Except for when I saw the movie “Deep Impact,” I have never been scared by the thought of an asteroid strike, so why do I write so much about them? The short answer is that I have been interested in asteroids, comets, and meteors since I was a kid, but a better answer is that in 2019 I had a briefing from some professional astronomers that renewed my interest in asteroids, and what might be headed our way. What they told me seemed to have an air of urgency to it, and now given the apparent up-tick in asteroid activity by the media, and a seemingly greater public interest in asteroids, it appears as if I might have been given some relevant information. The part that really interests me is the recent increasing interest in asteroids by the world scientific community. The reaction coming from many quarters seems to indicate that something is afoot.

The following is from 2016
What would we do if we discovered a large asteroid on course to impact Earth? While highly unlikely, that was the high-consequence scenario discussed by attendees at an Oct. 25 NASA-FEMA tabletop exercise in El Segundo, California.

“While highly unlikely” is an interesting choice of words, but that sentiment is not the prevailing wisdom these days. They are from a conference back in 2016, and in my opinion, seem to be designed more to make all of us feel warm and fuzzy, but is that realistic?

The scientific community is aware that asteroids and other big space “rocks” pose a potential problem for the planet. In 2020, there was great concern about what might be headed our way. The average person must deal with the coronavirus, so awareness of the news regarding an asteroid on a potential collision course with the planet is probably not uppermost on their mind. News of the 2 asteroids that just missed us a while back is disconcerting because the encounter took us by surprise. Nevertheless, it is worthy of our attention. Moreover, the increase in the frequency of asteroid close encounter reports and the renewed interest in what’s going on near the planet are noteworthy.

If one looks for information about potential asteroid encounters one can find a number of potential candidates on the Internet. Much has been written about the asteroid called Apophis. CLICK HERE to read about the Friday the 13^th near approach of that bad boy. Did I mention it is scheduled for April 2029, almost a decade away from now? I will check my calendar tonight to see if I will be available to watch it go by. In the meantime, we need to know what is happening right now regarding near-earth asteroids?

I have a personal rule of living that states: If an event is more than five years away then I do not care to know about it, so when we get to 2024 I will start thinking about Apophis. Even then it will be just for fun.

In my school daze, I had a science teacher that made a point of telling the class that in one billion years or so, the sun will run out of solar fuel and the earth will be doomed. Wow, alert the media, and by the way, what’s for lunch? Why does anyone care about events 1000 years from now let alone a billion years? Has there been a dramatic change in life expectancy and I missed the memo? Meanwhile, back in 2020…

The incidents of near-earth asteroid passings appear to be more frequent now or maybe the detection is getting better. It also could be in part due to the Internet and other modern communications methods getting the word out. Accurate records of asteroid activity are kept by the people and agencies responsible for tracking them. Those data would reveal if there is a recent increase in asteroid activity and/or a recent increase of asteroid close encounters. Astronomers and other people who watch the skies for a living are in a position to know the level of risk. I wonder if they are holding back information from the public?

The European Space Agency (ESA) reports:

…such intense levels of international scientific collaboration are driven in part by the fact that an asteroid impact could cause devastating effects on Earth. This is a testament to the fact that we are at a point in human history where we are considering that we should do something about risky asteroids.

According to recent ESA estimates, there are 878 asteroids in the ‘risk list’. The ESA catalog brings together all asteroids we know of that have a ‘non-zero’ chance of impacting Earth in the next 100 years. Non-zero means that an impact, however unlikely, cannot be ruled out.

What are the odds that there is something out there that has yet to be discovered? Something that for a number of reasons has not yet shown its crater-pocked face. Something that is not yet seen by the astronomical community at large. Not possible you say, well we just missed one not long ago and it made the closest approach to Earth of any asteroid known to our scientific community. Even the asteroid hunters admit that blew it, but in fairness, they are doing a remarkable job with the resources they have available to them.

Several near-earth asteroid passes are slated for the rest of 2020. We are told that only a very few could possibly collide with earth, and more are being reported as “big.” By virtue of the timing, the most famous one is the election day asteroid. The scientific community is in agreement that it is very small and poses no significant problem unless of course, it hits your polling place on November 2nd. (Wow…we dodged the bullet!)

I will continue to post significant asteroid updates in my blogs, and as the situation warrants it, present timely updates on any asteroid activity that might affect us. In a future post, I will also share the bombshell information that I received during my face-to-face meeting in 2019 with some professional astronomers. In the meantime, look at the night sky as often as you can and enjoy the majesty of the universe.

There are many powerful telescopes on the planet and an increasing number of telescopes in orbit. I have been interested in telescopes and astronomy since I was a kid growing up in Detroit and over the years I have attempted to keep up with the never-ending discoveries being made in astronomy. One day I read about a telescope known as the Large Binocular Telescope located at the top of Mt. Graham in Arizona. I was instantly fascinated with it and I just had to see it in person.

