What would happen to humans if an asteroid 1,000 meters in diameter and weighing 100,000 tons collided with Earth?
Suppose, if an asteroid 1,000 meters in diameter and weighing 100,000 tons hits Earth in the future, would you feel scared? What would it mean for humans if a 100,000-ton asteroid hit Earth?
When the asteroid collides with Earth, it will release a huge amount of energy equivalent to tens of thousands of atomic bombs. This explosion will create a giant fireball and cause a powerful earthquake that can spread thousands of kilometers. Tsunami waves hundreds of meters high can also be generated, devastating coastal areas.
On December 21, 2004, NASA scientists discovered an asteroid 350 meters in diameter and weighing about 40,000 tons. Through radar astronomy measurements, it is predicted that this asteroid has a 1/450 chance of hitting Earth in 2029. However, as scientists have monitored this asteroid in recent years , they have ruled out the possibility of it hitting Earth in 2029.
So, assuming this asteroid actually hits Earth, what impact will it have on humans?
The explosion and heat from the collision could cause widespread fires, burning large areas. Dust and debris from the crash could also block sunlight, leading to long winters and affecting agricultural production.
According to scientists' calculations, if this asteroid hits Earth, it will create 6,400 trillion kilojoules of energy, equivalent to the explosion of 1.5 trillion tons of TNT explosives. Meanwhile, the most powerful hydrogen bomb ever created by humanity also reached an energy level of 50 million tons of TNT when exploded - the name of this hydrogen bomb is Big Ivan.
In 1961, Big Ivan exploded over Novaya Zemlya. The radius of the fireball created in the explosion was up to 4,600 meters and the height of the mushroom cloud was 64 km, 7 times higher than Mount Everest. Even more terrifying was the explosion of the Big Ivan hydrogen bomb, which also moved the Eurasian continent 9 mm south.
Dust and debris from the impact could hang in the atmosphere for years, blocking sunlight and reducing global temperatures. This could lead to a mini ice age, causing food and water problems. The collision and its consequences could cause mass extinction of plant and animal species, including humans.
We just said that if this asteroid hits Earth it will be equivalent to the explosion of 1.5 trillion tons of TNT. Calculated, this means that 3,000 Big Ivan hydrogen bombs were detonated at the same time, the consequences of which were certainly extremely fierce.
So if an asteroid 1,000 meters in diameter and weighing 100,000 tons hits Earth in the future, will humans have any way to fight it?
The severity of the disaster will depend on the location of impact. If the asteroid hits the ocean, it will cause a devastating tsunami, affecting coastal areas. If it collides with a densely populated area, the death toll could reach millions. However, it should be noted that the likelihood of an asteroid impact of this size is very low. Scientists estimate that such a collision only happens every few million years.
Some people believe that if this happens, humans could use nuclear weapons to blow up the asteroid. Although this method is theoretically feasible, it is only suitable for handling some smaller asteroids . For some asteroids hundreds of meters or even thousands of meters long, this effect is not ideal. Because using nuclear weapons to blow up larger asteroids will cause the asteroids to break into more pieces, which will also pose a threat to humans.
Therefore, the best way is not to directly blow up the asteroid, but to use nuclear weapons to change the asteroid's orbit so that it cannot collide with Earth.
Protecting Earth from asteroid threats is a global challenge that requires international cooperation. Scientists and policymakers around the world are joining efforts to develop effective solutions to protect our planet from potential disasters.
According to scientists, every year about 500 asteroids hit Earth . However, these asteroids are less than a meter in size, they will burn up after entering the atmosphere and pose no threat to humans.
However scientists have come up with ways to deal with asteroid impacts, no one can guarantee whether an asteroid several hundred meters in size will hit Earth in the future.
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