This is What it Would REALLY Look Like if the Biggest Asteroid in the Solar System Collided With Earth
by Elite Daily on May 14, 2019
Earth is thought to have been born as a result of repeated asteroid collisions, and Earth's faithful satellite the moon is believed to have formed by a single giant impact event. space, science, earth science, science
Then, Earth's size attracted huge meteorites which eventually bombarded the early Earth, causing super-high-temperature rock vapor to cover the entire surface and evaporate all ocean water. space, science, earth science, science
The earliest life-forms survived such infernal events by escaping deep into the ground, miraculously emerging time after time. science, science
The Earth has gone through innumerable catastrophic events, and life has survived by acquiring new abilities to live through each and every crisis.
Humans are part of the grand history of life's evolution, which has been closely intertwined with repeated cataclysmic events. space, science, earth science, science
AlexAntropov86 / Pixabay
Large Asteroid Impact Simulation science, science
This stunning video by Discovery shows is what would happen if a massive asteroid would impact our planet. space, science, earth science, science
In the "Large Asteroid Impact Simulation", experts simulate the impact of an asteroid with a diameter of more than 500 km.
Impact Destination: The Pacific Ocean. space, science, earth science, science
It is estimated that such an impact would peel 10 km of crust off the surface.
The shockwave caused by the collision travels at hypersonic speeds across the surface.science, science
Resulting debris from the impact is blasted across into low Earth orbit, only to eventually return and destroy the surface of the planet with smaller impacts.
This would heat the atmosphere until it's like the interior of an oven, triggering extensive forest fires and cooking anything that isn't protected beneath the surface. space, science, earth science, science
Eventually, firestorms encircle the Earth and vaporize all life in its way.
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The combination of dust and smoke caused by the global forest fires could remain in the Earth's atmosphere for a year or so. This would completely block out the light of the Sun. And without sunlight, much of the Earth's plant life, on land and in the sea, will perish. space, science, earth science, science
Within just 24 hours, the surface of the Earth turns uninhabitable.
Geological evidence suggests that such catastrophic events have happened at least six times during Earth's long history.
The last time such a catastrophic collision is thought to have taken place is some 65 million years ago, when a massive asteroid collided against the Earth, eventually forming the Chicxulub Crater in Mexico and causing the extinction of the dinosaurs.
According to experts, on average, an asteroid this size impacts the Earth every 50 to 100 million years. space, science, earth science, science
Vesta, the Largest Asteroid science, science
The largest asteroid in our solar system is Vesta, a massive space rock that measures 578 km by 458 km and has a mass of 2.67 x 1020 kg.
It has a magnitude of +5.4 to +8.5 and can be easily observed with binoculars on a clear night. space, science, earth science, science
It has been seen with the unaided eye on several occasions.
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