What do we know about Asteroid 314159 aka ‘Mattparker’?

[@fahrenheit2101]

The Parker Asteroid is real! Guess that means it's gonna *nearly* hit, but not quite.

[@thatonedynamitecuber]

Golden comment detected

[@zxbc1]

The event will be known as a Parker Collision.

[@IIARROWS]

That's good

[@alyme_r]

Its going to hit after a month of terrible python code

[@JM-mz1zj]

@@zxbc1Parker *near miss

[@jacksonstarky8288]

314159 is not just the first six digits of pi, but it is also a prime number. A perfect fit for its new name.

[@maxp3141]

Dream come true? You can finally say, with (some) authority: “I am become death, destroyer of worlds”. 😂

[@ThatPianoNoob]

Matt Parker is also a mixture of Matt stone and trey parker

[@perplexedon9834]

That's actually an interesting question. What truncations of the base10 digits pi are prime? There's 31 and 314159, but are those literally the only two options? Probabilistically it seems likely the the size of the number would vastly outgrow the probability the number is prime...but there's infinite opportunities!

[@ericrosen6626]

@@perplexedon9834 Eliminating any of the obvious ones (end in an even number or five): No 3141592653589 No 31415926535897 No 314159265358979 ..ok, got bored, maybe I'll pick this up later :)

[@andrewdunbar828]

How common are prefixes of the digits of π being primes?

[@reznovvazileski3193]

Matt Parker, you rock.

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

hehe thats good thats good

[@wolframstahl1263]

Get out! Take my thumbsup before you go, but get out!

[@FrankHarwald]

He's metal! \m/

[@AmazingJane137]

😂

[@AmCanTech]

Brent's image is epic

[@ShinySwalot]

"Distinctly more non-zero" is such a powerful way of saying nothing really changed but it did feel like it changed lmao

[@srwapo]

I'm wondering if Matt Parker or Mattparker is more dangerous...

[@FLPhotoCatcher]

@@srwapo He's Lord of the Files. 13:02

[@unvergebeneid]

That's not what that means though.

[@DingLiren-nw2vj]

Given there would be no life to report on mattparker destroying all life I think it's still safe to conclude that there is 0 chance of that headline making it to print

[@zombieregime]

The numbers have changed, but the statistical probability has stayed the same. Effectively updating with non-informative priors ...A Parker Inference?

[@sebastians7869]

"Calculating pi by drifting through space for 4 billion years"

[@blak4831]

Actually, I wonder if he could calculate pi by tracking matt parker's position at two points in time? The asteroid of course. Though idk how big of a telescope you'd need to pick it out, assuming he'd want to do it analog style Edit: they answered that lol. Could probably still use observations from the database at least

[@ckq]

@@blak4831i'd imagine the telescopes use pi already

[@sebastians7869]

@@blak4831 That's an interesting thought. I think that you would probably need more than two data points on the position of the asteroid to get a calculation for pi. The perimeter of an ellipse is pretty much unrelated to pi--also covered in a video on this channel--so we would have to use the area of the orbit. After a quick Google search, apparently you need FIVE points on an ellipse to completely determine its equation. So maybe you could do it like this: five reasonably spaced observations --> approximate ellipse equation --> area --> pi

[@makimcleary393]

Matt should calculate pi using the orbital data and terrible python code

[@DanielHarveyDyer]

I was gonna like this but it had 314 likes and so I can't.

[@mattyoh1358]

My favorite part of the phrase "Mattparker is too small to wipe out humanity" is that it's true of Matt Parker too

[@gcewing]

The Parker Apocalypse?

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

but with their powers combined?

[@thomasblok2120]

@@gcewing The Aparkerlypse?

[@iuppiterzeus9663]

which one?

[@schwingedeshaehers]

but maybe the us?

[@MrQuickLine]

The astroid has your name, and the same hair style!

[@DamienPalmer]

🔥

[@faenethlorhalien]

"hair"

[@Qermaq]

Technically, "bald" is not a hair style, or else "off" is a TV channel.

