Skip to main content

What would humanity do if an asteroid were to impact Earth?

In February 2013 an asteroid of 19 meters in diameter flew over the skies of Russia and did not hit the Earth exactly, but if it exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk, the shock wave of the explosion in the air caused the Most windows and stained glass will explode causing more than 1,500 wounded.

This event, fortunately without fatalities, served to remind the world that the Earth is continually white from small and medium-sized asteroids, and that in any moment could be reached by a devastating one, like the one that hit Siberia at the beginning of the 20th century, or apocalyptic, like the one that ended the dinosaurs and caused the last great extinction of species 65 million years ago.h2> What would humanity do if an asteroid were to impact the earth?

Although most astronomers do not believe that we are in danger of being impacted in the next 50 years by an asteroid similar to the one that I finish with the dinosaurs (9.5 km in diameter), they do not completely rule out the possibility of an unpleasant surprise.In 2004 a 274 meter wide asteroid was detected, Apophis , in progress towards the Earth and a possible impact was estimated in 2029, but later calculations indicated that it would pass more than 80,000 kilometers, which is not much distance in astronomical terms.

For several years the European Space Agency has been carrying out monitoring and evaluation through an office of observation of activities of objects close to Earth, and has made impact simulations in order to establish a protocol of activities to present the threat of an extraterrestrial impact.

The steps of this protocol include monitoring, early detection of the threat, precise description of the object (size, composition, speed, etc.), determination of date and time of impact and precise location of the place where it will collide with the Land.Having this information would allow governments and international entities to take appropriate measures both to avoid the impact, if possible, and to establish contingency plans (evacuation, medical and humanitarian care, etc.).

What would humanity do if an asteroid were to impact Earth?

Asteroid size

Of course, if the asteroid is 10 kilometers or more, the only measure to take would be to put things in order with the world and the gods, and close the eyes, as in the extraordinary movie Melancholy , from Danish Lars von Trier…

Or not? Since the 90s of last century, in organisms such as NASA, alternatives to destroy or divert any large-sized object that threatens to impact the Earth are evaluated.Options include the use of nuclear missiles (destruction of the asteroid, as in the Armagedon and Deep Impact ) movies; of a powerful laser beam (shots from the Earth and from spacecraft to make it release gases and cause its diversion); gravitational traction (a ship that harnessing the force of gravity changes the course of the object); and until the landing and installation of solar candles to change its course.

But none of these plans will work if the threat is not detected well in advance.Since 1998, following orders from the US Congress, NASA has allocated resources to detect and follow asteroids and comets of the solar system that may constitute a threat; for this it has the global network of astronomical terrestrial observatories and some of the time of some of the space telescopes.This activity requires personnel and financial and technological resources that governments are not always willing to give.It is a too abstract threat, although present, and of a type of space science that generates little profit from the political point of view

It is estimated that there are more than 10 million asteroids and comets of various sizes in the outer solar system with which at some point we could cross.

What would humanity do if an asteroid were to impact Earth?

It should be a priority to look at those who can harm us.65 million years ago dinosaurs could not do anything to change their destiny, we could.

And you? Do you think that at some point we will see an asteroid hit Earth, will it be our end? Follow our page with the article Theories about the end of the world.

Images: andrewsrj, Eduardo Mueses, NASA Blueshift

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Do you know how to tell a fake smile from a real smile?

Neither the number of teeth we teach, nor the opening of the mouth, nor the white of the teeth. The key to know if a smile is true or feigned is in the eyes. In this post of Science Daily Online we are going to tell you some guidelines so you can distinguish one from another .A very useful skill, if , but with certain emotional risks.Are you ready? Say “cheese”! Origin of the intrigue The interest in distinguishing a real smile from a forced one is not new.In fact, it was the French physician and researcher Guillaume Duchenne who published in 1862 the first study on the physiological differences between the two. His method, though, was very" funny "for his patients, since the doctor used electric shocks to see the functioning of the muscles, but the conclusions were pioneers at the time and, in fact, gave name to the authentic smile: Duchenne's smile . What does Science conclude? The spontaneous smile is a consequence of a limbic process tha...

Scientists say that this woman has the perfect body and her secret is in a part that nobody expected

Although what is attractive to each person is completely subjective, scientists have determined the measurements and proportions of the perfect female body and if that were not enough, they have found a perfect example of this standard in Kelly Brook, a British model, actress and TV presenter, whose curves have won him the admiration of many. Science supports him: this woman has the perfect body.Find out where the secret is. Although they say that beauty is in the eye of the observer, science believes that the model, actress and TV presenter Kelly Brook is still the possessor the most perfect figure of the world. The researchers at the University of Texas have again checked their data several years ago and decided that the Kent girl is perfect in almost every way.They conducted another study and found that the model born in Rochester, now 32, has the "perfect figure". Specifically it has a height of 1.68 and measures 99-63-91 in bust, weight and hips. The s...

10 aspects with which an introvert is usually identified

Normally, our society usually values ​​ outgoing behaviors. Dynamic, talkative people, with personalities who take risks, who are skillfully related and who usually like to be the focus of attention. Introverts, on the other hand, are normally associated with somewhat erroneous ideas, such as shyness or lack of social skills.Images that are not always true, since it is also very common, for example, to meet people extroverts with scarce social skills.We must point out in turn that there is no better personality than another, an extrovert will never be better than an introvert and vice versa.They are simply different behaviors and different ways of focusing life. 10 aspects with which if you are introverted you will surely identify yourself Let's talk today about introverts, we are going to list a series of dimensions with which usual Mind usually identify, then, tell us if these situations are known to you.Do we start? 1.The others think that I am antipatic , but in ...

