01.27.2022 Written by Sameer Varma

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I was recently watching the movie “Don’t Look Up” by  Adam McKay on Netflix, and it made me think. What if a meteor were to come to Earth? Imagine a full on, planet-sized asteroid, coming straight at Earth at a record breaking speed. Now, the plot of the movie is rather interesting. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, playing the role of two astronomers who are advocating for saving the earth against a ginormous meteor, while the American government is completely against it. Well, if a meteor were to come full speed at earth, what would the factors be concerning whether or not we get completely obliterated?

 

Millions of years ago, a super large asteroid, the size of about 10 kilometers, hit Pangea, the supercontinent, wiping out all three quarters of the planet’s animal and plant species. Scientists speculate that if an asteroid the size of this were to impact earth, mass extinction would occur again. Scary right? However, an asteroid of that magnitude is not likely to come to Earth. The biggest asteroids are in orbit between Mars and Jupiter, the biggest being about 530 kilometers in diameter. It's laughable though, because an asteroid with a diameter of 20 kilometers hits earth an average of every 22 million years.

 

In conclusion, there is not really much to worry about! The fact of the matter is, most near-earth-objects are not substantial enough to wipe out the whole human race. However, it is best to prepare. Nasa and other government space agencies are working on planetary defenses in the case of a significant finding. We are talking asteroid deflection tests, gravitational tractor beams, and asteroid missiles. The funding is low, but we as a civilization are working towards finding a way not to end up as the dinosaurs once were. Pangea, you are no more!

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Citations

"Meteors & Meteorites.” NASA, NASA, 6 May 2021, https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=id%2Basc&search=&condition_1=meteor_shower%3Abody_type.