[@unholycrusader69]

​​@@Qermaq I mean "0" is a number, so it really just comes down to the "glass half-empty/half-full" aspect

[@Becky_Cooling]

@@Qermaq It's the Null hair style

[@robo3007]

Not sure what will annoy Steve Mould more, the fact that Matt got an asteroid named after him before he did, or the fact that its index has the digits of Pi instead of Tau...

[@himagainstill]

There's still room for Steve to get revenge. 62382 (2π to only 5 digits) is still unnamed. Might get named later, but having a lower number will be worth some bragging rights.

[@n.e.v.e.r]

​@@himagainstill 6283 is also not taken yet, even better

[@babybalrog]

I was thinking about MR Mold this whoel time. MAKE IT HAPPEN

[@anotherfreakingaccount]

Every index is the digits of pi though...

[@gcewing]

Or he can wait for 628318 to come around.

[@EliasMheart]

You now have access to so many awesome new lines... xD "Well, Matt Parker is getting eccentric ..". "No, not very, the eccentricity of Mattparker is well known, and is only at 0.1962722!" "I feel like the world has left me behind... But it'll only take about half a year for me to close the gap again!"

[@abydosianchulac2]

Should have been named Parker Planet, then, since it tried to aggregate into one so long ago but didn't quite make it.

[@DukeBG]

I'm going to be that guy, but the hypothetical planet between Mars and Jupiter that didn't quite make it already has a name - Phaeton.

[@abydosianchulac2]

@@DukeBG Sure, but they can't call every bit of debris Phaeton-###########. This is just naming one asteroid Parker Planet, not the entire theoretical construct of the missing planet. Although if you're suggesting we recategorize all asteroids and dwarf planets as Parker Planets, I'm down for that, too.

[@himagainstill]

​@@DukeBG There are uncountably many hypothetical planets between Mars and Jupiter that didn't make it. Granted, not all of them could exist in the same universe ...

[@thalissonleite2650]

LOL

[@Saint_Wolf_]

That opening phrase was brilliant "The phrase «all life on earth has been destroyed by Matt Parker is distinctively more non-zero than it used to be»"

[@TheRenegade...]

Shouldn't that be "The sentence «Today all life on Earth was destroyed by Matt Parker» is distinctly more non-zero than it used to be"?

[@Saint_Wolf_]

@@TheRenegade... Didn't double check it bit I assume you did, so yes.

[@Nonsanity]

I want to know who was writing the headline. :)

[@mrbismarck]

Saint_Wolf *nearly* got the quote, but not quite.

[@ascii892]

@@Nonsanity someone on the moonbase

[@Jokrono]

I presume like most videos these days it has multiple thumbnails, but that one of your flaming head flying to eat earth might just be the best thumbnail I've seen on this website

[@nullandvoid7881]

I was utterly destroyed by that thumbnail

[@orchdork775]

Yes!! That was fantastic 😂

[@henrikoldcorn]

That thumbnail is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

[@johnboyer144]

I was SO MAD when i found out Matt Parker took 314159 for himself. That one should have been simply named Pi, and he should take 314158 for himself. It is appropriately close, but not quite there. THE AUDACITY

[@TheDannyHamilton]

It's ok. 3.14159 is also appropriately close but not quite there. It falls short by just a bit more than 0.00000265358

[@theViceth]

@@TheDannyHamilton in a true Parker fashion

[@lars3509]

@@TheDannyHamilton A proper parker approximation has at least one non-zero digit that is incorrect.

[@xway2]

3142 is called Kilopi, so there's at least one pi-asteroid out there

[@mrlemflem]

brother it was discovered TWENTY YEARS AGO. if they wanted to name it pi they should've

[@12times12_]

I've just noticed that Mattparker's orbital period is almost exactly twice that of Mars, meaning Mattparker is exhibiting a fairly strong example of orbital resonance. This also may be why it comes so close to Mars without having an unstable orbit.

[@Falcrist]

"The Half-Assteroid" is an OUTSTANDING subtitle. That rendition of Mattparker wins just for that.

