‘Finally some good news’: An asteroid is heading our way on the eve of the presidential election

MarketWatch 1 day ago Shawn Langlois

THE MARGIN

a group of people in a car: No, it won't look like this.

Just end it already.

That’s seems to be the reaction across the internet to the headlines that an asteroid might put us all out of our misery on Nov. 2, the night before the presidential election.

An asteroid is apparently headed our way on Election Eve, so there's finally some good news
— Dave Wagner (@Dbwagner104) August 22, 2020

Don’t get too excited, however. The odds of the celestial rock, dubbed “2018VP1,” hitting Earth are less than 1%, and, even if it did, it’s only about the size of a horse, according to NASA, which published this table, for you wonks out there:

Basically, the space agency says there could be three potential impacts “based on 21 observations spanning 12.968 days,” though none of them are realistically problematic.

But that didn’t stop Twitter (TWTR) from cheekily planning for the devastation all weekend, with no shortage of political commentary accompanying the faux panic.

Anyone who doesn’t vote asteroid is helping Trump. https://t.co/Q1mwHvPvKn
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) August 22, 2020

we deserve an asteroid tbh https://t.co/3atNG8nJgI
— keith kurson (@keithkurson) August 22, 2020

I’m a single issue voter and I’m voting for the asteroid
— Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) August 22, 2020

With an asteroid set to pass by Earth right before the election, Trump has warned that the Democrats are behind it and that we’ll need to look “very, very closely at this gravity thing” they claim is responsible, and possibly delay the election another 68 million years.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) August 23, 2020

You’re either with Biden or you’re with the asteroid. Those are the sides. https://t.co/F86s2BM9dZ
— Tim Hogan (@timjhogan) August 22, 2020

There's a greater risk of the asteroid hitting us than there is of vote-by-mail fraud. https://t.co/PwBihyjtUu
— Dillon Rosenblatt (@DillonReedRose) August 23, 2020

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Video: Scientist Project Asteroid To Approach Earth On Eve Of Presidential Election (CBS New York)