Asteroid Impacts

[AndiFlatland]

We are increasingly concerned about what would happen to the Earth if an asteroid the size of the one that wiped out the dinosaurs hit the planet now.

But I wonder what the implications for the Earth would be, if such an asteroid hit Mars or Venus, and destroyed them? Should we not be keeping an eye on such potential planet-busters beyond the Earth? There would certainly be a substantial danger to Earth, from the colossal fragments that would go barrelling out in all directions.

[webbo3]

who's we?, nothing we could do about it, even Bruce willis wouldn't be able to help.



Dave.

[EDDIE51]

Nasa has a continuing program to monitor potential asteroid impacts.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch/
They would give us months or years of warning. Methods to deflect potentially dangerous asteroids are in preparation. An asteroid detected several years in advance would only need a tiny alteration of its course to avoid us, by exploding a nuclear bomb near it for example. An asteroid large enough to destroy an entire planet would be detected decades in advance.

[davegosling]

That's right. We just don't have the technology yet to do anything about this. Lots of future options, of course, but nothing even remotely effective.

There's a whole branch of science involved around NEO (near Earth objects), tracking them and predicting their trajectories.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that if / when they detect another Chicxulub, the first you and I will know about it will be when it starts to fill the night sky by which time, of course, it will be far too late.

[naomi24]

Dave, Jack Bauer? ;o)

[webbo3]

I was thinking Armageddon Naomi. :-)


Dave.

[EDDIE51]

^ sorry you are wrong! Read and scroll down my link, the next close approaches are listed. There are warning for asteroids that are years many away from the closest approach yet.

[naomi24]

He'd sort it. ;o)

[naomi24]

^That was to Dave.

[EDDIE51]

^ Many years away . sorry

[webbo3]

lol.

[goodgoalie]

Armageddon outta here....

[Peter Pedant]

O god if Mars be lew up
where would the Martians go ?

Quatermass and the Pit as on the teevee a few weeks ago

The wires going haywire and the wavy pattern n the gravel terrified me in er 1958

[douglas9401]

Asteroids blighted my life for a few months some years ago but are now, thankfully, just a memory thanks to a balanced diet and regular exercise.

[goodgoalie]

I've heard that Preparation H is good, Doug

[douglas9401]

Not sure how much use it'll be if there's trouble with Saturn's ring though, gg.

[atalanta]

Asteroids/meteorites can possibly be detected/deflected. The thing you have to worry about, Really Worry About, is a coronal mass ejection. All electrical and electronic infrastructure would be fried to kingdom-come, and many disasters would result. There is absolutely No chance of avoiding a CME.

[goodgoalie]

Think I had one of them after the last time I ate at the Koh-i-Noor

[davegosling]

https://www.quora.com/If-it-were-discovered-that-an-asteroid-was-going-to-wipe-humanity-out-say-in-2-months-how-would-the-governments-of-the-world-respond-How-would-people-respond-How-would-you

[Zacs-Master]

Can't you get cream for asteroids?

[RobNorth]

Best not think about it - asteroids are difficult to spot and harder to predict. In 1991 one was spotted after it had passed the Earth with only 160,000 kilometres to spare - a coat of paint in cosmic terms.
With Earth travelling at over 100,000 KPH and asteroids possibly a similar speed it maybe missed us by half an hour....named 1991BA it is thought to orbit the sun every ninety-odd years. This was followed by an even closer one a few years later which missed by 140,000 kilometres, so there are lots out there, we just don't know where...
Anyway, with an impact speed in excess of 100,000 MPH we wouldn't have much time to worry.