Did a meteorite fall? NASA: a huge asteroid is flying towards Earth. How often does this happen and what are the consequences?

Everything is more than serious.

Just a couple of days ago, information appeared in the media about the theory of another apocalypse. This time, scientists associate it with the collision of the Earth and a comet. This could not but excite the minds of not only the public, but also the world scientific community. What is this object? How far is it from the Earth? How serious is this? Our editors have found answers to these questions.

In May, NASA scientist Roberto Antezana began conducting research on celestial bodies in the Atacama. It is natural that the Chilean desert has the driest climate on Earth, so it is best to observe cosmic bodies through a telescope here. Here you can see what is inaccessible in other places. Thanks to favorable conditions, the scientist was able to examine an unknown object moving towards the Earth. Antezana immediately passed on his research data to colleagues at NASA. Already on May 31, researchers began conducting a series of studies in this area, and a little more than a week later they were able to announce the first results.

So, according to scientists, this object is of regular shape, which resembles a planet, but does not move in orbit and thus resembles an asteroid. In appearance it is similar to Mars. Behind it stretches a trail of triangular stones that burn; visually it resembles a chain of fire tied to the planet. Experts suggest that the plume was formed as a result of sharp braking or, conversely, a rapid turnover of the planet’s speed. In a telescope, the plume resembles the Latin letter “V”. According to all the collected characteristics, the space object can be classified as a giant comet.

It is noteworthy that today scientists do not exclude the possibility of a collision between an asteroid and the Earth. And this poses a real threat to all humanity. According to preliminary calculations by astrophysicists, a possible collision of two objects will occur in 100-200 years.

Now scientists have begun to actively study the nature of this cosmic body, however, due to the fact that it flies at high speed, it is very difficult to obtain additional data. To date, NASA experts have not given official comments on this matter.

Having learned about the real threat to all life on our planet, most will ask a completely logical question: how serious is it? Quite seriously, very seriously indeed. Given the size and speed of the comet, this could have catastrophic consequences for the Earth. However, let's take a critical look at this issue, and you will see that not everything is so bad.

According to the world scientific communities in the field of astrophysics, just last year 97 unknown space objects flew near our planet, which, one way or another, posed a threat to all life on Earth. Of these, 28 were near-Earth, 64 were in the main asteroid belt, and 5 were comets. Only 10 of all the above-listed cosmic bodies could actually collide with the Earth. They had varying degrees of threat, which in turn were classified according to the size and speed of movement of the celestial bodies. Only 6 days ago (more precisely, June 4), Comet Johnson flew near the Earth, and astrophysicists watched its movement with bated breath. It was similar in size and speed to Neptune.

According to experts, the real threat to all life on Earth is posed by celestial bodies that will fly near our planet in 2022, 2025, 2032, 2039. They could all collide with Earth. Not a single astrophysicist in the world can guarantee that they will not pose a threat. Why? Yes, because any space object has its own nature: structure, speed, external factors and habitat, which at any second can change its movement or even destroy it. The chance of a collision is 50/50.

Could any of the above objects cause an apocalypse on Earth? Yes, but let's consider a couple more facts. Modern technologies do not stand still; by the time a real threat to humanity arrives, they will reach a qualitatively new level. Already now, information appears in the media every now and then that humanity is colonizing Mars. Recently, world publications published information that a group of scientists intends to go to the Red Planet, where they will live for 900 days. To date, experts have found water on the Red Planet, possible remains of living organisms (which confirms the possibility of settling the planet) and similar characteristics to Earth. However, there are also skeptics who argue that the background radiation of Mars will not allow humanity to live on it. Such processes can be the cause of the occurrence of cancerous tumors in representatives of human civilization. It is natural that in 100-200 years we will either colonize this planet or find an alternative to it. Thus, humanity has time, technology and an alternative planet to colonize.

Should we be afraid of a collision between the Earth and a giant comet? Yes, it's real. However, firstly, let's wait for official comments from scientists, and secondly, let's give the opportunity to conduct full-scale studies of this issue, and only then we will draw conclusions. And today we can only take into account the conclusions of world scientists and draw our own conclusions. Our editorial team monitors the latest developments in this area.