I am not exactly sure of the date, but I remember that my discovery came from the internet. Once I learned what it was, and what it did, I knew that I had to visit this big window to the stars and see it in person. Was it the telescope, or was the mission that most interested me? It turns out that it was both so in 2018 I decided I would go to Arizona to get up close and personal with this special window to the universe. However, getting there was not as easy as it should have been.

What should have been a simple journey up Mt. Graham was not. In 2017 I was ready to go, but thanks to “mother nature,” my first two attempts failed. The first attempt was thwarted by a forest fire on the mountain that almost destroyed the telescopes. My second attempt was thwarted by water. The heavy seasonal “monsoon rains” in Arizona washed out parts of the road to the top of Mt. Graham ending the public trips for the rest of the season. The forest fire destroyed the trees and vegetation that would normally mitigate the effects of the rainwater and the resulting water damage to the road from the rains closed the mountain to the public. I was forced to wait yet another year for my visit.

In September of 2019, my quest to visit the telescopes on Mt. Graham became a reality. I finally made it to the top of Mt. Graham and it was a magic moment. I was able to get up close and personal with all the telescopes and I also saw firsthand the danger the forest fire presented to the telescopes and just how close it came to destroying the mountain top complex.

Fire and water notwithstanding our guide, John Ratje, pointed out that the real challenge of getting to the complex is in the winter when sometimes five or more feet of snow can cover the road. I live in the tropics, so it is extremely unlikely that I will ever have the joy of that experience.

When there is no snow, no fire, and no floods, getting to the top of Mt. Graham is very easy. The Eastern Arizona College Discovery Park Campus is the agency that provides public tours. They operate a multi-passenger van that takes the tour participants to the telescope complex at 10,000-feet. However, before one can climb aboard the van there is a briefing and a short video presentation to describe the tour and to inform each participant what is expected of them.

After the video, each participant is required to read and sign two documents. The first one is a standard release form to hold harmless The Eastern Arizona College Discovery Park Campus in case of an accident, altitude sickness, or an alien abduction while roaming around the mountain top compound. The observatories are located 10,000 feet above sea level, so it is a legitimate concern that some folks might be negatively affected by the altitude. It does happen sometimes. If one were coming from a sea-level community, then I can understand there might be a reason for concern. I am on the far side of 70-years-old, but for the past 25 years, I have lived at or near 5,000-feet, so I knew that I was somewhat acclimated to the 10,000-foot altitude, and as it turned out I didn’t even notice the altitude. Each participant also had to affirm that they were not suffering from any of the health problems listed in the document. I was sure none of the items on the list applied to me, especially the one about being pregnant.

The second document was to make us aware of the Red Squirrel population that inhabits the area. The squirrels are an endangered species protected by federal law. Their habitat is marked by yellow tape similar to the tape used by the police to mark the boundaries of a crime scene. Each tour participant had to warrant that they would not disturb, harass, or otherwise interact with the little critters because to do so is a federal offense and they were not kidding.

My trip was to visit telescopes so it seemed strange to focus on Red Squirrels, but the legal ramifications of disrespecting their habitat are quite serious. We needed to understand that there were consequences associated with transgressing their area. To cross the yellow tape that marks the boundary to their habitat would invite problems. Their piece of the mountain was the first thing we were shown upon our arrival at the telescope community.

Before I leave this topic, I feel compelled to say that, at no point did I ever see a red squirrel. That was okay because I came to see telescopes, not interact with the cute red squirrel population. However, I make wildlife videos in Central America so all wild animals are of interest to me.

The trip to the telescopes starts at the Discovery Park Campus in Safford, Arizona. It takes about an hour and a half to get to the telescopes but that includes the 30-minute lunch break. About 20 minutes after departure, the van is headed up the mountain. The many switch-backs and curves present marvelous views, and dramatic photo opportunities of the valley below, but the last eight miles of the trip is the real adventure. It is on a dirt and gravel road that seems best suited as a vehicle shock absorber test track. Along the way, the acres of burned trees from the forest fire give the area a foreboding look, not unlike the dark forest in the Wizard of Oz. On the trip up we stop at a nice campground to eat lunch. It is included as part of the tour. The food was welcomed, but the break from the bumpy road was also appreciated. The area is wild and I was hoping to see a bear. Sadly that never happened, but I did get some nice video of a beautiful deer.

The trip from the picnic spot to the top was quick. The final mile or so is on a single-lane road that requires radio contact with the top of Mt. Graham to ensure that there is no downhill traffic. It would not work well for two vehicles to confront one another on the narrow one-lane road. Lester. our driver used his two-way radio to call “Moon Base.” Say what? I thought we were headed to a mountain top. Just how high are we going? After three attempts at calling “Moon Base,” there was no response. We had to move on so Lester broadcast our intentions over the radio and we started up the hill. In less than 10 minutes we were there. We came around a curve, and there it was. I was looking right at the giant structure that houses the Large Binocular Telescope. After two failed attempts I had finally made it. I am sure that I was grinning from ear to ear.

Click Here to go directly to Part 2 – The telescopes of Mt. Graham.
Click Here For more information concerning Red Squirrels on Mt, Graham.