[@GoldenAgeMath]

Amazing! You deserve it Matt! I started watching numberphile when I was in middle school and now I’m a math PhD student!

[@PolynicesEteocles]

That's wonderful!

[@CaptainBrawnson]

What a lovely tribute to a fantastic science communicator and educator.

[@Gorzoid]

I give it 2 weeks before International Astronomical Union comes back saying "Turns out the Matt Parker asteroid was actually just a smudge on our lens"

[@alexwoodhead6471]

A smudge on the lens? A SMUDGE ON THE LENS?!?! I think I know the difference between a meteor heading towards Earth and a smudge on the goddamn lens Gorzoid!!

[@TheRenegade...]

A true Parker Asteroid

[@universe1879]

Bro thought IAU is Kerbal Astronomical Union

[@georgelionon9050]

I'm all in favor of renaming Pluto to Parker, almost a planet but not quite.. Oh and Uranus to George. But thats a different story.

[@AzureImperium7701X]

Yes of course. 4 years of observations was just smudges in the lense of multiple different telescopes all in spots consistent with the orbit of a plausible asteroid.

[@Dragoncro0wn]

- Hey do you know Matt Parker? - The asteroid or the mathmagician? - Nvm.

[@Digibo]

That's either a very awkward or an awesome date.

[@VaebnKenh]

"I'll take that as a 'yes'"

[@elise-3198]

Math clown*

[@joeymurphy2464]

Oh boy, I get to do a correction! At 26:37, you say "That gives us the orbital period", but what you're measuring is the rotational period. The orbital period is the 3.7ish years it takes to orbit the sun.

[@FLPhotoCatcher]

And the image of the asteroid is more than one pixel, though that may be due to optical bloom.

[@Nicoder6884]

@@FLPhotoCatcher Yeah, it's optical bloom as explained in the numberphile video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGrPfJapYs1qnMksi=shV3napQeuyJ7sYd&t=688

[@TheNameOfJesus]

Rats, you beat me.

[@HweolRidda]

He does say "rotational period" several times after that slip of the tongue.

[@reformCopyright]

Congratulations! You're now in the same club as Scott Manley and Hank Green!

[@jacobbaer785]

I wonder if this was the most times Matt Parker has said "Matt Parker" in a Matt Parker video?

[@Kwauhn.]

Matt Parker

[@kindlin]

Matt Parker mattparkered Mattparker.

[@andrewharrison1194]

I can only say that Matt Parker ROCKS! Well, ROCK.

[@argyem6688]

If Bennu and Didymos are anything to go by, rocks is accurate.

[@jajssblue]

A real Parker asteroid! One way to guarantee it won't hit. 😂 Congrats Matt!

[@srwapo]

The space in Matt Parker's name is now surprisingly important.

[@CristianConsonni]

Also, Mattparker is now in spade

[@Delicioushashbrowns]

one of my fave vids of all time!! also wild wild wild that you got 314159 that's so ridiculously apropos

[@koerlie]

"Probably something to do with jupiter being a jerk" is a pretty good summary of greek/roman mythology.

[@WaterShowsProd]

And for much about our solar system. Jupiter is like the plentary foreman that brought everything into alignment. I'm sure all the other bodies thought it was being a jerk, despite the good that's come from Juipiter doing its thing. It's possible that Jupiter is even ultimately respsonsible for the creation of our moon, though that's just one theory among others.

[@jeffspaulding9834]

@@WaterShowsProd That's certainly more likely than all those silly ideas about Earth being a former moon of Saturn.

[@WaterShowsProd]

@@jeffspaulding9834 I never heard that one before. It does seem unlikely. Geological evidence shows that Earth and The Moon are made of the same stuff. The leading theory is that another planet, called Thea, slammed into Earth causing Earth to receive its current tilt, a ring system which then coalesced into a moon that continues to move away from us, and two large blobs of different density deep inside Earth that are thought to be remnants of Thea. There are some who disagree with this. It's thought that Thea's orbit may have been disrupted by Jupiter, causing the collision.

[@unvergebeneid]

I like that Matt acknowledges that the chance of him destroying all life on earth was never zero to begin with.