Incredible news has long been spread all over the world - a huge celestial body is approaching our planet. In 2018, the asteroid will come at a record close to Earth. So some scientists suggest that a collision is possible.

Of course, we want to believe in the best and hope that trouble will bypass us and all astronomical calculations will turn out to be false. However, it is better to analyze in advance the disaster that is approaching. Thanks to this, we can be prepared for any outcome that comes in the future.

Terrible asteroid

The Phaeton asteroid was discovered a long time ago, namely in 1983. At that time, it had already attracted the attention of researchers with its scale and original orbit. Astronomers have always been looking for attempts to properly understand this inhabitant of space. So they tried to accurately calculate its trajectory around the Sun. Scientists were also able to unravel the period of its rotation, and also understand its basic thermophysical characteristics.

Phaeton today belongs to the Apollo group. This celestial body moves around the Sun, so that each time it approaches a maximum distance that is not inherent in objects of this type, namely 0.14 astronomical units. This is equal to about 21 million kilometers. Astronomers have suggested that the asteroid should be called the main celestial body of the Geminid meteor shower. It can be clearly seen in the middle of winter from our planet.

It must also be said that this space object is more like a comet in its space orbit than an asteroid. Its trajectory around the Sun resembles a highly elongated ellipse. Also, during its continuous movement, Phaeton crosses the orbits of 4 terrestrial planets. All this data gives astronomers a lot to think about, and also confirms their guesses regarding the nature of the asteroid. Scientists believe that it is the silicate core of a comet that lost its icy shell during its flight around the Sun.

In order to accurately determine the size and shape of a celestial body, it is necessary to collect photographs taken from different angles. As a rule, these photos can only be obtained after several decades. But astronomer Josef Hanus was able to use 55 photographs of the asteroid with his team. They were made between 1994 and 2015. Astronomers were also able to obtain 29 light curves using ultra-modern telescopes located around the world.

Hanus said that all this data helped to study in detail the shape and exact dimensions - 5.1 km, as well as the rotation period - 3.6 hours.

What danger threatens us?

In 2018, on October 12, the inhabitants of the planet will meet with a celestial body, the size of which is much larger than the Chelyabinsk meteorite. Scientists have been trying to predict the exact flight path of Phaeton for a couple of years in a row. After all, no one wants a future meeting to happen. Nowadays, it is impossible to say with certainty whether there will be a meeting or not. Only one thing is clear - the cosmic body will approach our planet at a distance of about 10 million kilometers. But then you just have to guess about the consequences of the approach. For now, scientists continue to monitor the object and find out its composition. This way, astronomers will be able to get closer to solving its connection with the Geminid meteor shower.

The largest meteorites that fell to Earth

The Goba meteorite is considered the largest. It fell in Namibia in prehistoric times. The block lay underground for a very long time and was only found in 1920. It was found that when it fell, the cosmic body weighed 90 tons. But due to its long stay underground, as well as during research operations, the mass of the meteorite decreased to 60 tons. Most tourists today want to appropriate at least a small part of the celestial body.

The entire Astrakhan province in 1922 was able to observe the fall of a large fireball. It was accompanied by a deafening roar. As soon as the sudden explosion sounded, stones immediately rained down from the sky. The day after the disaster, residents saw stone blocks of different sizes in their yard. The largest cobblestone weighed 284 kg. Today it can be found in the Fersman Museum in Moscow.

But in 1908, near the Podkamennaya Tungussky River, a powerful explosion with a force of 50 megatons occurred. This power is observed only during the explosion of a hydrogen bomb. This phenomenon was followed by a strong blast wave. Because of it, large trees were uprooted. Residents of nearby villages had their windows fall out and many people and animals died. Local residents said that a few minutes before the fall they saw a bright ball in the sky that was rapidly descending to the ground. It is noteworthy that not a single group of researchers has been able to find the remains of the Tunguska meteorite. But in the fall area itself a large number of silicate and magnesium balls were found. And in this area they could not form on their own. Therefore, they are attributed to cosmic origin.

