Science

Hundreds of kilometers wide asteroid is now 10 times more likely to hit the earth, the human species may be in danger

In history, many asteroids have collided with the Earth. Some of these asteroids, such as Chicxulub, were so large that they gave rise to the 10 km wide Chicxulub crater near the Gulf of Mexico. Due to this asteroid about 150 km wide, the species of giant dinosaur became extinct 60 million years ago. These big asteroids gave the Earth its present form.

It is difficult to estimate how many asteroids have collided with the Earth so far, but in the coming time, the possibility and danger of hitting the Earth is more than ever. Research by the Southwest Research Institute has revealed that the probability of an asteroid as large as Chicxulub hitting the Earth after a certain time is now 10 times higher than before.

Threat to the human species

This asteroid is as common for space as it is dangerous for Earth. Researchers have told that the collision of a large asteroid with the Earth can not only cause terrible devastation, but it will also affect the amount of oxygen present in the atmosphere, which can pose a threat to the human population. However, for the next 100 years, no large asteroid is likely to hit the Earth.

When a space rock or stone enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it breaks into many pieces and starts burning, which are sometimes visible in the sky from below. Small stones do not cause much damage, but if they are large in size, they can cause huge destruction. However, most meteorites fall into the ocean because water is present in most parts of the Earth.

22 asteroids likely to hit Earth

When an object from space comes closer than 46.5 lakh miles from Earth at a high speed, then it is considered dangerous. The US Space Agency NASA’s Sentry system keeps an eye on these upcoming threats. According to the information, for the coming 100 years, there are 22 such asteroids which have an ‘almost’ possibility of hitting the Earth.

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