[@bwayagnes]

I vote we do the space mission kickstarter 😂 “Find out what Mattparker looks like”

[@argyem6688]

Sample return mission, where one of the backer levels is "get a piece of Mattparker"?

[@zapfanzapfan]

A cubesat should be within Kickstarter-budget. Problem is the launch, it probably needs a dedicated launch and that is at minimum 5 million or so with Rocket Lab.

[@ExplodingDarth]

10:12 "...which is great, because Matt parker gives us light!" It's moments like this that make me love this channel

[@tehlaser]

0:42 that totally should be the thumbnail

[@1st2nd2]

0:25 for me.

[@pstephens1234]

40:33

[@1st2nd2]

@@pstephens1234 That is a good choice

[@tehlaser]

nevermind, this one will do juuuuust fine

[@julienroy3355]

​@@1st2nd2thank you! I really enjoyed making this picture :) But to be fair Matt Head Flaming Asteroid is by far a better thumbnail to get people to click on the video ;)

[@ngiorgos]

I am at 0:37. I BET the asteroid will aproach Earth, but juuust misses and fails to destroy all life as we know it

[@arielioffe1810]

That’s the Parker Square Asteroid.

[@robinbrowne5419]

Yes. It will just miss the Earth due to a rounding error.

[@voodootrois]

Or the asteroid will hit Square on.

[@Marwolaeth01]

"distinctly more non-zero than it used to be". Nice cover story! I see what your did there!

[@Wizarth]

I really appreciate that when you put in the orbits, you didn't use concentric circles centered on the sun. This dedication to small accuracies really are a hallmark of this channel.

[@quinn7894]

The first time in a long time that something has been named after Matt Parker without being a disappointment

[@quinn7894]

Which is a good thing

[@irishjet2687]

1:05 The UK cover and subtitle are SO much better than the American cover.

[@jacobhuckins494]

This bugs me every time he puts them on screen

[@thecakeredux]

They couldn't possibly have named it after someone more appreciative of this.

[@awandererfromys1680]

Congratulations Matt! That's really awesome!

[@bradyjamesdesign]

This guy went from Humble Pi to Pi in the Sky real quick 😀 Now on top of the Parker Square, the trajectory of this asteroid must hence forth be known as the Parker Ellipse

[@JulianMakes]

Well it’s worth about £171,572,846,800 if it’s sand (at builders merchant price of £50/1000kg)

[@joseville]

That's if you ignore the effects of flooding the market with Matt Parker. Once you take the sudden increase in supply into account, the value of Matt Parker will be greatly deflated.

[@JohnDoe-ti2np]

0:53 For those who are curious, "Love Triangle" was the #14 Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller on the September 8, 2024 New York Times list. Congratulations, Matt!

[@not_David]

Of all the things named after Matt, this is by far the coolest, and potentially scariest. Congratulations!

[@Sinnistering]

Okay, this is a better (strict) astronomy video than a lot of stuff out there. I, of course, adore my astro_physics_ educators and communicators (PBS Spacetime! Dr. Becky! just to name the two I watch the most), but you really dug into the nitty gritty of the astronomical measurements and I LOVED that. It felt like a Steve Mould demonstration for how astronomy is done!

[@yukifgh]

Absolutely deserved! Congratulations, Matt!

[@PiletskayaV]

I love everything about this video and video I just watched at Numberphile! So happy for you Matt! I think you deserve it! 🥰

[@Forriedude]

Glad i watched the numberphile vid first. The reveal was fantastic.

[@dielaughing73]

Seriously good. I spent the whole time up til then thinking "is he going to find any?"

[@sblowes]

When the earth is between Mattparker and the sun, we are all basking in the light of Mattparker. Several whole photons!

[@bradarmstrong3952]

Honestly, I think having the π asteroid named after you is far more impressive than the NY Times bestseller list, but you should be proud of both!

[@mathmaximum1647]

7:32 you got a prime number, 314159 is prime:)

[@bp-lx7lf]

I clicked on this video for the sole purpose of rewarding that glorious thumbnail with my engagement

[@JacksonBockus]

Well we’ve gotta start petitioning for asteroid 628318 to be named Vi Hart.