The next approach of a large asteroid to the Earth attracted the attention of many world and Russian media. We are talking about the “potentially dangerous” asteroid 2016 NF23, which is currently approaching our planet. However, nothing dangerous is expected in the upcoming approach, since, according to scientists, it will fly at a distance of almost 4.8 million kilometers, which corresponds to thirteen distances to the Moon.

According to previously obtained estimates, its diameter ranges from 70 to 160 meters, which makes it larger in height than the Cheops pyramid.

It is estimated that the speed of the asteroid at the moment of approaching the Earth will be 9.04 kilometers per second, the report says.

It will become the third largest asteroid to fly past our planet in early September - after asteroids 2001 RQ17 and 2015 FP118. So-called near-Earth asteroids often approach our planet, while potentially dangerous are those that approach it at a distance of less than 0.05 astronomical units (2.9 million kilometers) and have a brilliance brighter than magnitude 22.

Asteroid 2016 NF23 was discovered on July 9, 2016, and belongs to the Aten group. It makes one revolution around the Sun in 240 Earth days or 0.66 Earth years, moving away from it at a maximum of 163 million kilometers and approaching it at 63 million kilometers.

By tradition, this group of asteroids was named after its first discovered representative, the asteroid (2062) Aten, which was discovered in January 1976. This is a group of near-Earth asteroids that cross the Earth's orbit from the inside. Moreover, although their orbits are inside the Earth’s orbit, they cross it in the region of the Earth’s perihelion.

Calculations show that the next meeting of the asteroid with the Earth will take place on September 3, 2020. On this day it will fly at a distance of approximately 17.85 million kilometers.

In recent years, NASA observers have focused on tracking near-Earth asteroids larger than 140 meters, as it is believed that 90% of asteroids larger than one kilometer across have already been discovered.

In contrast to large ones, only 10% of asteroids larger than 140 meters are currently discovered.

Another large asteroid approached Earth on the night of May 16. Asteroid 2010 WC9 was first discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey in November 2010, and was observed until September 10, when its brightness decreased and it was lost from view. The data obtained then did not help to establish the parameters of the asteroid’s orbit and predict the time of its return to Earth.

On May 8, 2018, the asteroid was discovered again, and scientists calculated the moment of its approach to the Earth. At 01.05 Moscow time, it flew at a distance of 203,453 kilometers from Earth, at which moment its apparent magnitude reached +11, which was enough for observation with amateur telescopes.

Recently, scientists from the University of New Mexico, the University of Arizona and the Johnson Space Center announced that a meteorite that fell in northern Africa turned out to be older than the Earth itself. They came to these conclusions in a work published in the journal Nature Communications.

It is generally accepted that the Solar System formed about 4.6 billion years ago when a cloud of gas and dust collapsed under the influence of gravity, possibly caused by the explosion of a nearby massive star or supernova. As this cloud collapsed, a disk was formed, in the center of which was the future Sun. Since this period, scientists have been able to reconstruct the formation of the early solar system step by step.

Now the discovery of the oldest volcanic meteorite on Earth will add new details to this complex picture.

“This meteorite has the most significant age of any volcanic meteorite ever described,” said study co-author Card Agee. “Not only is it an extremely unusual type of rock, it tells us that not all asteroids look the same.” Some look almost like a piece of the Earth's crust because they are so lightly colored and rich in SiO2. Not only do they exist, but they were formed during one of the very first volcanic events to take place in the early solar system.”

The Ural meteorite distracted scientists for some time from another space object - an asteroid, which is approaching the Earth at these moments. According to calculations, it will approach its minimum distance to our planet at 23:20 Moscow time. This unique event will be broadcast live on NASA's website. Residents of Asia and Australia, as well as possibly some areas of Eastern Europe, will be able to see the asteroid.

In a little more than 2 hours, the DA14 object will pass by the Earth at a distance of 28 thousand kilometers - this is closer than some satellites fly. If this asteroid weighing 130 tons and with a diameter of 45 meters collided with our planet, the explosion would be equal to one thousand Hiroshimas. There was even an assumption that the meteorite that fell in the Urals could be part of this space monster and that other, larger ones would follow it. However, most scientists do not see a connection with the DA14 asteroid and the Ural meteorite.

