Monday, November 15, 2010

Watch out! Meteor approaching!

I was just listening to a serious programme on radio 4, the serious station, with proper serious scientists who were talking about the apocalypse and the serious possibility of a big meteor hitting earth and one of them said, 'One way to stop the meteor would be to paint it black.'

Uh huh.

You'd only have to paint one side, apparently, as that would be enough to change its course. Ah, that's not so hard then.

11 comments:

Dragonstar said...

Sometimes you really have to wonder about "scientists"!

Katney said...

Radio 4?

I didn't listen to radio while we were in the UK, so I am not familiar with Radio 4.

But as for the end of the world, it doesn't really matter when it is going to happen since we really just need to be ready all the time.

James Higham said...

Or they could polish one side like a cricket ball.

IanPJ said...

That would take a serious amount of aerosol cans of paint, health & safety would never allow it.

Although I suppose we could always send Banksy up in a rocket to put some go faster stripes on one side.

jams o donnell said...

Now there's a thought for community service!

CherryPie said...

Just think of the scaffolding that would be needed...

Gledwood said...

Talking of the Apocalypse, aren't there 2 references in Revelation to "stars" falling from heaven? One obviously means the Devil and his angels, but the other could well refer to (multiple) meteor hits...

Sorry for ranting on at you yesterday. I'm sure I said far too much, I didn't mean any of it badly :-)

Liz Hinds said...

He said it would be quite easy too, dragonstar!

December 31st, 2012, according to the Mayan calendar, katney.

They could, james.

That sounds like a good idea, Ian.

Strangely enough, jams, I once wrote a short story about a lad who is sent to work painting the sky ...

True, cherrypie, and H&S would never allow it!

That's a possibility, gledwood. (Don't worry about the rants!)

Ole Phat Stu said...

Which Rolling Stones song was playing in the background?

Not by any chance 'Paint it Black'?

But seriously, yes, changing the albedo would help, given about 40 years warning.

Katney said...

Ah, yes. The Mayan calendar.

And then there was Y2K.

And growing up my aunt used to tell me about Mother Shipton. I found her prophecies on Wikipedia. Note the last two lines.

Carriages without horses shall go,
And accidents fill the world with woe.
Around the world thoughts shall fly
In the twinkling of an eye.
The world upside down shall be
And gold be found at the root of a tree.
Through hills man shall ride,
And no horse be at his side.
Under water men shall walk,
Shall ride, shall sleep, shall talk.
In the air men shall be seen,
In white, in black, in green;
Iron in the water shall float,
As easily as a wooden boat.
Gold shall be found and shown
In a land that's now not known.
Fire and water shall wonders do,
England shall at last admit a foe.
The world to an end shall come,
In eighteen hundred and eighty one."

nick said...

I'd offer to paint the one side but it's too small a job. Not worth my while, love.