Threat of collision of Earth with an asteroid – one of the most favourite Hollywood plots. As a rule, in movies the resolute and well equipped technically people of Earth cope with this danger and destroy the space object threatening to kill all live on the planet. And as far as in real life the approach of an apocalypse at flight of an asteroid is probable?
Consequences of possible collision of the planet with an asteroid
Scientists warn the public long ago about possible planetary accident which threatens Earth at collision with an asteroid. Some of astrophysicists consider that at any time the celestial body wandering on space, even having not too big sizes, is capable to cause a serious loss to the planet and to lead to an apocalypse.
As relentless statistics says, each several hundreds of years near Earth rush rather massive celestial body, for example, a comet or an asteroid. In space scales such object, of course, represents only a grain of sand. But for people of Earth the falling even of a boulder, small by the sizes, can be fatal.
Scientists try to simulate process of collision of interstellar wanderers with Earth. It is supposed that emergence of an asteroid will be perceived from the planet as a dazzling fiery sphere. With an inconceivable speed the asteroid will rush into the atmosphere and will crash into the surface of the globe. Collisions will result ocean waves of huge height, the earth will begin to melt and burn.
The destructive shock wave will ruthlessly sweep away from the surface of the city and all live. Quite so the apocalypse can look.
What probability of a meeting of Earth and asteroid
Every year the set of space bodies which total weight is probably several dozen tons enters the atmosphere of Earth with a huge speed. Most of them have the small sizes and at once burn down in interaction with dense air beds. But in near space there are many larger objects. That is the danger of collision with an asteroid exists. However practice of space observations shows that even the most dangerous bodies more than once approaching Earth on the menacing distance finally were rejected from the planet by its strong gravitational fields. It occurred, for example, in the middle of May, 1996 at approach to the planet of the asteroid which received name JA-1.
The space wanderer whose movement with alarm was monitored by experts as a result was carried away far in space open spaces. The next threat of approach of doomsday passed.
Methods and technique of researches of space are constantly improved. Today astronomers can find asteroids, potentially dangerous to Earth, long before their emergence near the planet. At the moment nearly one and a half thousand such space bodies which diameter exceeds hundred meters are known. But any of these objects, scientists consider, in the near future cannot threaten the planet. Therefore the probability of approach of an apocalypse at flight of an asteroid near Earth is very small.