If a comet was headed to earth would will be able to destroy it?

Answer 1

Well it depends on how much time we have. The trouble is that we have never tried to do this before. If we found a comet that was on a collision course with the earth and would impact in 10 years we could probably do something about it. If we found something that would hit in a few weeks, we'd be screwed.

But the trouble with comets is that they are nearly invisible until they get closer to the earth then Jupiter's orbit. After they pass by Jupiter's orbit then they start venting gases and grow a tail and we can see them, but not all the time.

A comet might escape our detection whip around the sun and head strait for us with the sun right behind it. If that happens we don't stand a chance. The first sings of the comet my be the shock wave of the comet impacting with the earth upper atmosphere. But by that point it would be far to late to do anything about it. There is a satellite called soho that studies the sun, it has a instrument on it that covers the disc of the sun to create an artificial eclipse that lets us see objects around the sun like solar flares and what not. Something that they didn't expect to see or study when they stated using the instruments was comets. As of today Soho has discovered more comets than all astronomers throughout history. When these comets make a close pass to the sun they light up and become very visible. We previously couldn't see them from earth because they were very close to the sun, and it was during the day when the sky is to bright to see them. As soho is in space, it doesn't have to look through a bright atmosphere.

The comet my never actually hit the ground, but it would probably explode in the atmosphere. Before you let out a sigh of relief let me say this could be just as or even more dangerous. If you have ever heard of meteor crater in arizonia or aka the berringer creater. If you don't know what it is google it. The object the created that crater never het the ground, the shock wave from the meteor exploding in the atmosphere created a crater that's 1 mile accross and over 200 feet deep. And that was a fairly small object as far is space deris are concerned. A comet is much larger. If the comet blew up in the atmosphere is would release an incredible ammount of energy, and even it you didn't live near by it, it's could effect the earth for decades. The heat released would flash burn forests and kick up dust into the atmosphere blocking out the sun light for years. If it impacted over the ocean it's even over as the shock wave would create tidal waves all over the earth.

~D

Answer 2

The largest mass that collide was on Jupiter.meteorites or very large comets could have an impact on the earth but not really destroy it.There mave beeen a few such collision in the past. However if the meteorites that hit jupiter would have hit the earth due to its size would have done considerable damage in terms of a large hole and would have cause quite an earth quake.

Answer 3

Comets are mostly made of ice, so the use of some thermonuclear devices should be enough to split it appart (heating the ice into gas will make the comet explode) in smaller debris than a normal asteroid. Also, most debris will melt when entering the Earth atmosphere, thus fractioning them even more and reducing the overall impact potential.

Answer 4

No. And we probably couldn't deflect it either, because we almost never see them coming more than a year or two in advance and we would need decades of warning to deflect a comet with the current level of space technology.

Answer 5

the terrific technique of combating a collision, given sufficient time, is to a technique or the different push or pull the object as a consequence changing its trajectory to omit us. "Blowing Up" an merchandise provides a myriad of problems. no count if that's solid-iron, it does not be probable to in basic terms be vaporized through something we've. no count if that's loosely held mutually pile of rocks and airborne dirt and dirt, it would take in something we attempt to do to it. So, harm isn't an determination extremely.

Answer 6

Comets don't destroy the earth, because all of them burn when they itch against the air. Unless if they have a big mass and its itch cannot burn it, then it will destroy the earth amount of its mass.

Answer 7

yes, if a comet the size of about 2 miles or a metorite, would kill off about 3 quaters of the earth. i know its hard to believe but its true.

Answer 8

the answer is no. but anyway comets also revovle round the sun so there is no possibility of it heading towards earth.

Answer 9

yes and I want to see all the details on the news panic looting people under stress!

Answer 10

Wy destroy it if we can simply deflect it?