10 asteroids that could lead to the end of the world
Approximately once every 80 thousand years, a meteorite with a diameter of about 300 meters falls on our earth. Small asteroids attack the Earth regularly, but they all burn up in the dense layers of the atmosphere. Nevertheless, large meteorites have already hit our planet and, unfortunately, will fall again. It's just a matter of time. There is enough evidence of this, and they all lie on the surface of our planet in the form of huge craters and fossils of living organisms, which were caught by the disaster. But today astronomers are able to detect large enough objects approaching the earth. Let's look at potentially dangerous asteroids for us, as well as those that have already attacked us thousands of years ago.
10 PHOTOS
1. Comet Hyakutake.
This comet passed very close to Earth in 1996. The comet passed so close that it was visible to the naked eye. And it was amazingly beautiful, but also dangerous. She had a colossal size - 4.1 km in diameter and had a very long tail. The comet passed at a distance of 15.2 million km from the Earth. This is long-distance, but on an astronomical scale, it is negligible.
2.2000 FL 10 / Asteroid 86666.
This asteroid passed 24.1 million kilometers from the earth. Its width was 2.4 km and in a collision with the Earth, it would lead to a global cataclysm if something changed its orbit.
3.2014-YB35.
Asteroid 2014-YB35 is the size of a small mountain and in 2015 it covered only 6.4 million km. from the earth. Worst of all, the asteroid is moving in a circular orbit, which means that it will return and pass at an even closer distance. The second expected convergence will occur in 2033.
4.150 DA.
This asteroid had every chance to crash into the Earth. Its diameter is 1 km, and the chance of hitting the Earth is 2%! The asteroid may return in 2880.
5. Apophis.
This asteroid was named after the ancient Egyptian mythological demon and astronomers seriously fear that this demon will lead to the end of our civilization. Apophis approached Earth in 2004. The next approach will take place in 2029 and if the asteroid passes through the so-called gravitational keyhole, then in 2036 it is guaranteed to hit the Earth.
Another asteroid capable of destroying us all. NASA is planning missions to clarify the position of the asteroid and deviate its flight path away from the Earth.
7. Manicouagan.
This massive crater is a reminder that the threat of falling asteroids is real. Manicouagan has formed 215 million years ago from the impact of a 5-kilometer asteroid.
8. Woodley.
There is some debate over how big Woodley Crater really is. Some say the crater, located in Australia, is only 60 km wide. But others say that this is only the center of the crater, and its actual size is twice as large. It is believed that more than 40% of life on Earth disappeared during the fall of the asteroid that formed this crater.
9. Chesapeake Impact Crater.
The meteorite that formed this crater struck the Earth 35 million years ago on the Atlantic coast.
10. Vredefort.
Vredefort Crater in South Africa is the largest impact crater on Earth. It is 300 km in diameter and was created by one of the largest meteorites to ever collide with the Earth. The collision took place 2 billion years ago and it had a huge impact on all life on Earth.