Trained Catholic exorcists in the US

As more near-Earth asteroids have been discovered, more Catholic exorcists have been trained, a correlation of 0.990 that connects planetary defense to spiritual warfare with the cosmic gravitas of a scatter plot that has clearly read too much science fiction. The asteroids approach, the exorcists prepare, and the chart suggests humanity is arming itself against threats from both the physical and metaphysical dimensions simultaneously. One wonders if the Vatican has a planetary defense budget.

Near-Earth asteroids discovered grew from about 800 to over 3,000 per year as telescope networks improved. Trained exorcists grew from about 12 to over 175 as the Vatican expanded its training programs. Both are smooth upward curves: asteroids because detection technology improved, exorcists because the Church responded to growing demand for spiritual remedies. Both trends reflect institutions investing in threat detection—one astronomical, one theological—during the same decade. The shared variable is institutional capacity building in response to perceived threats, though the threats could not be more different.

Ten years of asteroids and exorcists is the most cosmically ambitious correlation on this site: two institutions scanning for threats, one pointing telescopes at the sky and the other pointing holy water at the afflicted. The asteroid is tracked by radar, the demon is tracked by rite, and both numbers go up because both institutions decided the 2010s required more vigilance. The orbit is calculated. The prayer is recited. The chart observes both without judgment.