How do asteroids affect earth?

Question

I was just wondering...What do asteroids ever do to affect Earth or the solar system iteself? From what I know, they stay pretty much by themselfs in the asteroid belt. If they weren't there, would they affect anything?
Thanks!

Indeed, I do know if an asteroid came through our atmosphere it could destroy earth But my question was, how do asteroids fit into the big solar system picture?

Answer 1

Rocks from space hit Earth every day. The larger the rock, though, the less often Earth is struck. Many kilograms of space dust pitter to Earth daily. Larger bits appear initially as a bright meteor. Baseball-sized rocks and ice-balls streak through our atmosphere daily, most evaporating quickly to nothing. Significant threats do exist for rocks near 100 meters in diameter, which strike Earth roughly every 1000 years. An object this size could cause significant tidal waves were it to strike an ocean, potentially devastating even distant shores. A collision with a massive asteroid, over 1 km across, is more rare, occurring typically millions of years apart, but could have truly global consequences. Many asteroids remain undiscovered. In fact, the discovery of several was announced last week; one is shown as the long blue streak in the above photograph. Such an interplanetary collision would not affect Earth's orbit so much as raise dust that would affect Earth's climate. One likely result is a global extinction of many species of life, possibly dwarfing the ongoing extinction occurring now.

Answer 2

at the beginning, it already did!, approximately an hour in the past. did no longer you experience it? properly, neither did I. each merchandise, by way of distinctive function of its mass, has a gravity which could have some result on yet another physique. So, 2011 MD has some gravity, infinitesimally small because it may desire to be in comparison to the Earth's, in spite of the indisputable fact that it has it, and subsequently could have an result on yet another physique that it comes on the brink of. yet, for CNN to assert that a celestial physique that's merely 30 ft for the era of could have an result on earth's gravity (implying that it may desire to be important or perhaps measurable!), is greater sensational journalism or gross misquoting of a scientist than certainly technology.

Answer 3

no one really knows yet. Some scientists think it was the debris left behind after the planetary collision or big bangs.
From my personal opinion, those asteroid may serve as filter of those larger ET UFO going to hit earth or as some sort of planetary futilizers. :)

Answer 4

As you note, unless they hit us, they don't affect the Earth at all. Any gravitational influence is quite a bit less than significant. As opposed to KerryK's dumb answer, if they all disappeared, we would not notice anything...and it certainly would not affect the orbit of any planet.

Answer 5

Sometimes the astroids go through the atmosphere and don't burn up.If this happens it hits Earth and makes craters.You can see a crater if you go to the crater in Arizona.

Answer 6

well since eveything has gravity i suppose if they were to suddenly vanish the Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars could all start a tumble into the sun.
If they weren't there to begin with we might be a few hundred feet further back from the sun

Answer 7

Probably make the Grand Canyon look smal and insignificant.

Answer 8

Either hit or missed.

Answer 9

they can and it's said they will destroy earth.