The magic of Prince Rupert's drops

You may have heard of the magic of the drops of Prince Rupert. They are also known as Dutch tears, but what are they really? It is glass, drops of glass created when falling on cold water.Close-up views remind us almost of a kind of translucent tadpole, but also shaped by striking internal colors that light originates when it passes through them. You will be curious to know that there are many people who usually acquire them, who are looking forward to them on the Internet with a single purpose: break them. The reason? Because when they break, they explode in a beautiful explosion of really attractive and fascinating crystal dust. Would you like to know more about them? The mystery of Prince Rupert's drops Just drop a drop of hot glass on a glass of water so that this attractive form appears.The truth is that the magic of Prince Rupert's drops would not go further if they did not have a really special feature.In spite of how fragile they may seem to us, they are ...

What is the Great Attractor that is pulling our galaxy?

Hi Science Daily Online ! Before reading the article we would like you to know a new way to discover our curious world, through Youtube ! We have a channel that we would love to be part of.You can subscribe and meet him here-> YouTube Science Daily Online! About four decades ago, astronomers realized that our galaxy, the Milky Way, moved through space at a much faster speed than expected.At 2.2 million kilometers per hour , the speed of the Milky Way through the Cosmos is 2,500 times faster than a cruise passenger plane and 55 times faster than Earth's escape velocity.But this movement comes from a mysterious and great attractor. What is the Great Attractor that is pulling our galaxy? The net movement can arise from nearby clusters in the distribution of matter , as a massive cluster of galaxies.The additional gravitational attraction of this group of galaxies can be delayed, and even reversed, according to the expansion of the Universe in its vicinity. But there...

Hypnagogic hallucinations: between wakefulness and sleep. Does it happen to you?

Sleeping, sounding, waking up...are activities that we carry out daily but that involve a much greater complexity than it seems at first glance.In Science Daily Online we have talked about sleep disorders and some phenomena that occur to many people while they sleep as Shaking or spasms before falling asleep.On this occasion we have approached another of these trances that can occur when we go to sleep, are the Hypnagogic hallucinations: between wakefulness and sleep.Does it happen to you? Hypnagogic hallucinations The hypnagogic hallucinations are those that occur little before the dream begins. They can be visual, auditory and/or tactile .The name was cradled by Alfred Maury (1817-1892), a French physician and academic who made deep studies on the dream in the 19th century, to talk about a situation that occurs at the time of the transition between wakefulness and sleep. The pa Labra hypnagogica/o comes from Greek and is composed of «hupnos» (dream) and «agogos» (induce...

Chickens sexador?

The profession of chicken sexador is previously presented to you among the strangest jobs in the world, however, it is not a work only curious and that, sincerely , we giggle, even if it seems incredible, those who are dedicated to it have skills that even science tries to decipher.Let's dig into the subject! Skilful chicken sexer On an economic and food level there is a big difference between chickens and chickens .While they lay eggs, chickens do not and, if they are in contact with females, they are annoying.what when leaving the egg the chicks , it is necessary to differentiate which are males from which they are females to separate them . The difficulty? It is really complicated to discern between chickens and chickens when they are so young and, in fact, until less than a century ago it was practically impossible.This is where the importance of the sexador is of chickens. When did this profession appear? In the 20s , in Japan , veterinarians notice...

Keys to improve short-term memory

You were on your way to the kitchen of your home determined to do something, but suddenly when you are right in the place where I was going you have no idea what the mission you had proposed was.Do not you hate when this happens ? Some of the symptoms of short-term bad memory can be caused by: worries, distractions, lack of concentration, and even because the memory muscle has weakened , and of course, also by age.Here are some tips to improve your short-term memory! How to improve your short-term memory? Meditate Meditation has a lot of benefits for the human mind, also for short-term memory because by doing so regularly, it helps improve the ability to concentrate, remember what has been learned and even pass the tests. Some studies Harvard Medical School revealed that people who meditate have more control over the alpha rhythm, which is nothing more than a brain wave that filters daily distractions, allowing more important things to be processed and they stay in the ...

Tricks that highly motivated people use to achieve their goals

When we talk about motivation, we talk about that desire that drives us and moves us towards the achievement of our desires and goals.When we are really motivated, it is very easy to stay focused on what we want to achieve, and not easily get discouraged from those inconveniences that may arise.Because we know that we all need a little motivation in our lives, we tell you some tricks that highly motivated people use to always keep their minds and spirits aimed at the goal. Don't miss it! These are some tricks of highly motivated people to achieve their goals They are clear about their reasons They say that knowledge is power.It is not enough to know what, but why, that way you really internalize your reasons and you can get that knowledge to drive you.You must have very clear the reasons why you are pursuing that particular goal or lifestyle. A good trick at this point could be to write the reasons for achieving that goal and consult them when you feel you need a m...

Why do we get red eyes in some flash photographs?

In Science Daily Online we once gave you 5 tips to go spectacular in the photographs.One of the things that most often bother us when we take a photo is to appear with the red eyes Why does this happen? In this article we tell you. Why do the eyes appear red in some photographs? The « red-eye effect » usually occurs when the flash is used at night or with a very dim light .The light emitted by the camera is reflected at the back of the retina and She's getting it.Why red? Because the light that comes back to the face is the reflection of the numerous blood vessels of a membrane called choroid that is in the retina, so it has that red hue.Quite disturbing. Those who have the dark eyes have less chance of appearing with red eyes because they may have enough dark pigment so that the reddish hue is not reflected. When does it appear? When we use flash and look directly at the camera lens and therefore its light is reflected directly in our retina. It sh...