Asteroid watchers debate false alarm

摘要

A worldwide media frenzy last week about reports of a possible asteroid collision with the Earth in 2028 has led to scientists taking a close look at their strategy for informing the public about such events. Many experts in the field are critical of a decision by the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to send out a press release warning of a possible collision before first checking with other researchers. But others say the false alarm was an inevitable by-product of the open way in which asteroid researchers share information.