Over the break, I couldn’t help being fascinated by the prospect of an asteroid smacking into Mars. At a 1-in-75 chance, the possible January impact of 2007 WD5 into Mars. Then, the news reported that the chances were tripled! That sounds like a lot, but it just means that WD5 now has a 1-in-28 chance of impact. Doesn’t sound too rosy. However, there’s still time for more observations to be made, and a better estimate to be derived. Or, we could just wait until the 30th of January to find out what happened!
You know what, I hope it hits. Yes, if I had the power to intervene and violate mechanistic causality in the favor of striking the planet Mars with 2007 WD5, I would. By putting it that way, that means I’d be using magic. Why the destructive bent, is this some post-modernist artsy desire? No, it’s science! Read More…