The issue is that the observatory doesn't report when the asteroid is coming like it should. This has been bugged since the start of the sixth universe I think.
This means there is no replacement for the stargazer, and few players seem to actually locate the stargazer reliably after the founding of a city. So many players forget or don't know the actual impact date of the asteroid.
Allowing a wide range of time to pick from for the asteroid impact date, for example between 7 and 14 days instead of the current 7 days ±12 hours, could also make it somewhat better.
See also: (Suggestion thread) Turn Asteroids off until the servers are more stable?
This means there is no replacement for the stargazer, and few players seem to actually locate the stargazer reliably after the founding of a city. So many players forget or don't know the actual impact date of the asteroid.
Allowing a wide range of time to pick from for the asteroid impact date, for example between 7 and 14 days instead of the current 7 days ±12 hours, could also make it somewhat better.
See also: (Suggestion thread) Turn Asteroids off until the servers are more stable?