No asteroid warnings during government shutdown

Due to the government shutdown, the asteroid warning service by NASA is offline. How will we now know if we are to be hit by an asteroid?

For the last few years, NASA has through the Twitter account, @AsteroidWatch, provided updates on asteroids in the proximity of the earth or asteroids that are expected to come into contact with the earth. This information has usually been very much valued by amateur astronomers who are out to see shooting stars or to observe asteroids through telescopes. 

Now, following the government shutdown, the followers of the Asteroid Watch service is instead greeted by the tweet:

"Due to the gov't shutdown, all public NASA activities/events are cancelled or postponed until further notice. Sorry for the inconvenience."

This may not be the most severe side effect that the government shutdown leads to but it certainly highlights how it is affecting all sides of the society. Hopefully no big asteroid will in the meanwhile collide with us...