We have been receiving a number of calls about asteroid 2016 WF9, which has been reported in some of the tabloid press as being on a collision course with the Earth. This is another classic example of immature reporting by journalists who should know better.
Let’s get a few things straight:
2016 WF9 will not collide with Earth this month, or at any other time in the foreseeable future.
Niburu is a figment of the imagination of some rather odd individuals who ignore basic science and who clearly can’t do simple maths.
NASA cannot keep asteroid threats secret as most of the data needed to calculate orbits is provided by amateur astronomers around the world, and many can calculate orbits themselves using freely available software – no conspiracy!
So, this entire scare story has been ramped up to increase sales, rather than to inform the public in a grown-up fashion. All it takes is a single phone call to someone who actually knows what’s going on to avoid making fools of the press and raising unnecessary concern.
Mind you, we’ve been saying this for years, so some elements of the media clearly have no regard for accurate reporting.
