[Rockhounds] New Paper About Asteroid Impact Hazards for Humans

[Alan Silverstein]

> If you die via asteroid, this is how it will happen, Its incredibly
> unlikely.  But what if?  by Brian Resnick July 3, 2017
>
> https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/7/3/15903154/asteroid-death-one-chart

Fun analysis.  Reminds me of two possibly-true assertions I read long
ago elsewhere:

1.  If you're in line-of-sight of a major impactor, the ultraviolet (and
    X-rays?) will fry you before it hits the ground.  All those artists'
    conceptions of dinosaurs watching a rock approach, give a false
    impression of how bright it would actually be.  Maybe that's covered
    in the "thermal" band in the graph in the article?

2.  Your lifetime chances of dying via asteroid impact (very low risk
    but very high seriousness) are roughly the same as dying via
    airplane crash (which is sobering if you worry at all about the
    latter).

Cheers,
Alan Silverstein