The End ?
Throughout Earths history there have been major mass extinctions approximately every 62 Million (+/- 3MY) years.
Guess how long it's been since the last one ?
On April 20th 2003 an asteroid designated
2001PM9 came within .113 Astronomical Units (16,904,559.43
Kilometers or 10,565,349 miles)
of the Earth.
1 Astronomical Unit = 149,597,871
kilometers,
the distance from the Earth to the Sun.
How bad could it be ?
Asteroids are made up of rock and/or metal.
Comets are composed of rock & ice.
These are dark objects which do not emit light of their own. However, they may reflect light when they are relatively near lumious bodies such as our Sun.
If they are reasonably small, like basketball size, they usually burn up in the Earths atmosphere or they can skip off the atmosphere and bounce back into space.
But, bigger ones generally impact the earth.
And some of them are as big as Texas.
It's Bad
The number of people world-wide who look for rogue asteroids and comets is probably about the size of the staff at your local McDonalds.
We think we know where 1,500 (about 10% ) of the recurring Earth-orbit crossing asteroids are.
But, we really aren't sure how many of them there are.
Really Bad
To be visible from Earth, even a large Asteroid or Comet would probably already be within our Solar System meaning we might have a few months warning at best.
On June 15, 2002, an asteroid the size of a football field, dubbed 2002MN, came within 120,000 kilometers of hitting Earth.
Traveling at 36,800 kilometers per hour, if it had struck, it would have wreaked as much destruction as a nuclear weapon. It was one of the closest passes ever recorded for an object of that size.
And astronomers didn't detect it till three days afterward.
Another asteroid, 2002 EM7, passed within 463,000 kilometers in March 2002.
This asteroid also was not found until after its flyby of Earth.
Really
Really Bad
Even if we knew one was coming which would collide with the earth, there is NO plan of action or prepartion for the defense of the Earth. If you think otherwise you have been watching too many Hollywood movies.
It
Just Gets Worse
Defence against one of these potential killer asteroids or comets (even if it were possible) would not be politically popular since the likelyhood of one coming during any given four year adminstration is fairly remote.
But, there have been at least nine major mass extinctions since life formed on the Earth and at least two of them are believed to be have been caused by asteroid impacts.
In some cases 95% of all life on Earth was wiped out.
The last one occured about 65 million years ago ending the age of dinosaurs.
It left a crater about 110 miles across.
Geologic and fossil records indicate that periodic mass extinctions happen on roughly 62 (+/- 3) Million year cycles.
Incidentally, this may be about the same period it takes for our solar system to make one complete cycle through the Orion arm of the Milky Way galaxy.
Coincidence ?
I think not.
See www.lxnr.nmdigitalvideo.com/EXTINCT.htm
A Lot Worse
It has happened before and it will happen
again.
It's not a matter of "if" it's just a matter of
"when".
Feeling
Lucky ?
Astronomers estimate that every month an asteroid in the 100 meter (diameter) range passes between the Earth and the Moon.
When asteroids with repeatable orbits come near enough to the Earth, the Earth’s gravity has an effect on them and it is very difficult to tell how close they will come on subsequent returns until their new orbits can be plotted.
Below are two asteroids which are on a possible collision courses with the Earth. These are just two that we know about.
2002NT7 - Feb 1st 2019
1999AN10 - Aug. 07 2027 or 2034 or 2044 or 2044
What,
Me Worry ?
It is not unlikely that the only warning you will get of a large meteor impact is seeing the mile-high wall of debris which was formerly your neighborhood coming at you at several times the speed of sound.
Assuming that you are looking in that direction.
Have a nice day.
This
is the end.
My only friend, the end.
Of all elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end.
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes again ...
Lyrics by: The Doors
