2006-09-13 10:23:55 · 6 answers · asked by Nature Boy Ash 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Most burns up before it reaches earth, and remains in the atmosphere. But even if it did reach earth, the mass increase is so small that the acceleration due to gravity would remain virtually the same.
2006-09-13 10:26:43 · answer #1 · answered by anonymous 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Simple answer is yes, but compared to what? Our burning of fossil fuels would to a far greater degree decrease the earths mass than would be increased by falling debris from space.Water evaporates and falls both decreasing and increasing mass with these eventualities. So yes, compared to microseconds immediately prior to the event, debris is increasing mass. But when compared to any point in the past, the effect would be negligible, and in view of events of this type, the earths mass may or may not actually have increased with a debris event.
2006-09-13 17:39:21 · answer #2 · answered by h2odog 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most incoming objects like meteors (meteoroid rather) burn up in the Mesosphere and combine with the atmosphere.
Those meteorites that actually make it all the way to the ground are very very small amount.
So I can imagine it's a very small percentage that won't change the mass of earth by much at all. Not even in a million years.
2006-09-13 18:40:09 · answer #3 · answered by Duda .. 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, if it makes it. But just like the fluctuation of the mass of the Earth by population changes, I doubt that it makes much of a difference. The Earth would be a whole lot lighter if we all jumped off. :-)
2006-09-13 17:32:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes
2006-09-13 17:32:26 · answer #5 · answered by Dr M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Simple answer: Yes
2006-09-13 17:25:25 · answer #6 · answered by metatron 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