October 26, 2028 --- A date that I won't forget

Many years ago, it must have been at least 10 or 11 when this story broke, I remember exactly what happened. I was watching the television and they interrupted the broadcast to bring breaking news about an asteroid that would collide with the earth on October 26, 2028. About 5 minutes into the breaking news, one of the correspondants paused and says she was just informed that it was a mistake. The asteroid would not hit us and we apologize for taking you away from your regular programming.

This was extremely odd. It seemed like a direct cover-up and had to be one of the strangest things I've ever seen on television. I don't remember which channel it was, but it was one of the major networks like ABC or NBC. Back then, I was not aware of conspiracy theories but I was interested in potential asteroid threats.

If you look this date up now on the internet, you will find some information about asteroid 1997XF11. Some say this one mile wide asteroid will only come within 600,000 miles of the Earth. That is less than three moon distances from the Earth. Very close. Other sources say within 30,000 miles. Very very close!! Some say it will hit in Amsterdam! But which is true? After what I saw take place on the news that day, I am not sure.

Why would they break into regular broadcasting to tell people that we will be hit by an asteroid in 2028, and then retract their statement only 5 minutes later? How could they possibly be aware of an error in astronomical calculations in only 5 minutes time? It seems very, very shady.

I would advise people to pay close attention to the orbit of this asteroid over the next 20 years. A one mile wide asteroid would end the lives of tens or hundreds of millions of people, depending on where it would impact. I truly hope the TV broadcast was just a horrible mistake, but my instincts since then tell me to remain cautious.

Here are some links discussing the asteroid:

www.cnn.com...

www.cfa.harvard.edu...

www.mokumtv.nl...

[edit on 2/28/2009 by pjslug]

Well clearly I'm going to say we only have your word to say that the normal TV broadcast was interoperated to make this statement.

What I would like to know is why a news broadcast interupted a programe for somethings that will happen in 40 years time?

Maybe in 'normal news'.

reply to post by pjslug


Well i believe that the mistake was not in informing about the asteroid, but in saying it like that, i mean, we know about the asteroid, so the information has not been hidden from us, but to say it will crash into earth just like that is not a very good thing to do, specially if there are still years ahead before anything happens, giving so much time for caos and god knows what else.

Another thing is, that is not breaking news, it it was going to happen in a week or one hour from now, then it is breaking news, but with so much years ahead? nope, and that would also be another reason to cancel that broadcast, just think about it, interrupting the regular broadcast to say that in 30 years or whatever some asteroid may collapse to the earth, what will that cause to the people's minds? and what are the reasons to announce it so many years before it happens?

Doesn't make sense to me, i would avoid saying something like that on TV, at least for some years and until it is confirmed it will actually crash, and then we know that still then we don't get to know.

[edit on 28-2-2009 by Kaifan]

Here is its evil twin, 99942 Apophis, slated for a possible encounter in 2029.
In this link, Neil deGrasse Tyson gives the scenario of what could be.

Neil deGrasse Tyson on the end of the world

...and most people are utterly clueless.

reply to post by Kaifan


I know, Kaifan. It was extremely odd. It certainly filled me with panic and god knows who else that was watching it. It has stuck with me ever since. I don't think about it much anymore, which is why I've never posted about it. But today for some reason I was thinking about it, so I did.

I really wish I had it videotaped. You would be stunned if you had seen it, or maybe not --- nothing surprises us much anymore that comes from the media. But back in 1997, it certainly would have; especially mentioning a world-changing, cataclysmic event on live TV.

I guess we'll have to wait until that date to know the outcome. If it happens, at least you can say you were warned 20 years earlier. So it might not hurt just to mark it down on your digital calendar (and make sure you transfer it to each new computer you own).

[edit on 2/28/2009 by pjslug]

Originally posted by Lookingup
Here is its evil twin, 99942 Apophis, slated for a possible encounter in 2029.
In this link, Neil deGrasse Tyson gives the scenario of what could be.

Neil deGrasse Tyson on the end of the world

...and most people are utterly clueless.

I love this guy !!!!
I have never been confused,bored or made to feel stupid when listing to him explain things ...... I think the guy is sharp as a tack

The most recent webpage cited in the OP is dated 2003. The current data says:

On October 26, 2028, the near-Earth asteroid 1997 XF11 will make a close approach to Earth. Although initial reports indicated an extremely close passage, the current analyses predict an approach distance of 0.00636 AU (951,000 km, 591,000 mi) or about 2.5 times farther than the moon. The probability that the asteroid will impact the Earth is effectively zero. (See JPL's press release.)

neo.jpl.nasa.gov...

[edit on 3/1/2009 by Phage]

[edit on 3/1/2009 by Phage]

Originally posted by pjslug

Some say this one mile wide asteroid will only come within 600,000 miles of the Earth. That is less than three moon distances from the Earth. Very close.

[edit on 2/28/2009 by pjslug]

Average Distance from Earth: 238,855 miles

Source

Cheers

AoN

reply to post by Anomic of Nihilism


Yep, less than three moon distances.

Thanks for posting the measurements though.

[edit on 3/1/2009 by pjslug]

reply to post by Phage


But is JPL being truthful now? That's the real question. I'm still not convinced. And I'm not one to buy into conspiracy theories easily. But after seeing that broadcast, I just don't know.

[edit on 3/1/2009 by pjslug]

reply to post by pjslug


A TV broadcast 10 years ago based on the first few observations of the asteroid

vs.

Current data based on 10 years of observations and orbital calcs based on those observations.

[edit on 3/1/2009 by Phage]

reply to post by Phage


That is a very good point.

I remember hearing about this but as far as I know, it's not the first approach that we are supposed to be worried about. Evidently, it is supposed to be making another pass (hopefully just a pass and not an impact) in 2032, if I remember correctly. They are worried that the gravitational pull of the Earth will pull the asteroid closer to the Earth during the first pass and will set it on a collision course for it's second approach.

They have no way of predicting whether the second approach will be a collision or not until after it passes the Earth the first time.

I remember this as well, around that time. In fact, it was pretty big news for the time. I remember it was either Time magazine or National Geographic that had it on it's cover, stating that in 2010/2012/20-something a huge asteroid was calculated to be on target with Earth.

Ever since then, all I heard were people saying 'oh it won't happen, it will miss, etc etc'.

Thanks for reminding me! It was something that stuck in my mind as well.