Paul M. Sutter is an astrophysicist at SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute in New York City.
Any day now, it could happen: We could detect an asteroid on an Earth-crossing trajectory. It might be a small one; it might be a big one. It might be tomorrow; it might be a thousand years from now. So what can we do about it?: All those craters preserve a record of the damage. On our planet, craters are rarer, but that's only because wind and water erode the evidence of recent craters, and plate tectonics takes care of the older ones.
On the larger end, kilometer-scale asteroids strike Earth around every 10 million years. Those have the potential to lead to global calamity —In between those extremes lies the sweet spot of danger: large asteroids that could wipe out a city or wreak havoc on a civilization — it would be, by far, the greatest catastrophe to ever happen to us. Those kinds of objects hit Earth every few thousand years. And those are the ones we need to worry about. of Earth's orbit.
But identifying these objects is just one piece of the puzzle. We also need to know where the asteroids are headed, which requires tracking their movements night after night. And you can't just monitor for a few nights and call it a day; asteroids have a nasty habit of frequently changing their orbits. This is due to their small, irregular size. Small gravitational tugs from the giant planets can alter their trajectories, as can close passes with each other.
So, when it comes to preventing the worst disaster humanity could ever see, we need to keep our eyes on the sky, patient and alert for danger.to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at:Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands
Paul received his PhD in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011, and spent three years at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics, followed by a research fellowship in Trieste, Italy, His research focuses on many diverse topics, from the emptiest regions of the universe to the earliest moments of the Big Bang to the hunt for the first stars. As an"Agent to the Stars," Paul has passionately engaged the public in science outreach for several years.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why Friends of the Earth Marched with EU FarmersClara Bourgin is the food, agriculture, and nature campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe.
Read more »
Scientists Solved a 1.75-Billion-Year Mystery About How Life Materialized on EarthFossils preserved within ancient rock may prove that photosynthesis started way earlier than we thought.
Read more »
Earth Just Experienced 12 Months Of Global Temperatures Above Critical 1.5C Climate ThresholdI am a Breaking News Reporter at Forbes, with a focus on covering important tech policy and business news. Graduated from Columbia University with an MA in Business and Economics Journalism in 2019. Worked as a journalist in New Delhi, India from 2014 to 2018.
Read more »
A massive, dead satellite will barrel back down to Earth this monthA massive, dead satellite will fall back to Earth this month. Here's what to expect from the ERS-2's re-entry.
Read more »
Massive European Satellite to Plummet Back Down to Earth UncontrollablyScience and Technology News and Videos
Read more »
All Of Zendaya’s 'Dune: Part 2' Press Tour Looks So FarSo far, it's all about earth tones and midsection.
Read more »