The Elderberries by Corey Pandolph and Phil Frank and Joe Troise for September 23, 2022
September 22, 2022
September 24, 2022
Transcript:
The Professor: On this day in 1989 an asteroid came close to striking the earth. It would have left a huge, useless crater the size of Washington, D.C.! Boone: Professor... isn't that a redundant phrase?
The strip is labelled 3-28-07, I think that’s March 28th. The only asteroid in my database around 1989 mar 28 is Asclepius, which passed us on 1989 mar 22. However, while it’s 300 meters in diameter, with a mass of 50 million kilograms, and traveling at 28 kilometers per second, it came no closer than 2.1 lunar distances. Not really “close to striking Earth”, professor!
LeftCoastKen Premium Member about 2 years ago
Now if it had actually HIT Washington, DC, it wouldn’t have been a “useless” crater.
goboboyd about 2 years ago
Score, for Boon.
PappyFiddle about 2 years ago
The strip is labelled 3-28-07, I think that’s March 28th. The only asteroid in my database around 1989 mar 28 is Asclepius, which passed us on 1989 mar 22. However, while it’s 300 meters in diameter, with a mass of 50 million kilograms, and traveling at 28 kilometers per second, it came no closer than 2.1 lunar distances. Not really “close to striking Earth”, professor!
Len W. Premium Member about 2 years ago
The combo of the moon’s shape & position is impossible at night. The outer curve Faces the sun, which would be higher in the sky.