“As for whether Armageddon threatens us or not, it is now known for certain. All asteroids larger than one kilometer in diameter that bring such a catastrophe to the Earth on a large scale, they are all known and have well-known orbits, they are all cataloged and observed There is no danger from them,” assured Lidia Rykhlova, head of the department of space astrometry at the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences.

While they were monitoring the large asteroid, they overlooked the meteorite that fell in the Urals. However, it was almost impossible to see it before entering the atmosphere - neither civilian observatories nor missile defense radars can do this - the size is too small and the speed is too high. The military says that even if such a meteorite is discovered, modern air defense systems are not yet capable of destroying such objects. Already in retrospect, scientists derived data from a celestial body that had already fallen in the Urals - mass several tons, speed 15 kilometers per second, angle of incidence - 45 degrees, shock wave power - several kilotons. At an altitude of 50 kilometers, the object collapsed into 3 parts and almost completely burned up in the atmosphere.

“No more than 10 meters in diameter, it flew at supersonic speed and therefore generated a shock wave. This shock wave caused all this destruction, people were injured not by meteorite fragments, but by the shock wave. Now, if a supersonic plane would have passed on the same altitude, for example, God forbid above Moscow, the destruction would have been the same,” said the deputy director of the State Astronomical Institute. Sternberg Sergey Lamzin.

Any space object that reaches the Earth's atmosphere and leaves a trace in it is called a meteorite by scientists. As a rule, they are small in size and, moving in the air at a speed of several kilometers per second, completely burn out. And yet, about 5 tons of cosmic matter fall to Earth every day in the form of dust and small grains of sand. Almost all space guests come to us from the so-called asteroid belt, which is located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

“A kind of trash heap of the Solar system, where all the debris is concentrated. Collisions between asteroids occur in this belt. As a result, certain debris is formed that can acquire an orbit that intersects the orbit of the Earth,” said Mikhail Nazarov.

However, some scientists believe that it was not a meteorite that fell near Chelyabinsk. They are confident that no one will ever find any debris, just as the fragments of the Tunguska meteorite were not found. We are most likely talking about a cooled comet, which consists of frozen gases.

“If the nucleus of a first-generation comet invades the Earth, then it burns up almost completely in the Earth’s atmosphere, and it is impossible to find any remains on the surface. This is similar to the Tunguska phenomenon, when no remains of the body were found, but there was a large fall of forest over a large area and the trees were all heavily charred,” said Vladislav Leonov, a researcher at the Department of Space Astrometry at the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Nevertheless, the search for meteorite remains near Chelyabinsk continues. At the same time, not only rescuers and scientists are searching; now dozens of meteorite hunters have already rushed to the area of ​​the supposed fall. The price of some of them on the black market can reach several thousand rubles per gram.

The previous post assessed the danger of an asteroid threat from space. And here we will consider what will happen if (when) a meteorite of one or another size does fall to Earth.

The scenario and consequences of such an event as the fall of a cosmic body to Earth, of course, depends on many factors. Let's list the main ones:

Size of cosmic body

This factor, naturally, is of primary importance. Armageddon on our planet can be caused by a meteorite 20 kilometers in size, so in this post we will consider scenarios for the fall of cosmic bodies on the planet ranging in size from a speck of dust to 15-20 km. There is no point in doing more, since in this case the scenario will be simple and obvious.

Compound

Small bodies of the Solar System can have different compositions and densities. Therefore, there is a difference whether a stone or iron meteorite falls to Earth, or a loose comet core consisting of ice and snow. Accordingly, in order to cause the same destruction, the comet nucleus must be two to three times larger than an asteroid fragment (at the same falling speed).

For reference: more than 90 percent of all meteorites are stone.

Speed

Also a very important factor when bodies collide. After all, here the transition of kinetic energy of motion into heat occurs. And the speed at which cosmic bodies enter the atmosphere can vary significantly (from approximately 12 km/s to 73 km/s, for comets - even more).

The slowest meteorites are those that catch up with the Earth or are overtaken by it. Accordingly, those flying towards us will add their speed to the orbital speed of the Earth, pass through the atmosphere much faster, and the explosion from their impact on the surface will be many times more powerful.

