I’d also like to see it hit. Most of the Earth is still pretty much empty, so even if it hits the Earth, it will probably end up somewhere where a 2 Megaton burst is relatively unimportant. We can predict where it will hit a long time in advance, so nobody need get hurt. It would be good science, and a media event. For many countries with lots of land it could even be a good foreign exchange earner. And it will encourage governments to stump up the necessary money to map the other asteroids.
Pity it will almost certainly miss. 0.022% isn’t much.
IIRC, the main damage from asteroid impacts is the tidal wave resulting from a probable drop in the ocean, which would cause deaths within an order or two of the Indonesian tsunami in ’04.
I’d also like to see it hit. Most of the Earth is still pretty much empty, so even if it hits the Earth, it will probably end up somewhere where a 2 Megaton burst is relatively unimportant. We can predict where it will hit a long time in advance, so nobody need get hurt. It would be good science, and a media event. For many countries with lots of land it could even be a good foreign exchange earner. And it will encourage governments to stump up the necessary money to map the other asteroids.
Pity it will almost certainly miss. 0.022% isn’t much.
IIRC, the main damage from asteroid impacts is the tidal wave resulting from a probable drop in the ocean, which would cause deaths within an order or two of the Indonesian tsunami in ’04.