'Lost' asteroid could hit Earth

by Geraint Smith, Science Correspondent
At least one potentially dangerous asteroid is being discovered every night and the rate is increasing rapidly.

More than 300 asteroids with orbits that cross Earth's were found last year, and this year the discoveries are coming faster, Dr Duncan Steel of the University of Salford will tell the National Astronomy Meeting in Cambridge later this week.

However, even more worrying may be one that has gone missing.

"One, in particular, we need to find. It was seen for only 10 days in 1998, and it looked as though it might be on a potential collision course within the next 30 years.

"However, it was not seen for long enough to calculate the orbit to know for certain."

The object, known as 1998 OX 4, is about half a mile across, he said. "If it hit San Francisco, California would cease to exist. If it hit London, much of England would cease to exist."

But just 93 years ago an asteroid only 60 or 70 yards across blew up in the atmosphere above Siberia, producing a blast which, had it had Marble Arch as its centre, would have flattened all of London out to the M25.

"The chance of that occurring is small, but the consequences are so phenomenal that it is a hazard we must take seriously," Dr Steel said.

[This message has been edited by WendyForsyth (edited April 04, 2001).]

Just for clarification, the dinosaurs we believe to have been destoryed by the world-wide flood, that an asteroid that hit the earth billions of years ago. The latter is the currently accepted theory for the disappearance of the dinosaurs.

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For I know that my redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.
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Linda

Thank you Linda. I'll take care of that.

Wendy

Now, about current asteroids:

A book I read recently on the subject said that it was very likely that a meteor/asteroid was the cause of the Great Chicago fire of the late 1800's. On the same day there was actually a greater fire in Wisconsin but the Chicago one got more publicity because of its location.

Accoring to the author's theory, parts of the same meteor came down throughout the Mid-West and caused the fires. The story of Mrs. O'Leary's cow starting it, as everyone knows, was just a myth.

By the way, I told Marvin Moore (editor of Signs of the Times) of my findings one summer. By the next February he said "Andrew, I've done some research and found out that the Great Chicago Fire was probably caused by a meteor..."

That fire changed the preaching of Dwight Moody (before that he was reluctant to make calls at the end of his sermons--now he knew he had to make the call while people still had the "chance" to accept) and probably as a result caused many people to decide for Christ.

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Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. Rom. 12:12 NLT