What would happen if (when?) a 310-mile-wide asteroid collides with Earth? That’s the fun question behind the simulation in the video below. And the answer is terrifying. But it turns out you shouldn’t be concerned. For one, it’s not a scenario that’s going to happen anytime soon. Secondly, there’s nothing you can do about it anyway. All life on Earth would be vaporized within a day as clouds of fire and rock circumnavigated the globe. So don’t worry about it.
Like any good disaster film, the video shows the destruction of well-known landmarks like Big Ben and the Parthenon. And even though the simulated asteroid hits in the Pacific Ocean, complete destruction spreads rapidly. The oceans boil from the heat, the Himalayan snow evaporates instantly, and the Earth’s crust peels back. The Earth can and does withstand smaller asteroid impacts. But the threat of a catastrophically-sized object in our orbit is always there.
Kalavryta’s Stunning Cave of the Lakes
Just recently, scientists discovered a “planet killer” asteroid hiding in the glare of the sun. While the probability of this asteroid colliding with earth is minimal, its discovery does remind us there are plenty of objects out there in space we just don’t know about yet. And we guess it’s better to have preparation about what might happen if an asteroid strikes the earth than not.
Read more: Nerdist
Ask me anything
Explore related questions
