We're all doomed

[jjb1970]

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/national/death-star-could-send-huge-haul-of-comets-towards-earth/ar-AAr5a7r?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=HPCDHP

 

What could this do to house prices?

[ian]

Hmm.

 

"While the risk of Gisele 710 poses to Earth is unclear, we do know that in about four billion years, the Milky Way will collide with our neighboring galaxy Andromeda. When this happens the consequences will be catastrophic..."

 

A shame really, as I might just have got the layout finished by then.

[Dunsignalling]

###### Sapiens  The human race will have wiped out life on earth (including itself) long before that happens.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Dunsignalling

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

The prediction is entirely unreliable. Tiny errors in the starting conditions and small variations in effects along the way make the projected outcome just one of a host of possibilities. But whatever happens, we know that a Daily Mail journo has already filed a report that it was all the fault of the European Union.

[Horsetan]

###### Sapiens  The human race will have wiped out life on earth (including itself) long before that happens.

Be careful what you wish for.

[Oldddudders]

I am 68 years old. 69 in mid-November if I get that far. I have no children. What happens to Planet Earth in millions of years is of limited concern, frankly. But the risk of humanity screwing it all up is very real. 

[Tony_S]

###### Sapiens  The human race will have wiped out life on earth (including itself) long before that happens.

I am 68 years old. 69 in mid-November if I get that far. I have no children. What happens to Planet Earth in millions of years is of limited concern, frankly. But the risk of humanity screwing it all up is very real.

 

Well if a web profanity filter doesn't allow our species to be named we are definitely screwed up...

[Guy Rixon]

The prediction is entirely unreliable. Tiny errors in the starting conditions and small variations in effects along the way make the projected outcome just one of a host of possibilities. But whatever happens, we know that a Daily Mail journo has already filed a report that it was all the fault of the European Union.

 

 

Haven't read the preprint yet, but the current prediction must be based on Gaia Data Release 1 (DR1) as DR2 isn't out yet. The proper motions in DR1 are all based on TGAS (Google it if you're interested), so not the best Gaia can do. The calculation should get better with Gaia DR2 and better again with DR3, as we get to measure the proper motion from Gaia data alone. By end of mission we should have a much better projection of future stellar encounters, both more accurate for the near future and going deeper into the future.

[Baby Deltic]

Bloody Palpetine! Up to his old Death Star tricks again!

[TheSignalEngineer]

Don't worry, Donald will sign an Executive Order declaring it to be Fake News so we need not be concerned.

[tamperman36]

So in America, Mr Trump will blame it on the Chinese and then once he realises its coming from outer space it will become fake news. Then on the other side the North Korean's will blame the western world and fire several missiles at it, and in the mean time the boffins will sit there with there computers trying to work out if anything will servive other than the cockroaches.

[jjb1970]

I must say, this has really cheered me up and put the wind right back in my sails. I mean if the world is doomed anyway there's no point worrying about global warming and all that, so we can all go back to driving V8 muscle cars with an average 0f 10mpg burning extra leaded petrol, heating our homes to a warm and toasty 25C in winter and getting through 16 aerosols using CFC propellants a day and not feel guilty about it. I'm going to go out and burn down a few trees just to celebrate the return of good living made possible by this news.

[Legend]

You just know it. Bachmann finally bring out their singing and dancing class 158, then wallop..........hit on the head by a Comet .

Edited September 1, 2017 by Legend

[Ozexpatriate]

Makes you wonder just how many mass extinction events that organic life on this planet will face before the sun enters it's red giant phase perhaps five billion years or so from now.

[tomparryharry]

You just know it. Bachmann finally bring out their singing and dancing class 158, then wallop..........hit on the head by a Comet .

Are Comet having a sale, then? Oh good, Mrs Smith wants a fridge.

[Al51]

Are Comet having a sale, then? Oh good, Mrs Smith wants a fridge.

In 1.3 million years time the DFS sale will be nearly finished!

 

Al

[Mad McCann]

Of course, by the time this issue appears, mankind may have evolved into a species of pure thought and may have the capacity to telekinetically shoo the offending comets away from the Earth with an enormous collective 'OMMM...'

 

Dave. 

[jjb1970]

Of course, by the time this issue appears, mankind may have evolved into a species of pure thought and may have the capacity to telekinetically shoo the offending comets away from the Earth with an enormous collective 'OMMM...'

 

Dave.

Either that or we'll still be watching a super cyber Jeremy Kyle after having been enslaved by AI robots.

[tamperman36]

2 words

 

 

OH B######S !

[Dunsignalling]

Be careful what you wish for.

Mathematical probability, nothing more.

 

We are forever inventing more efficient ways of destroying life and the few mechanisms devised for saving us from ourselves are pretty ineffectual.

 

John

[Dunsignalling]

In 1.3 million years time the DFS sale will be nearly finished!

 

Al

Not until the Tuesday after the Bank Holiday, though..........

[Ceptic]

Mathematical probability, nothing more.

 

We are forever inventing more efficient ways of destroying life and the few mechanisms devised for saving us from ourselves are pretty ineffectual.

 

John

 

The cake (Earth) has only so many slices for everyone. (Some more greedy than others)

I'm guessing it it will be waaaaay before 2017 + 1.3 million years have passed, that we notice we are all 'down to the crumbs'.

[letterspider]

I am surprised this hasn't been mentioned in Bargain Hunters yet..

[The Stationmaster]

The prediction is entirely unreliable. Tiny errors in the starting conditions and small variations in effects along the way make the projected outcome just one of a host of possibilities. But whatever happens, we know that a Daily Mail journo has already filed a report that it was all the fault of the European Union.

 

It was in the online edition of The Daily Wail about a week ago.  Apart from getting the name wrong (the DM called Gliese in one place) it was the usual story of 12 year olds writing in atrocious English about something they didn't really understand but the readers' comments generally showed even less understanding (a bit like some of the threads on RMweb in some respects I suppose      ).

[The Stationmaster]

In 1.3 million years time the DFS sale will be nearly finished!

 

Al

Now that really is completely improbable.