In a shocking turn of events that absolutely no one could have predicted, NASA’s attempt to save humanity from certain doom has instead unleashed a terrifying barrage of… wait for it… space confetti. The Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) mission, which successfully demonstrated our ability to direct an asteroid off course, has inadvertently created Earth’s most anticlimactic threat.
According to a paper by Dr. Eloy Peña-Asensio and his team (https://arxiv.org/pdf/2408.02836), fragments from the Dimorphos impact could reach our planet in as little as seven years. But before you start stocking up on canned goods and building your underground bunker like a lot of billionaires, let’s put this “threat” into perspective.
These so-called “out-of-control” fragments are actually tiny particles, ranging from a whopping 10 centimeters to a microscopic 30 micrometers. Terrifying, right?
But fear not, dear Earthlings! These cosmic sprinkles will gracefully disintegrate upon entering our atmosphere, possibly treating us to a dazzling light show. That’s right, NASA has inadvertently created a brand new, human-made meteor shower.
So, the next time you see a headline screaming about impending space doom, remember to fact-check the source. In the meantime, let’s all take a moment to appreciate the irony of a planetary defense test creating its own celestial fireworks display. Who says science can’t have a sense of humor?