Asteroid impact: Danger greater than lightning!

Asteroid impact: Danger greater than lightning!

A new study by scientists at the Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts has found that you are more likely to die from an asteroid impact than from a lightning strike. This finding highlights the dangers that can arise from near-Earth asteroids. The researchers, led by physicist Carrie Nugent, particularly looked at asteroids with a diameter of at least 140 meters. According to their calculations, the chance of such a body hitting Earth over an average lifespan is about 1 in 156,000, while the risk of being killed by lightning is about 1 in 163,000. In comparison, the risk of dying in a car accident is the highest at 1 in 273. In the worst case, a large asteroid can threaten millions of people at the same time, underscoring the potentially catastrophic consequences of an impact, as OE24 reports.

Asteroids are fascinating but also dangerous objects in space. Some of them have a significant risk of impacting the Earth, which could have devastating consequences. Historical events such as the Chicxulub event, which is believed to have led to the extinction of the dinosaurs, show the dramatic consequences of such an impact. A current example is the asteroid 2024 YR4, which was discovered in Chile in 2024 and was temporarily on a risk list. With a diameter of 60 meters, the probability of an impact on December 22, 2032 was estimated to be close to zero. The consequences of an asteroid impact depend heavily on the size, speed and location of the impact. These findings were compiled by PC-Welt.

Consequences of asteroid impacts

The effects of an impact can be serious. There are different categories of asteroids: small asteroids under 100 meters can cause regional destruction, while medium-sized (100 to 1000 meters) can cause large craters and climate changes. Large asteroids over a kilometer could trigger global catastrophes, cause dramatic climate changes and have long-term effects on ecosystems. A study by the IBS Center for Climate Physics shows that the impact of a 500-meter asteroid could release 400 million tons of dust, causing cooling of up to 4 degrees Celsius and a 15 percent decrease in precipitation. These serious predictions underline the need to closely observe near-Earth objects (NEOs), as ZDF notes.

Modern telescopes and space missions are actively involved in detecting potentially dangerous asteroids at an early stage. There are also plans for diversion, such as NASA's DART mission, which aims to influence the orbit of dangerous asteroids. NASA successfully impacted the binary asteroids Didymos and Dimorphos on September 22, 2022 to change their orbits. In the future, ESA's Ramses mission will visit the asteroid 99942 Apophis during its flyby of Earth. This asteroid will fly past our planet at an altitude of 31,750 kilometers in 2029.

Finally, it should be noted that the threat posed by near-Earth asteroids in particular should be taken seriously, even if such events are extremely rare. Ongoing investigations and developments in asteroid research are crucial to protecting Earth and its inhabitants from potential disasters.