Chapter 77.4: Watch Out for that ... Asteroid

My, my, has it been a century already? Gosh, how the time flies! Yes, indeed, it was 1908 when the Tunguska Event occurred. Even now, it raises interest, especially among scientists.

For those millions who don't know about it, the Tunguska Event was a massive disaster that could have been worse. It's described in the above Wikipedia entry as the "air burst" of a large meteor that destroyed large sections of Russia exactly one hundred years ago today (regardless of whether you use the Julian calendar or not). I've also heard a theory that I don't see in Wikipedia (thank God) that suggests it was the result of an experiment by Nikola Tesla. If Wikipedia isn't going to spread that bit of nonsense, then I'll go no further with it.

Suffice it to say, the Tanguska Event remains one of the more intriguing mysteries of the twentieth century. The centennial reminds me that the Planetary Society is focusing on near earth objects (NEOs) this year. People who like a good scare should read up on these nonfictional calamities from space. Of course, if you've seen Deep Impact, then you have some idea of what NEOs can do.

If I may go off on a tangent (and it's my blog, so I suppose I can do whatever I want), the recent death of George Carlin has inspired several repeats of his classic television performances. This past Saturday, for instance, the original Saturday Night Live "pilot" was re-aired, which he hosted. Last week, HBO ran a series of his comedy specials. And I was reminded not only of how funny Carlin could be (and repititious, but, hey, that's comedy!), but also how exacting he was about language. As a writer and editor, I appreciate that.

But one bit has stuck with me. He spewed a fair amount of invective on the crying environmentalists who clamor for us to serve as better stewards of the earth. "The earth is fine," Carlin said. "It's people who may have a problem." The earth is a self-correcting system. It may take time, but the earth eventually will shake off humanity like fleas if it needs to.

Yes indeed, the earth will likely outlive us. We might find a way to scorch its surface or something may plummet from the heavens, but short of a well-placed laser shot from a death star, the planet should be able to continue orbiting the sun for eons after we've been lost to history. Food for thought.