2007-10-31 07:43:51 · 7 answers · asked by Betdotman 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Could Graphs and charts be given if answered if possible.
2007-10-31 07:45:44 · update #1
Calculate the probability of a certain size impact per year times the likely number of teaths from such an impact, and then add up all those probabilities. That's how a risk assessment is done. Several years ago, somebody did that and found that the average number of deaths per year from all meteor impact, including the big one that will eventually destroy all life on Earth, is about equal to the number of deaths per year from airline crashes.
It's not the known asteroids and comets that we should worry about; its the one that hasn't been discovered; it will probably come at us from the sunny side, where we can't see it.
2007-10-31 08:56:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Only to the gullible with hidden death wish. The rest of us realize pretty quickly that living in a bad neighborhood in the US is thousands of times more likely to get you killed than an asteroid.
I like those odds! And I would also assume that everyone who likes to live dangerously will want to move to Oakland ASAP. Way better than waiting for something that ain't gonna happen.
:-)
2007-10-31 15:40:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, although the chances of one hitting us are exceeding low on any particular year. A couple of big ones hit about 65 million years ago. One in the Yucatan which killed the dinosaurs and a lot of every other form of life, and a smaller one in Manson, Iowa. Large meteors hit maybe once a century. Naturally most land in the oceans.
2007-10-31 15:19:54 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Over the very long run, they could be as no orbit in the solar system is truly fixed over millions of years (because of perturbation by other planets).
There are observatories keeping tabs on all the ones passing close to us and being big enough to harm us.
2007-10-31 14:49:32 · answer #4 · answered by Raymond 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Definitely.
2007-10-31 14:52:00 · answer #5 · answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NASA has a great website dealing with what they call Near Earth Objects. There is a ton of information there. The link is http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/
2007-10-31 14:48:33 · answer #6 · answered by brewnbiker 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on their velocity , and gravitational aspects of the solar system at the time of passing through.
2007-10-31 15:13:56 · answer #7 · answered by Kara 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