What's needed is a 24/7 space-based observation system, not rely on leftover observation time on telescopes and amateur aid. The near misses are rarely even close, and the sizes are small enough to at most endanger a small area, but it's a lesson that if there ever was a big one, we wouldn't even know or be able to do anything. Find the big ones very early, we might be able to change the future, but we won't find them with how we look now.

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 23 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Let me introduce you to the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

If I recall correctly a similar one was planned for the northern hemisphere but science is too expensive.

[–] snowydroopz@lemmy.world 12 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah makes sense, but bilions and bilions on stupid unnecessary wars that kill hundreds of thousands of innocents OBVIOUSLY isnt too expensive, no no. If you'll excuse me, have to ask for another 100 million from my sponsers to fund my political events that benefit no one but my own interests, ciao.

[–] LurkingLuddite@piefed.social 5 points 14 hours ago

Now now, if we compare things to military budgets then a lot of things become ridiculously obvious...

[–] degenerate_neutron_matter@fedia.io 13 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

it's a lesson that if there ever was a big one, we wouldn't even know or be able to do anything

This isn't really correct; near-Earth asteroids big enough to cause global catastrophe are much brighter than smaller asteroids like the one talked about in the article, so they're much easier to detect. We've already mapped the vast majority (over 90%) of >1km asteroids and most of the ones in the >140m range. If any of these were found to have a high probability of hitting Earth, we could send a redirection mission years ahead of time.

There are also (ground-based) systems like ATLAS which are monitoring the sky 24/7 and would likely provide a few days to weeks of advance warning for small to medium asteroids. That's too late to redirect the asteroid, but enough time to evacuate an area if necessary.

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 4 points 16 hours ago

Large NEOs are very unlikely at this point for the reasons you've given. It's advanced warning on anything else that's needed. Redirection is another topic, but we have no experience and only theory on the best ways to do it, and wouldn't know which technique to try before a close examination (which means time to find it and get to it just to figure that out). As for advanced warning for evacuation, that's probably the most likely scenario, but it's also morbidly funny to mention in a thread discussing near misses found days before its passing, and often we see articles about the rock after the fact. (Although maybe it was known about before by experts, just didn't hit the press in time)