our Fellow Creatures, Our Planet, and Beyond

Chapter 8. Far out

Deep impact

Not long ago, I read that a humongous asteroid was headed toward Earth within the next five years. The article, quoting a renowned scientist, warned that time was running out to either blast it to pieces or deflect it because it would take years to develop and build the solution. I’ve seen no follow-up on this information. Are our statesmen burying their heads in the sand and hoping for the best?

The risk of Earth being hit by a comet or asteroid (collectively referred to as near Earth objects, or NEOs) large enough to cause regional or global devastation is real, not a Hollywood invention. It has happened many times in Earth’s history, most recently in 1908 when an NEO exploded over Siberia and leveled a ...