No, We're Not Getting Hit By An Asteroid In April. But There Are 23 Other Asteroids That Might

If the giant space rock hurtling toward us at 19,461 mph moved 3.9 million miles to the left, then April 29, 2020, would mark the end of human civilization. But it won't. NASA assures us the asteroid, that they've classified as a "potentially hazardous object," won't actually do any damage. It'll just fly by our heads like we're kids who weren't paying attention to the foul ball that almost permanently changed the kind of classes we take in school.

If that disappoints you, and the only thing that can cheer you up is a list of asteroids, that could potentially destroy all life on earth, then look no further than NASA's official list of potential "earth impact events." AKA a list of shit that might wreck our shit in the near and distant future. Asteroid 1998 OR2 (the official science-y name of April's near-miss asteroid) may not be the one to obliterate us but turn that frown upside down because according to that list we've got 23 more asteroids right behind it raring to the cause a mass extinction.

Of those 23, Asteroid 2010 RF12 is currently the most potentially deadly, as it sits pretty with a 4.9% chance of rudely interrupting our existence between the years 2095 and 2118. We should be fine though. Assuming it's true that every generation is better educated than the one before it, we can die knowing our great-grandkids will, hopefully, be smart enough by then to not just stand there and get hit by a big fucking rock after about a century of forewarning.

Luis can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Check out his regular contributions to Macaulay Culkin's BunnyEars.com and his "Meditation Minute" segments on the Bunny Ears podcast. And now you can listen to the first episode on Youtube!