Asteroids Are Harder to Destroy Than We Expected

Destroying asteroid may sound like a cool thing in movies and fictions, but not very much so in real life.

Thankfully, we’re not at risk of being completely eradicated by an asteroid at such calibre any time soon. We ought to be even more thankful because according to recent findings. Since it showed that what we know about asteroids and their destructive capability is way off-course.

New Simulation

An article published in the March issue of the academic journal Icarus reached that conclusion. Of course, before they reach this point, the researchers had had to crunch a lot of numbers.

They first started the project by creating a new computer model of an asteroid one kilometre (0.6 miles) in diameter. Then, they let the asteroid slammed into another asteroid 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) in diameter in the simulation. The first asteroid hit the other at a speed set to be 5 kilometres per second (3.1 miles per second).

Thanks to better technologies and taking into account small-scale processes that occur during such an event. The team at John Hopkins managed to paint a more accurate picture of what would happen during the collision in comparison to previous simulations. Rather than break apart completely, the bigger asteroid only cracked partially in this new and improved simulation.

Changing Everything

As expected, this shocking revelation urged everyone to reconsider everything they thought they knew about asteroids. K.T. Ramesh - a researcher suggested that it’s something that we should do now. Though it may not be soon, one day we actually might have to destroy one.