Neil deGrasse Tyson / Discussion

This is the discussion related to the wiki page Neil deGrasse Tyson.

DieselHorseLAW 28 Mar 2011 11:24

Was reading his page, and noticed it had no comments about it so I am going to put one. :-P This man has inspired me in so many ways when it comes to my new(er) found interest in astronomy and other sciences. I love the way he presents information, with the humor he uses to get his points across. He is definitely a brilliant person and I never grow tired of hearing what he has to say on a subject. NOVA science now is a very informative show as well that I was led to because of him.

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“In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane.” - Oscar Wilde

SE87 (guest) 28 Mar 2011 15:45

I love this guy. I watch his videos whenever I get a chance.

Gary (guest) 28 Mar 2011 16:23

If this guy tells you 2012 is bogus, you'd better believe him. His scientific knowledge is scary. Great guy.

Tomy2011 28 Mar 2011 17:18

Yeah, I agree. I laugh a lot, he is like a comedian. :-)
I didn't watch just his 2012 videos but others like that one in which he talked about Apophis. He is serious but funny at the same time, I don't know how he can be both at the same time. :-D

Awesomeee 12 Jun 2011 02:56

This guy?????!!!!!!! OmG , he is my Favorite!!!! :DDD

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Become a debunker and help out those that are being fed up with lies spread by False scientists going after you'r money.
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Death by Giant Meteor

legitquestioning 29 Nov 2012 23:12

Youtube Neil Degrasse Tyson - Death by Giant Meteor.

"Celebrity astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson discusses Apophis, a large asteroid forecast to pass dangerously close to the Earth in the year 2029." (April 13, 2029) If if goes through the keyhole it will hit he says "April 13, 2036)

He states that IF this large asteroid goes through the the "keyhole" (a 600 mile zone), then it "WILL" hit the Earth 7 years later. If it goes through the middle it will hit "500 km due west of santa monica". "If it goes through other places within that keyhole then the contact point shifts further into the pacific or close towards North America.." And he continues..

Anyways, check it out if you haven't already.

Last edited on 29 Nov 2012 23:14 by legitquestioning Show more

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

Gary A 29 Nov 2012 23:13

Yes, I've saw the video. And?

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The great thing about science is, it's true whether you believe in it or not.

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

legitquestioning 29 Nov 2012 23:17

And although it is many years away it is actually something very real to take into perspective. (Unlike all of these 2012 claims.) Though do we have an idea of chance that it will pass through this "keyhole"?

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

legitquestioning 29 Nov 2012 23:30

I just find it interesting, that's all. Especially since Neil deGrasse Tyson was talking about it. He makes everything sound interesting, hm? haha.

from quantumday(dot)com

Move An Asteroid 2012

Apophis has been a growing concern with scientists. They have been thinking of ways to try and avert the disaster this early in time. China's Tsinghua University proposed launching a solar sail powered spacecraft that will move the asteroid away from the keyhole. Some propose landing a probe that will land on the asteroid and push it away using an ion engine. The European Space Agency is looking at launching a projectile or spacecraft to collide with it, hopefully changing its' direction.

In line with this, the United Nations through its Space Generation Advisory Council, launched a competition to come up with original ideas relating to Earth-threatening Near Earth Objects (NEOs). The competition named "Move An Asteroid 2012" focuses on three areas:

The safe deflection of an Earth-bound NEO
The detection of NEOs
A global impact warning system

Sung Wook Paek, a graduate student in MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics won the competition with his novel and original idea; paint the asteroid white.

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

Astrogeek 29 Nov 2012 23:15

I'm sorry, but where are you getting 600 miles from? The Keyhole is about 1/2 a mile wide.

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"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

legitquestioning 29 Nov 2012 23:19

I'm getting 600 miles from the man Neil Degrasse Tyson himself. Watch at 2:50ish.

"There is a range, a 600 mile zone, we call it the "keyhole" …

And if it was a mistake on his part, then that is one huge difference. 600 miles … 1/2 mile….

Edit: And Anywhere else online I research about this asteroid, they all state the keyhole is 600 miles wide:

From quantumday(dot)com:

"Although it will not hit the Earth at the time, there is a slim chance of hitting the Earth seven years later. It all depends on its initial encounter with the Earth in 2029. If Apophis passes through a region of space above the Earth called the Keyhole, it will directly collide with the Earth on 13 April 2036. The Keyhole is around 600 miles wide and scientists cannot accurately predict if Apophis will pass through it or not. There is a 1 in a million chance that the asteroid will pass thru the keyhole. (Watch Neil DeGrasse Tyson's explanation below for a clearer picture.)"

