What happens if a planet hits earth

Given more time, type 2 missions were sometimes better, depending how difficult it appeared to be to deflect from its course. There were no situations where a type 0 mission made sense for Apophis. In both cases, if the time got too short, the researchers found no mission would be successful at diverting the rock.

The differences between the rocks came down to the level of uncertainty about their masses and velocities, as well as how their internal materials would react to an impact. These same basic principles could be used to study other potential planet killers, and future studies could incorporate other options for deflecting the asteroids, including nuclear weapons, the researchers wrote.

The more complex the list of options, the more difficult the calculation gets. Eventually, they wrote, it would be useful to train machine learning algorithms to make decisions based on the exact available data in any planet-killer scenario. Originally published on Live Science. Written and presented in a style that makes even the most complex subjects interesting and easy to understand, How It Works is enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Live Science. View Deal. Rafi Letzter. See all comments 7. The best option, use thrusters to change the asteroid course. Lights Off. What exactly would happen if Earth collided with a rogue planet? So get your affairs in order because you and all of humanity are about to go extinct. And still, the megatsunamis are yet to come.

Loeffler, John, Accessed May 13 Universe Today. Biodget, Henry, Business Insider. Ashley Strickland, CNN. Next page. Share WhatsApp Tweet this Send this. Newsletter Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Already a subscriber?

Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. David Morrison of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center, replies: "The effects of an impact on the earth depends critically on the size, and hence the energy, of the impact.

Get smart. Sign Up. NASA's Psyche mission will launch in to study a metal asteroid up close. One large win for asteroid science came earlier this year, when new measurements of the potentially threatening asteroid Apophis determined it won't hit us after all , anytime in the near future. Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter howellspace. Follow us on Twitter Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more!

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