In a recent string of tweets on X, SpaceX owner Elon Musk reiterated his warning about the potential dangers of asteroids. His tweet was a response to the news of NASA tracking a massive asteroid, the 2024 ON, a colossal, stadium-sized rock, expected to come close to the Earth.
According to Musk, humanity must become a "space-faring civilization" to steer clear of catastrophic risks.
In light of a tweet that shines a light on the asteroid, Elon Musk chimed in with his thoughts:
"One of these days, a large comet will hit Earth and destroy almost all life, as has happened many times in the past. Eventually, the Sun will expand enough to boil the oceans and destroy all life. Either become a spacefaring civilization or die – those all the two choices."
However, X users reacted to the billionaire with ridicule, placing him at the center of a gag. "Calm down Cooper," one user jokingly advised him.
Elon Musk asked to re-consider his privilege as a "white man"
Masses of users online had something to say in the same vein, noting that Elon Musk's visions were a bit over-the-top.
"maybe we should cool the sun to prevent global warming," one user said, sarcastically.
"I bet your fun at party's," another joked.
"How does an ordinary working class person prepare for such a venture Elon? Seriously," another questioned.
Many more chimed in, pointing out the position and privilege Elon Musk holds.
"You are thinking strictly like a white man, such anticipations of the future across millions of years are way beyond the intellectual interest of non-Europeans," one user stated.
"You’re living through the longest largest mind control op, political propaganda campaign, and media power grab in history. X is a giant experiment in taking control of the world through the targeted dissemination of misinformation designed to distort reality to help install trump," another pointed out.
More about the 2024 ON
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has issued an alert against the massive asteroid, christened 2024 ON. According to Fox News Digital, the "stadium-sized" measures 350 meters long by 180 meters wide, or roughly 1,150 feet by 590 feet. This is exponentially larger than what it was previously thought to be.
By Tuesday morning, on September 17, the rock was an alarming 621,000 miles away from Earth. This is considered to be far too close, given its size, and something of these proportions only comes close to the Earth once every five to ten years. According to NASA’s Asteroid Watch Dashboard,
"The dashboard displays the next five Earth approaches to within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometers or 19.5 times the distance to the moon). An object larger than about 150 meters that can approach the Earth to within this distance is termed a potentially hazardous object."
The asteroid last passed by the Earth in 2013, which was its first time. It is expected to pass by yet again in 2035, The New York Post reported.
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