Asteroid???

Question

What of the predictions of the Earth being destroyed by an asteroid?

Answer 1

Any idiot can make predictions, especially if by the time they don't come true he is dead, or nobody can find him to make fun of him. In the world of facts, we keep spotting possible impacters, and calculating their orbits, and finding that they will miss us.

There is an extremely small probability that some time in the next 80 or 100 years a large asteroid-type impact will cause major loss of human life, or make the Earth completely uninhabitable, or something in between. After that, there will be sufficiently powerful telescopes and deflection equipment to be sure that it will never happen.

Answer 2

There are no actual predictions. There is only a statistical chance. But the chance is not for total destruction, just really bad damage if a large enough asteroid were to hit. Lucky for us all the really large ones are in stable, far away orbits, just like Mars or Saturn or any other planet. The largest asteroid in an Earth crossing orbit is maybe about 10 miles wide. Enough to cause massive damage but not total destruction if it hit.

Answer 3

There are no such predictions because there is no asteroid large enough to do that. Not even the direct impact of Mars could destroy earth. It would take a gas giant to rip earth apart. And as we all know... those are pretty far from here and there is little chance they will come visit.

And if you mean what it would take to destroy the earth's ecosphere... well, obviously more than has ever hit the planet as long as we have one. And since the solar system is nice and quiet now, chances are really, really slim.

Answer 4

Don't worry. Earth will be fine. It is only all the plants, animals and humans that will be destroyed.

Two sources of that prediction: The Mayan calendar ceases in 2012 when our solar system crosses the midpoint in the galaxy. Pure KA-KA, as the Mayans might say. Their round stone calendar stops when it does because they did not have a bigger rock.

And the newly discovered book of predictive drawing and writings attributed to Nostradamus. His quatrains are only right when something happens and then someone bends the text to match what is now history. He says an asteroid will strike in 2012. He also predicted similar in 1998 and 1998 came and went with no major impact. He also FAILED to predict the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 1/4 million people. Not much of a prophet if that didn't make a blip on his radar.