Where will it fall

At sea or on land. It is difficult to say in which case the destruction will be greater, it will just be different.

A meteorite may fall on a nuclear weapons storage site or a nuclear power plant, then the environmental damage may be greater from radioactive contamination than from the meteorite impact (if it was relatively small).

Angle of incidence

Doesn't play a big role. At those enormous speeds at which a cosmic body crashes into a planet, it does not matter at what angle it will fall, since in any case the kinetic energy of movement will turn into thermal energy and be released in the form of an explosion. This energy does not depend on the angle of incidence, but only on mass and speed. Therefore, by the way, all craters (on the Moon, for example) have a circular shape, and there are no craters in the form of trenches drilled at an acute angle.

How do bodies of different diameters behave when falling to Earth?

Up to several centimeters

They completely burn up in the atmosphere, leaving a bright trail several tens of kilometers long (a well-known phenomenon called meteor). The largest of them reach altitudes of 40-60 km, but most of these “specks of dust” burn up at altitudes of more than 80 km.

Mass phenomenon - within just 1 hour, millions (!!) of meteors flash in the atmosphere. But, taking into account the brightness of the flashes and the observer’s viewing radius, at night in one hour you can see from several to dozens of meteors (during meteor showers - more than a hundred). Over the course of a day, the mass of dust from meteors deposited on the surface of our planet is calculated in hundreds and even thousands of tons.

From centimeters to several meters

Fireballs- the brightest meteors, the brightness of which exceeds the brightness of the planet Venus. The flash may be accompanied by noise effects, including the sound of an explosion. After this, a trail of smoke remains in the sky.

Fragments of cosmic bodies of this size reach the surface of our planet. It happens like this:

At the same time, stone meteoroids, and especially ice ones, are usually crushed into fragments due to explosion and heating. Metal ones can withstand pressure and fall onto the surface entirely:

If the speed of entry into the atmosphere was very high (oncoming trajectory), then such meteoroids have much less chance of reaching the surface, since the force of their friction with the atmosphere will be much greater. The number of fragments into which a meteoroid is fragmented can reach hundreds of thousands; the process of their fall is called meteor Rain.

Over the course of a day, several dozen small (about 100 grams) fragments of meteorites can fall to Earth in the form of cosmic fallout. Considering that most of them fall into the ocean, and in general, they are difficult to distinguish from ordinary stones, they are found quite rarely.

The number of times a meter-sized cosmic bodies enter our atmosphere is several times a year. If you are lucky and the fall of such a body is noticed, there is a chance to find decent fragments weighing hundreds of grams, or even kilograms.

17 meters - Chelyabinsk bolide

Supercar- this is what is sometimes called especially powerful meteoroid explosions, like the one that exploded in February 2013 over Chelyabinsk. The initial size of the body that then entered the atmosphere varies according to various expert estimates, on average it is estimated at 17 meters. Weight - about 10,000 tons.

The object entered the Earth's atmosphere at a very acute angle (15-20°) at a speed of about 20 km/sec. It exploded half a minute later at an altitude of about 20 km. The power of the explosion was several hundred kilotons of TNT. This is 20 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, but here the consequences were not so fatal because the explosion occurred at a high altitude and the energy was dispersed over a large area, largely away from populated areas.

Less than a tenth of the meteoroid's original mass reached Earth, that is, about a ton or less. The fragments were scattered over an area more than 100 km long and about 20 km wide. Many small fragments were found, several weighing kilograms, the largest piece weighing 650 kg was recovered from the bottom of Lake Chebarkul:

Damage: Almost 5,000 buildings were damaged (mostly broken glass and frames), and about 1.5 thousand people were injured by glass fragments.

A body of this size could easily reach the surface without breaking into fragments. This did not happen due to the too acute angle of entry, because before exploding, the meteoroid flew several hundred kilometers in the atmosphere. If the Chelyabinsk meteoroid had fallen vertically, then instead of an air shock wave breaking the glass, there would have been a powerful impact on the surface, resulting in a seismic shock, with the formation of a crater with a diameter of 200-300 meters. In this case, judge for yourself about the damage and number of victims; everything would depend on the location of the fall.