I guess that's the chance percentage I was looking for too.

Last edited on 29 Nov 2012 23:55 by legitquestioning Show more

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

Gary A 29 Nov 2012 23:31

It's being considered, and as it has a close approach to earth scientists can better observe it and make better calculations for its future orbital path. Again, what's your point?

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The great thing about science is, it's true whether you believe in it or not.

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

legitquestioning 30 Nov 2012 00:03

What do you mean whats my point? Why don't you ask Neil what his point is. I'm just putting it here for others if they haven't heard about this yet because it is actually something real to take into perspective and maybe learn about (even though its arrival is over a decade away), unlike most of these insanely unbelievable 2012 theories. (Admittedly the chances of Apophis hitting earth incredibly low it seems) Other than that.. no there is no point… it's just interesting stuff.

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

Gary A 30 Nov 2012 00:29

Hey legit;

My bad, thought we had a troll attack on our hands for a second there, it's been that kind of week around here. Sorry for being a bit snarky, I got the wrong idea.

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The great thing about science is, it's true whether you believe in it or not.

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

legitquestioning 30 Nov 2012 00:43

No problem. Haha, no my username speaks the truth. No trolling here, though I'm sure you guys get plenty of them.

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

Astrogeek 29 Nov 2012 23:45

Perhaps he simply mis-spoke? The keyhole is around 0.6 km (600 meters).

http://dnc.tamu.edu/drjunkins/yearwise/2006/conference/DCSSS_99942_Apophis.pdf

In order to impact the Earth in 2036, Apophis must pass through a region 0.6 km wide on the 2029 target plane, known as a “keyhole”

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"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

legitquestioning 29 Nov 2012 23:53

Yea it seems he did. I was unaware of this keyhole until seeing his video. That is quite the mistake on his part then! Damn, mr Neil deGrasse Tyson!! "600 mile" DUDE miles/meters. Easy to mistake while talking but HUGE mistake in actuality , haha. Thanks for knowledge.

Well that narrows the chances down greatly, doesn't it?! haha.

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

Astrogeek 30 Nov 2012 00:05

By March 2013 we will have more knowledge about the trajectory of the object. It will come into range of Arecibo, and they will be able to get a better idea of its size, shape, and spin. I'll bet that after that point it will be announced that Apophis will not pass through the keyhole, will not pass Go and will not collect $200.

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"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

legitquestioning 30 Nov 2012 00:12

By that soon they will have that much knowledge about it? Wow. Ok now can you enlighten me with some more knowledge? I am curious… This comet "c/2012 S1 ISON", You know the one that is suppose to pass earth around nov-december of 2013? How is it that this was only discovered just last month "21 September 2012", yet is passing by next year? When they have eyes on an asteroid that will not be passing us until 2029..

Or does this answer my question? " Its orbit is nearly parabolic, which suggests that it may be a new comet coming fresh from the Oort cloud."

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

Astrogeek 30 Nov 2012 00:26

The parabolic orbit is part of the issue. It's difficult to compare objects that are in radically different orbits anyway. Apophis was found because it is in nearly the same plane as the earth, and because they were looking for objects like it. The comet is coming in from way outside the ecliptic.

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2012S1;cad=1;orb=1;cov=0;log=0#orb

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"Do you ever think about things you do think about?" - Henry Drummond to Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit the Wind

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

Alene Y 30 Nov 2012 05:30

The keyhole is about 600 meters, which is a little under a half mile. Perhaps you saw 600 m and took it as miles. That is actually the abbreviation for meters.
Edit: Oh, I see Astrogeek already told you this.

Last edited on 30 Nov 2012 05:33 by Alene Y Show more

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

obaeyens 30 Nov 2012 19:32

The keyhole is about 600 meters

That so called keyhole is actually hugely overrated.
There is more chance to win the Euro millions than to get in that keyhole.

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

legitquestioning 01 Dec 2012 00:57

How do you know this?

Re: Death by Giant Meteor

obaeyens 01 Dec 2012 01:31

An object that moves around 30 km/s and it has to hit this 600 meter wide spot of Earth that also moves at 30 km/s.

It is the equivalent of you in a very fast car that wants to hit a target that also moves on a very fast speed. Your chance of hitting that target is near zero. Any tiny deviation would actually make you miss it even more!.

Alene Y 01 Dec 2012 01:07

If you think about all that space where it could pass, the chance of it's passing through an area less than twice the size of the asteroid itself (330 m) is extremely small.