Dec 21, 2012, has come and gone, but end of the world scenarios are evergreen around here, and Earth’s current streak of near-misses with the apocalypse will log another chapter on February 15, 2013, when a 200-foot asteroid will shoot by closer than any other has in recorded history. Is that size big enough to do any damage? Well, researchers are saying that if it hit us, it would hit with the force of an atomic bomb. But instead of hitting us, “Asteroid DA 14” (“Terrifying Space Rock” was taken) will shoot by about 21,500 miles from the Earth—significantly closer than the moon. In fact, it’s looking like it could fire right through the Clarke Belt—our little ring of satellites in orbit around the planet. So, in the end, it’ll be just one more event to add to our list of failed apocalypses. Earth. The little planet that could …
