Asteroids and the Earth: a concrete threat or just science fiction? If you’ve ever wondered how likely it is that an asteroid will hit our planet, you’re in the right place. The story reminds us of a catastrophic event that changed the course of life on Earth: about 66 million years agoan asteroid with a diameter of about 10 km crashed into our planet, causing the extinction of 75% of species, including dinosaurs.
How many asteroids do we know today?
The solar system is full of celestial objects and, to date, we have identified more than that 1,300,000 asteroids. Some are as small as rocks, others have a diameter of several kilometers. However, not all of them pose a danger. The ones that interest us most are the potentially dangerous asteroids. These are scientifically defined as asteroids that will pass within 8 million km of the Earth and which have a diameter greater than 140 meters.
How dangerous are asteroids?
While a 140-meter asteroid could cause significant destruction, it would not necessarily be a “planetary killer.” The probability of such an asteroid hitting the Earth is 1 in 10,000. On the other hand, an event like the one that exterminated the dinosaurs happens around once every 500,000 years. This means it could happen at any moment, although the chances remain extremely low.
Today, the NASA and other space agencies constantly monitor space for potentially dangerous asteroids. Thanks to continuous technological developments, it is possible to detect the presence of these objects in advance and, in the future, it may be feasible to divert them from their trajectory.
Asteroid and the probability of it hitting Earth
While the likelihood of an asteroid destroying Earth is extremely low, constant monitoring remains crucial. While it is unlikely that a large asteroid will hit the planet in the near future, we must continue to develop technologies to ensure our safety. And, who knows, maybe one day we will be able to prevent these threats altogether.
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