June 4, 2009
whoah, asteroids. from bill bryson: The first one wasn’t spotted until 1991, and that was after it had already gone by.  Named 1991 BA, it was noticed as it sailed past us at a distance of 106,000 miles - in cosmic terms, the equivalent of a bullet passing through one’s sleeve without touching the arm.  Two years later; another, somewhat larger asteroid missed us by just 90,000 miles - the closest pass yet recorded.  It, too, was not seen until it had passed and would have arrived without warning.  According to Timothy Ferris, writing in The New Yorker, such near misses probably happen two or three times a week and go unnoticed.

whoah, asteroids.

from bill bryson:

The first one wasn’t spotted until 1991, and that was after it had already gone by.  Named 1991 BA, it was noticed as it sailed past us at a distance of 106,000 miles - in cosmic terms, the equivalent of a bullet passing through one’s sleeve without touching the arm.  Two years later; another, somewhat larger asteroid missed us by just 90,000 miles - the closest pass yet recorded.  It, too, was not seen until it had passed and would have arrived without warning.  According to Timothy Ferris, writing in The New Yorker, such near misses probably happen two or three times a week and go unnoticed.