[@bwayagnes]

YESSSSSS

[@onebronx]

Or Michael Hartl, the author of the Tau Manifesto

[@eekee6034]

The thumbnail is wonderful! 🤣 Excellent explanation of the relation between the shape of a spinning object and its light curve.

[@hannesgroesslinger]

23:02 "You do not have to worry about Mattparker ending humanity anytime soon" at least not that Mattparker

[@AmmMoorra-dn9rw]

Happy for you bro, that's dope. Thanks for your work in trying to make the world a better place

[@jssmith0225]

30:51 I’m so glad you enjoyed my fan art!!

[@SellymeYT]

You've gotten impressively good at aligning the post-production graphics with where you're pointing in the recorded footage.

[@superdan2593]

14:33 - "This arrangement not geometrically possible for Mattparker" Took me a second to realize that the asteroids belt cannot be between Earth and the Sun. 🌍🪨🌞

[@anime_erotika585]

Genius move by astronomers, calling asteroid Parker asteroid so it would almost hit the earth

[@DaveLeCompte]

Today I learned that the Absolute Brightness of Mattparker is 17.87. Also, 1787 is a prime, so that's nice.

[@JamieDenAdel]

David is really well-spoken - every clause is packed with information and punctuates the most interesting parts.

[@tscoffey1]

From the orbital simulation, it looks like Mattparker is in orbital resonance with Mars.

[@renerpho]

Almost. It's just 1.1% from being in a 2:1 resonance (3.76 instead of 3.72 years).

[@cluts1132]

​@@renerphoWe can call it the Parker resonance. Very close, but not quite

[@renerpho]

@@cluts1132 Works for me 😄

[@billyiswaiting]

All jokes aside, congratulations Matt! I genuinely got emotional when I heard this. You absolutely deserve it :)

[@wanderingshade8383]

Matt Parker: "Bring me pictures of Mattparker!" *slams desk like J Jonah Jameson*

[@Vim-Wolf]

This has to be one of my all time favourite thumbnails. Well done to whoever made it.

[@maxp3141]

It’s not often you get to see a grown man study himself with such enthusiasm. 😂

[@maxp3141]

And the best part is that you finally know exactly how bright you are.

[@troatie]

The video is really icing on the cake for the meal of a thumbnail. *chef's kiss*

[@petersage5157]

I was about to say that Matt's Pi Day attempts at calculating pi pose a greater threat to humanity, then I realized the designation itself is a pi approximation. Well played.

[@ruairihair]

Hands down the greatest thumbnail of all time.

[@EyyEyeNerd]

Woahh!!! That's incredible, congrats!!!

[@Mr.E-Bachs]

Congratulations good sir! What an honor, well deserved! 🎉

[@Finkelfunk]

Imagine they accidentally name asteroid 314158 after him. Tbh, that's the type of trolling I'd find absolutely hilarious

[@WJS774]

That's actually really cool, I bet a lot of people would like to have asteroid pi named after them, but that's a very exclusive club. Juno, Euphrosyne, Rosalia, Kilopi, Peteworden, and now Mattparker. There won't be a seventh member until asteroid 3141593 is discovered, which may not happen for a very long time unless the search really picks up in the next few years. Also, it would be cool to see the maths on how you can calculate the orbit for an object if you know its position and velocity, that's some really interesting maths.

[@diamondbandit8385]

Not on Wikipedia yet, someone decide whether to add Mattparker to the list of Mathematicians or Entertainers

[@marwinhochfelsner]

It's on the italian Wikipedia somehow

[@himagainstill]

314159 doesn't have any particular maths work that we know of, but then again if it hits us it won't be particularly entertaining.

[@anotherfreakingaccount]

@@himagainstill Mattparker would be pretty entertaining if it just barely misses us though, that could be cool. Or breaks up in our atmosphere

[@Kwauhn.]

It's mentioned on his page, and links to a list of asteroids that shows his name on it now.

