Bad Astronomy

True facts

One fact I knew was true was that a giant meteor could kill a large population of people.  I was certain before the movie that asteroid could and have landed on earth.  Nothing the size of the one in the movie but I knew it was a possibility.  I also knew that scientists would be able to know and predict approximately when and where the asteroid would make impact.

The second fact I knew was true was that it would take some type of nuclear missile to destroy a meteor before it made impact with earth.  I had some knowledge of the stars wars defense program from the Reagan years.  I knew they were developed to counter act a nuclear attack, but was pretty certain this type of missile or a similar missile could be used to destroy a meteor. Although this didn’t work in the movie because of the size of the meteor I believe in theory it was true.

False facts

One fact I found from my notes that was false was that they wouldn’t have been able to walk around on a meteor like it would have gravity. Meteors wouldn’t have gravity because they aren’t big enough.

The second fact I thought was false was that the people thought they could hide in caves until the debris cleared and then come out and continue life the same.  It was false because if a meteor of that size hit the earth it would alter the atmosphere and we may not even be able to survive.

Misconceptions: Bad moon rising…

Can you see the moon during the day?  I think yes, of course you can see the moon during the day because I have seen it in the morning when the sun has come up. I have seen it in the sky many times and the sun too.  I think some days you can see it because certain times of the month you can see it better than others.  I wonder if there really are people who have never seen the moon during the day.

After reading the article I was surprised to see that some people really never have seen the moon during the day or never took the time to look.  I was also surprised to see that some people think that even if it is in the sky at the same time as the moon that it is washed out by the sun and you can’t see it.