Extinction Level Event on Earth?

Question

With today's technology, is it possible that astronomers and scientists could over look an extinction level comet, and the Earth could be blind sided with out any warning?

Answer 1

Yes, clearly. One could come from the direction of the sun and we would never see it.

Answer 2

Yes, it's possible, but for the most part the moon plays a big part in protecting us from comets because they get set off the original coarse to the earth by the gravity of the moon, and many times comets hit the moon that would have hit the earth.  Scientists also have a pretty good watch over whats goin on up there.  They keep track of comets years ahead of time that they know won't hit us, but that will come close, so it is more likely than not they would discover it before it hit.  My father is a geologist and astronomer and he insists that with today's technology these is absolutely no possible way.........but I would never say never......

Answer 3

I think you'd have a couple days warning, at minimum, and maybe a couple hundred years warning, at best.

Any extinction-level comet would be a big, bright naked-eye object a couple days before it hit.

Answer 4

Guess we will truly never know the answer to this one.  :):)

Answer 5

absolutely