[@diamondbandit8385]

@Kwauhn. oo thanks I'll check it out

[@scheibenhonig360]

I liked the previous thumbnail with your face on the asteroid racing towards earth more! Clickbait done so obviously over the top, that one gotta love it ❤

[@jannetteberends8730]

That’s so cool. I’m going to tell all my friends. It proves that watching KZbin videos is a serious thing.

[@erikfinnegan]

It gives you a true sense of human ingenuity and diligence and the VASTNESS of the scientific corpus when Matt goes on for 45 minutes about the details we, humans, can derive from a speck of light in the sky and build on ALL the findings and technology which came before it ! Humbling. Probably, I would have watched for another hour.

[@tedrex8959]

Somewhere Mrs Parker is STILL going "WHAT THE F%@K!"

[@wyattstevens8574]

It *would* be interesting if they called one "###### Lucygreen"!

[@funtastic1297]

Parker square, Parker whale, Parker asteroid. Minions next we shall take over the parker moooooon

[@cvayta]

An S class? In Mercedes terms that’s very luxurious.

[@seanhunter111]

That is frikkin' cool and I love how proud Matt obviously is.

[@himagainstill]

14:03 Blinded by the light of the sun reflected off Matt Parker.

[@fsodn]

13:35 Matt doing Semame Street's "near and far" sketch. Love it! 😀 Love this video! Congratulations Matt!

[@davidf3910]

That is a truly terrifying thumbnail

[@TheWebstaff]

Matt parker, dim and distant! Matt Parker, surprisingly impressive in body and mind.

[@SimonZerafa]

I wonder if 314159 has a satellite? If so perhaps it could be named after Emma 😇🖖

[@darren8453]

I have no idea of the content of this video yet - it's on my watch list - but that thumbnail is maybe the best thing you have ever done.

[@davidroddini1512]

After they named it Mattparker, they did more math? So it’s following in its namesake’s footsteps by encouraging people to do math!

[@danielgolec6022]

The apocalyptic "day of wrath" Dies irae from Verdi's Requiem in the last seconds is a very nice touch indeed!

[@lewzealand4717]

Looks like 314159 Mattparker is in a 2:1 resonance with Mars, pretty cool! And if it's not, it seems to be pretty close to being so and maybe on it's way to a true 2:1 with time.

[@markblacket8900]

it's a Parker 2:1

[@renerpho]

Not quite, but within about 1% of the resonance (3.76 vs. 3.72 years).

[@chillzwinter]

Wow - you sir have earned 1 like and 1 subscribe.😆 & one minor planet.

[@_abdul]

"Jerkupiter" have a nice ring to it.

[@rafaelribas1027]

"Saturn" has an even nicer ring!

[@liljohn118th]

Best. Thumbnail. Ever.

[@scottsamborn4639]

Poor William Shanks spent 15 years calculating digits of pi and didn't get the puny pi planet.

[@cgarzs]

BEST THUMBNAIL 🤣😆😂 Please don't change it. 🙏

[@Taaaamas]

This thumbnail is probably within the top 3.141 thumbnails you've done on this channel

[@bear0683]

banger video, very funny and interesting. Loved learning about the rotational speed stuff and generally seeing all the science in action for such a silly but impressive topic

[@Masheeable]

40:31 The final moments before the end of civilization.

[@_knife_gun_axe_]

I believe that in the future there will be astrophysicists that will point to this video and say "this is where it all started". Great work Matt.

[@danielmaciver5307]

I propose that once we find asteroid 3141592 as MattParker2, and so on for every next digit of pi that we find

[@pleasantvegetable]

Unfortunately they only name asteroids after prime numbers

[@astra1288]

i know you mean that it would be mattparker2, mattparker3, etc. but im imagining mattparker2, mattparker26, mattparker265 as if ‘mattparker’ is a stand in for the number 314159

[@TheRealWilliamWhite]

​@@astra1288 this is better

[@tristanridley1601]

3141592 needs to be Megapi, sorry.

[@jtmusson]

This video’s thumbnail is my favourite ever! The guilty delight on Matt Parker’s face…