It’s now known as the Asteroid Apocalypse 2040. So is 2040 the new Doomsday? Well, we survived the Mayan apocalypse, and those of us who are old enough remember how we survived Y2K and the doomsday predictions of that nut who picked a date and then changed his mind and picked a different date (what was his name again?) Anyways, it seems the world is never in short supply of a good end-of-the-world prediction, and there are still a host of people who think some distant planet is stalking our existence with plans to take over and steal Earth’s gold. But, more realistically, a potential Doomsday scenario will be avoided in the year 2040 when a massive asteroid will just squeeze past Earth without doing any damage.
That’s right all you individuals who were hoping for a quick and painless death—it’s not going to come by asteroid in 2040. Well, it’s at least not going to happen with that particular asteroid.
Collision course with Earth
Previous reports on the asteroid, which is approximately 150 meters wide, had it on a collision course with Earth in February of 2040. It was rumored to be traveling fast enough to hit our planet with a force which would rival several thousand atomic bombs. But, as scientists got a better look at the huge chunk of space rock, they realized it will zoom past us without harm some 550,000 miles away from the moon’s orbit.
For many, the asteroid is a real reminder that the end of the world is indeed possible, though not likely from any mythological apocalypse predicted by ancient civilizations.
The Earth’s Real End
No, the real end of the planet will likely come from self-destruction as humans pollute the air and the water and ravage the natural resources. If that doesn’t get us, the failure of the sun will probably do it. After all, stars don’t live forever, and bigger stars than ours have burned out before.
Those of us reading (and writing) this article will be gone by then—unless the secret to everlasting life is found pretty soon, so aside from a rogue asteroid or some violent upheaval of the earth’s crust, it’s not likely that a Doomsday is impending. Of course, the world will end for all of us relatively soon, considering humans only live about 100 years as an optimistic average.
But one part of the puzzle remains: Why are humans so enthralled with the end of the world? I would bet good money that some clever soul could create a fictional doomsday scenario, publicize it, and people would take it and run with it. They would be building bomb shelters and stockpiling food. They would probably lock themselves in their homes a few days prior, and when your creation never came to fruition, they would be hunting for the next doomsday prediction.
Yes, we really are that gullible. Happy new year people.