Editing 2984: Asteroid News

{{comic
| number    = 2984
| date      = September 11, 2024
| title     = Asteroid News
| image     = asteroid_news_2x.png
| imagesize = 376x288px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = Their calculations show it will 'pass within the distance of the moon' but that it 'will not hit the moon, so what's the point?'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a VERY EXCITED EDITOR, LIKE ALL THE OTHERS. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[Blondie]] as a [[:Category:News anchor|news anchor]] presents an image where an {{w|asteroid}} is seen zooming past {{w|Earth}} outside of the {{w|Moon}}'s orbit.

The comic is about this unnamed asteroid that is predicted to approach Earth in 2063. It could possibly be related to the recently discovered asteroid [https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2024/06/Close_approach_of_asteroid_2024_MK 2024 MK] that made a close approach to Earth on June 29, 2024, but it could be any of the {{w|Jet Propulsion Laboratory}}'s Center for Near Earth Objects Studies' [https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry/ Sentry objects]. 

Blondie mentions that according to the astronomers the asteroid only has a 'one-in-6000 chance of "doing something cool",' meaning that there is only a small chance that the asteroid will have a direct impact on Earth's surroundings. What Blondie deem as "something cool" would presumably be that the asteroid hits the Earth or the Moon. She then states that further observations have shown that this will not happen and the asteroid will just be yet another boring dot in the sky. 

The joke is that most people are afraid that an asteroid getting close to us would actually hit, and hope to hear that it will not. If this asteroid gets close enough that it will actually be a visible dot, then it is indeed very close to Earth given the normal sizes of {{w|Near-Earth object|near-Earth asteroids}}. Many people interested in the night sky would find it interesting to be able to see an asteroid with their naked eye.

Another part of the joke is that most people are afraid that an asteroid getting close to us would actually hit, and hope to hear that it will not. If this asteroid gets close enough that it will actually be a visible dot, then it is indeed very close to Earth given the normal sizes of {{w|Near-Earth object|near-Earth asteroids}}. Many people interested in the night sky would find it interesting to be able to see an asteroid with their naked eye.

The title text may refer to another asteroid that gets even closer than the one depicted, because this one should come closer than the Moon according to calculations (presumably by the astronomers). However, this asteroid will not hit the Moon even though it gets this close, so the astronomers ask, what is the point? Again she says that the astronomers hope for some visible effect. The statement that it will not hit the Moon leaves it open if Earth will be hit or not.

Unlike almost all of [[Randall]]'s other comics, this one involves {{w|boredom}} or ''ennui''. Because something interesting does not occur is often the most important experience in scientific inquiry, confirming the {{w|null hypothesis}}. See also [[13: Canyon]], [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]], [[52: Secret Worlds]], [[402: 1,000 Miles North]], [[731: Desert Island]], [[877: Beauty]], and [[895: Teaching Physics]].

This is the fourth comic in the last seven about space.

==Transcript==

:[Close-up of Blondie as a newscaster speaking, alongside an image to the left of an asteroid passing by Earth. The path of the asteroid is shown as a dashed line near the top-left, with the Moon orbiting the Earth below it.]
:Blondie: Astronomers initially said there was a one-in-6,000 chance that the newly-discovered asteroid might "do something cool" in 2063, but further observations determined it will be "just a boring dot like all the others."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:News anchor]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Space]]