Astronomers are keeping an eye on a moving body called asteroid 2011 AG5, which is scheduled to pass by Earth twice in the next few decades. As its trajectory is known so far, the odds of it hitting us are about 1 in 625.

When AG5 passes us in February 2023, the Earth’s gravity will bend its orbit a little bit, changing the path the rock takes. If it passes close to the Earth the orbit changes a lot; if it’s too far the orbit changes only a little. But if AG5 passes us at just the right distance, the orbit will change just the right amount to put it on a collision course with Earth. This region of space is called a “keyhole”, and in this case, should AG5 slip through it, it will hit us 17 years later, in 2040. That collision, though not global in scope, would be catastrophic: equal to about a 100 megaton explosion, twice that of the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated.

The problem is, we don’t know the orbit of AG5 well enough to know if it will travel through the keyhole or not. As I pointed out in the article about the asteroid 2012 DA14, it can be tricky to try to predict asteroid orbits too far into the future. The orbit of an asteroid is determined by making measurements of its position over time, and because of various effects (like blurring due to our atmosphere) it is impossible to get exactly precise positions. They can be good enough to get an accurate orbit for the next few years, but the farther into the future you look, the fuzzier that path gets.

So what do we do about it? NASA asteroid expert Don Yeomans says we should wait until 2013 and observe the asteroids trajectory. Apollo 9 astronaut and astronomer Rusty Schweikart says we should start planning now to intervene and deflect the asteroid if it becomes a threat. You can read all about the asteroid and the debate over intervention at Bad Astronomy. Link

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Freddie Wong and friends try the old "bucket of water against the ceiling" trick, which doesn't turn out the way they imagined at all. -via The Daily What

Those of a certain age may have studied the Cold War in your schools' history classes (not me, they weren't "history" yet). If so, you may have learned some things that were blown out of proportion or passed along because it made a good story, like the speech John F. Kennedy made in West Berlin in 1963. You've heard that he spoke a little German and accidentally referred to himself as a jelly doughnut. The truth is that no one thought that at the time.

The pedantic jack offs who still repeat this anecdote claim the use of the word "ein" is what screwed Kennedy. They point out that "Ich bin Berliner" means "I am from Berlin," and that adding the "ein" changes the meaning. Both facts are true. A rough English equivalent of what Kennedy said was "I am a New Yorker," whereas the phrase the pedantic jack offs claim he should have said translates to "I am from New York." The jelly doughnut myth is like claiming that an audience in Manhattan heard a politician say "I am a New Yorker" and took him to mean "I am a New Yorker magazine." Saying "I am a New Yorker" makes more sense as a symbolic statement of solidarity, and it's the same in German. Which is why people who speak German generally compliment Kennedy's choice as being the more nuanced, conversational phrasing.

So where did the doughnut story come from? Cracked has the answer, and other Cold War myths. Insert here the usual language warning for all Cracked articles. Link

This Photoshop Disaster looks like a paper doll cutout! Not that there's anything wrong with that -if you're a little girl playing with paper. But this is an item in an online bridal catalogue. I can imagine that the editor was working late into the night combining a mannequin and a model and was so tired he/she didn't even notice the job wasn't finished. I've been there. Link

It's time for our collaboration with the always fascinating What Is It? Blog. Can you guess what the pictured item is?

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many guesses as you'd like in separate comments. Post no URLs or weblinks, as doing so will forfeit your entry. Two winners: the first correct guess and the funniest (albeit ultimately wrong) guess will win T-shirt from the NeatoShop.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

For another photo of the object (and more items to guess), check out the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: the mystery device is a billiard cue trimmer and tip fastener. The first one to know the answer was Doug D, but unfortunately he did not select a shirt. The funniest answer came from The Professor, who called it a Genie Shovebackinner, you know, for getting the genie back into the bottle. That's worth a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! You can find out the answers to all the mystery items of the week at the What Is It? blog. Thanks to everyone who played, and we'll do this again soon!

This graph from the New York Times shows how much tuition has gone up, way more than other costs. They offer several reasons, but since they are focusing mainly on state schools, public funding cutbacks appears to explain a lot of it. Link -via TYWKIWDBI

El Diablo Restaurant on the Spanish island of Lanzarote has a distinctly unique way of cooking food -over the heat of a volcano! The restaurant was built over a volcanic heat vent, which is used as a grill.

Building a restaurant on top of a massive heat source is not the easiest task. Architects Eduardo Caceres and Jesus Soto had to lay 9 layers of basalt rock in lieu of digging down to build a foundation. A giant grill is laid across the opening, where 6 feet below, the gentle giant is softly bubbling lava at 400 degrees Celsius, apparently the perfect temperature for volcanically grilled meats.

If the thought of trying to eat your salad as fire shoots in the air and lava spews out of the dining room deters you, fear not. This dormant volcano has been peacefully gurgling below the surface since it's last eruption in 1824. What could possibly go wrong?

See more at Atlas Obscura. Link

(Image credit: Flickr user Christine McIntosh)

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This parody is LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" for the Forever Alone crowd. We've all been there at one time or another. -via Geeks Are Sexy

Who said it -was it presidential candidate Newt Gingrich or Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear? You'll be given eleven quotes to match to one or the other. Oh, you might think today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss would be an easy one, but they both say some awfully strange things. However, I did score 73% by wild guesses. Link

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This guy made a video to warn his roommates to stop stealing his food. I mean, really, who else could it be? -via I Am Bored

A pun you can share with your kids, and a fine-looking alligator illustration, too! Created by DeviantART member arseniic. Link -via reddit

The movie John Carter, based on the series of books by Edgar Rice Burroughs that date back to 1912, is scheduled to hit theaters this Friday. Geeks Are Sexy talked to director Andrew Stanton about the challenges of turning the classic character and his stories into a modern film.

To Stanton’s mind, this kind of “Clark Kent” simplicity regarding John Carter was the biggest challenge facing himself (and co-writers Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon) when penning the film. Though Stanton claims the overall story is more complex, with the warring factions and the lack of resources and whatnot, the John Carter character, at his core, is pretty simple and straightforward. There isn’t much character development in the novel at all. So the challenge was to get this cut-and-dry story of “rescue heroism”, about a guy who has a “noble quality related to justice being served, and getting involved,” into a story with relationships and characters that an audience could relate to.

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Baby goats in cute little sweaters jump around on the porch with a little girl. Squee! See more videos of the same goats at Laughing Squid. Link

Although someone thought it was a great idea around 1910, this sport never really caught on. However, some speculate that it may have been the inspiration for MarioKart. -via reddit

(Image source: Flickr user The Library of Congress)

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An interviewer from TIME asked Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson what the "most astounding fact" is. The astrophysicist's answer was so poetic that Max Schlickenmeyer was inspired to add music and visuals. The song is "To Build a Home" by Cinematic Orchestra. -via Blame It On The Voices