Concerning repetition rates similar events, then after the Tunguska meteorite of 1908, this is the largest celestial body to fall to Earth. That is, in one century we can expect one or several such guests from outer space.

Tens of meters - small asteroids

The children's toys are over, let's move on to more serious things.

If you read the previous post, then you know that small bodies of the solar system up to 30 meters in size are called meteoroids, more than 30 meters - asteroids.

If an asteroid, even the smallest one, meets the Earth, then it will definitely not fall apart in the atmosphere and its speed will not slow down to the speed of free fall, as happens with meteoroids. All the enormous energy of its movement will be released in the form of an explosion - that is, it will turn into thermal energy, which will melt the asteroid itself, and mechanical, which will create a crater, scatter earthly rock and fragments of the asteroid itself, and also create a seismic wave.

To quantify the scale of such a phenomenon, we can consider, for example, the asteroid crater in Arizona:

This crater was formed 50 thousand years ago by the impact of an iron asteroid with a diameter of 50-60 meters. The force of the explosion was 8000 Hiroshima, the diameter of the crater was 1.2 km, the depth was 200 meters, the edges rose 40 meters above the surrounding surface.

Another event of comparable scale is the Tunguska meteorite. The power of the explosion was 3000 Hiroshima, but here there was a fall of a small comet nucleus with a diameter of tens to hundreds of meters, according to various estimates. Comet nuclei are often compared to dirty snow cakes, so in this case no crater appeared, the comet exploded in the air and evaporated, felling a forest over an area of ​​2 thousand square kilometers. If the same comet exploded over the center of modern Moscow, it would destroy all the houses right up to the ring road.

Drop Frequency asteroids tens of meters in size - once every few centuries, hundred-meter ones - once every several thousand years.

300 meters - asteroid Apophis (the most dangerous known at the moment)

Although, according to the latest NASA data, the probability of the Apophis asteroid hitting the Earth during its flight near our planet in 2029 and then in 2036 is practically zero, we will still consider the scenario of the consequences of its possible fall, since there are many asteroids that have not yet been discovered, and such an event can still happen, if not this time, then another time.

So... the asteroid Apophis, contrary to all forecasts, falls to Earth...

The power of the explosion is 15,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. When it hits the mainland, an impact crater with a diameter of 4-5 km and a depth of 400-500 meters appears, the shock wave demolishes all brick buildings in an area with a radius of 50 km, less durable buildings, as well as trees falling at a distance of 100-150 kilometers from the place falls. A column of dust, similar to a mushroom from a nuclear explosion several kilometers high, rises into the sky, then the dust begins to spread in different directions, and within a few days it spreads evenly across the entire planet.

But, despite the greatly exaggerated horror stories that the media usually scare people with, nuclear winter and the end of the world will not come - the caliber of Apophis is not enough for this. According to the experience of powerful volcanic eruptions that took place in the not very long history, during which huge emissions of dust and ash also occur into the atmosphere, with such an explosion power the effect of “nuclear winter” will be small - a drop in the average temperature on the planet by 1-2 degrees, after Six months or a year everything returns to its place.

That is, this is a catastrophe not on a global, but on a regional scale - if Apophis gets into a small country, he will destroy it completely.

If Apophis hits the ocean, coastal areas will be affected by the tsunami. The height of the tsunami will depend on the distance to the place of impact - the initial wave will have a height of about 500 meters, but if Apophis falls into the center of the ocean, then 10-20 meter waves will reach the shores, which is also quite a lot, and the storm will last with such mega-waves. there will be waves for several hours. If the impact in the ocean occurs not far from the coast, then surfers in coastal (and not only) cities will be able to ride such a wave: (sorry for the dark humor)

Recurrence frequency events of similar magnitude in the history of the Earth are measured in tens of thousands of years.

Let's move on to global disasters...

1 kilometer

The scenario is the same as during the fall of Apophis, only the scale of the consequences is many times more serious and already reaches a low-threshold global catastrophe (the consequences are felt by all of humanity, but there is no threat of the death of civilization):

The power of the explosion in Hiroshima: 50,000, the size of the resulting crater when falling onto land: 15-20 km. Radius of the destruction zone from blast and seismic waves: up to 1000 km.

