Wolf Rayet 104 & Apophis.. "10,000,000 ways to die, choose one"

[D007]

http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~gekko/pinwheel.html

Wolf Rayet 104 is a star nearing the end of it's life..
Not just any star, it is massive and capable of producing one of the largest GRB's ever.. Usually that's not an issue, as when these things happen, the GRB is focused into a stream, that is forced out at the magnetic poles.. The insanely fast spin also helps creates this reaction.
But those beams are never pointed directly at us..

We have not yet found one of these giant smoking guns pointing at us intil WR104..
It is in fact nearing the end of it's life however and when it does.. If it goes GRB.. The earth may very well face an extinction event..
Basically imagine the atmopshere getting microwaved and the earth combusting.. Something like that..

Just something to ponder.

Apophis.. This bad boy should of caused a stir but was lost in the shuffle when the Tsunami hit Japan, if I remember correctly..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis

Wish I had more time to elaborate on this but I have to go back to work XD.
Apophis will be passing so closely to Earth, that you will be able to see it with your naked eye.. An asteriod with the potential to cause an extinction event, coming so close to Earth, that you will see it by simply looking up... Yea... Fun times..
Usually when you don't see something in it's orbit and then it gets so close, you can see it with your naked eye.. It means it's orbit is getting closer..

Edit: Ok I got a sec..

I have a hard time finding it a coincidence that China and the US have taken such a big interest in landing on/colliding with, moving asteroids now. Personally I think they know this sucker is going to hit us and they are trying to learn how to deflect it.
First the US lands on a moving asteroid, then China learns how to collide a super fast object with another, than they land on one..
That seems to me to be a precursor to learning how to deflect one.
Even if that's not why they did it, I'm glad they are doing something to collect the data, that might one day save this planet.

God knows our government is to busy and lazy, trying to win pointless, political, BS races and forcing people to live in a world, they steadily make worse, every single day.. Apparently saving the planet is low priority..

[3870x2]

I do remember hearing something about this some 12 years ago, or maybe longer, but it was quickly quelched, as the scientists, who were certain of this before were now all of a sudden certain, not but days later, that it was actually going to miss us. Then it suddenly became of no concern.

I wonder if this is the same thing.

I can fully understand why a governement would not want to make something like this public, nothing good can come of it, and the government is not into letting its people know about things just for kicks.

[Wrigleyvillain]

Originally Posted by D007

Apparently saving the planet is low priority..

Oh it sure is. And not just from killer asteroids, of course. Hard to say more than that without getting political, unfortunately. Which is ridiculous...but is what it is.

Interesting stuff, thanks for posting.