by a meteorit or comet that can cause a global catastrophe?
2007-07-08 17:41:09 · 9 answers · asked by alfonsoarredondo 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Scientists always say, it's matter of time.
2007-07-08 18:36:24 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The chances of this happening today and tomorrow (and so on) are stastically the same as any other day in human history, and it has certainly happened before, so of course it is a reality that we should be concerned with.
In fact, on June 30, 1908, a meteorite estimated at around 5-6 miles in diameter exploded about 3-6 miles above an isolated area of Siberea (Tunguska), causing a 10-20 megaton explosion (about 1,000 times more than the Hirshima atomic bomb) that destroyed 830 square miles of unihabited forest.
The shockwave from this explosion also knocked people off their feet and shattered windows about 100 miles outside of the blast radius in all directions.
830 square miles is about 1/2 the size of Rhode Island and 12 times larger than Washington, DC. New York City is about 309 square miles.
So it has happened before, and fairly recently, but the catastrophe just happened to hit an unpopulated area.
The good news is that we now have the technology and funding to track objects in the sky that could possibly collide with earth. The NEAR Earth project was established in 2004 and fully funded by the federal government as of March, 2007.
With modern technology (which is only going to get better), this project officially run through 5 observatories across the globe can accurately identify and track objects as small as 140 meters in diameter DECADES before they are within proximity of the earth. They are currently tracking 4679 objects under 1 km in diameter and 715 objects over 1 km in diameter, and of these, only 2 are considered to have high priority levels, both of which are over 20 years away.
The project estimates that it is currently tracking 90+% of all objects over 1km in diameter that have any probability of passing within 1.3 AUs (1.0 AU = distance from the earth to the sun) of Earth.
With 10 years notice, our global resources and technology could surely divert any detected object.
SO, the answer to your question is that you are safer now than at ANY time in human history from the threat of a collision event, and realistically, the threat may have been virtually nutrualized altogether!!
So don't worry, be happy!!
2007-07-09 10:49:56 · answer #2 · answered by TopherM 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is impossible to say. The Earth has been hit in the past.I'm sure if we are on a collision course with a celestial object we will have plenty of time for scientists to come up with a solution, but then again.........
2007-07-09 01:25:14 · answer #3 · answered by ROBERT P 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, at least not one big enough to constitute a global catastrophe. After all, that has not happened in thousands of years, so we know it is quite rare. So, are you feeling UNlucky? I'm not.
2007-07-09 00:45:41 · answer #4 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, I don't think so. Some people do think so, but I have to look back billions of years with only one unexplained wipe out with the dinosaurs.. However, I think we could have some volcanic problems in the future that will be a challenge to mankind.
2007-07-09 04:15:18 · answer #5 · answered by Thunderrolls 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Apophis. 2036. Maybe.
2007-07-09 14:20:07 · answer #6 · answered by lindorie_le_succubus 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've heard talk of predictions for
2012 that such a thing will happen.
I doubt it though. :)
2007-07-09 03:37:38 · answer #7 · answered by PokerChip 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's highly unlikely.
2007-07-11 17:19:31 · answer #8 · answered by johnandeileen2000 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Almost assurdly, no.
2007-07-09 01:03:02 · answer #9 · answered by MathGoddess 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