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As June 2nd approaches, we should view 1998 OR2 not as a threat, but as an invitation to look outward. It is a prompt to continue the essential work of planetary defense, to fund the next generation of infrared surveyors, and to maintain the international treaties that allow for the sharing of vital astronomical data. We are the first generation of humans in history with the potential to prevent a natural disaster of cosmic proportions. The asteroid passing by this summer is a signal that our time to prepare is now. It is a quiet, cold, numerical label—1998 OR2—that speaks volumes about the fragility and the resilience of our home in the stars.