When falling into the ocean, again, everything depends on the distance to the shore, since the resulting waves will be very high (1-2 km), but not long, and such waves die out quite quickly. But in any case, the area of ​​​​flooded territories will be huge - millions of square kilometers.

A decrease in the transparency of the atmosphere in this case from emissions of dust and ash (or water vapor when falling into the ocean) will be noticeable for several years. If you enter a seismically dangerous zone, the consequences may be aggravated by earthquakes provoked by an explosion.

However, an asteroid of such diameter will not be able to tilt the Earth’s axis noticeably or affect the rotation period of our planet.

Despite the not-so-dramatic nature of this scenario, this is a fairly ordinary event for the Earth, since it has already happened thousands of times throughout its existence. Average repetition frequency- once every 200-300 thousand years.

An asteroid with a diameter of 10 kilometers is a global catastrophe on a planetary scale

• Hiroshima explosion power: 50 million
• The size of the resulting crater when it falls on land: 70-100 km, depth - 5-6 km.
• The depth of cracking of the earth's crust will be tens of kilometers, that is, right up to the mantle (the thickness of the earth's crust under the plains is on average 35 km). Magma will begin to emerge to the surface.
• The area of ​​the destruction zone can be several percent of the Earth's area.
• During the explosion, a cloud of dust and molten rock will rise to a height of tens of kilometers, possibly up to hundreds. The volume of ejected materials is several thousand cubic kilometers - this is enough for a light “asteroid autumn”, but not enough for an “asteroid winter” and the beginning of an ice age.
• Secondary craters and tsunamis from fragments and large pieces of ejected rock.
• A small, but by geological standards, decent tilt of the earth’s axis from the impact - up to 1/10 of a degree.
• When it hits the ocean, it results in a tsunami with kilometer-long (!!) waves that go far into the continents.
• In the event of intense eruptions of volcanic gases, acid rain is subsequently possible.

But this is not quite Armageddon yet! Our planet has already experienced even such enormous catastrophes dozens or even hundreds of times. On average this happens once once every 100 million years. If this happened at the present time, the number of victims would be unprecedented, in the worst case it could be measured in billions of people, and besides, it is unknown what kind of social upheaval this would lead to. However, despite the period of acid rain and several years of some cooling due to a decrease in the transparency of the atmosphere, in 10 years the climate and biosphere would have been completely restored.

Armageddon

For such a significant event in human history, an asteroid the size of 15-20 kilometers in quantity 1 piece.

The next ice age will come, most of the living organisms will die, but life on the planet will remain, although it will no longer be the same as before. As always, the strongest will survive...

Such events also happened repeatedly in the world. Since the emergence of life on it, Armageddons have happened at least several, and perhaps dozens of times. It is believed that the last time this happened was 65 million years ago ( Chicxulub meteorite), when dinosaurs and almost all other species of living organisms died, only 5% of the chosen ones remained, including our ancestors.

Full Armageddon

If a cosmic body the size of the state of Texas crashes into our planet, as it happened in the famous film with Bruce Willis, then even bacteria will not survive (although, who knows?), Life will have to arise and evolve anew.

Conclusion

I wanted to write a review post about meteorites, but it turned out to be an Armageddon scenario. Therefore, I want to say that all the events described, starting from Apophis (inclusive), are considered theoretically possible, since they will definitely not happen in the next hundred years at least. Why this is so is described in detail in the previous post.

I would also like to add that all the figures given here regarding the correspondence between the size of the meteorite and the consequences of its fall to Earth are very approximate. Data in different sources differ, plus the initial factors during the fall of an asteroid of the same diameter can vary greatly. For example, it is written everywhere that the size of the Chicxulub meteorite is 10 km, but in one, as it seemed to me, authoritative source, I read that a 10-kilometer stone could not have caused such troubles, so for me the Chicxulub meteorite entered the 15-20 kilometer category .

So, if suddenly Apophis still falls in the 29th or 36th year, and the radius of the affected area will be very different from what is written here - write, I’ll correct it