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The collision between Earth and asteroids is not uncommon; there are about 500 such impacts each year. If any of them were to hit a human, survival would be impossible. However, in reality, despite numerous instances of asteroid impacts on Earth, we have never heard of anyone being hit by an asteroid. So, what’s happening?
The Solar System consists of a star and eight planets, but beyond that, there are numerous asteroids and space rocks within the Solar System. These objects can fall into Earth’s orbit due to gravitational forces and interactions with Earth.
Individual asteroids can range from small, about 1-2 meters in diameter, to larger ones with diameters of up to 1,000 kilometers. Among them, an asteroid with a diameter larger than 1 kilometer colliding with Earth could generate an explosion equivalent to 44.8 million tons of TNT.
Scientists in the United States have been monitoring an asteroid with the designation 1950 DA. This asteroid is over 1 kilometer in diameter, and if it were to collide with Earth, it could result in an explosion with a force equivalent to that of 44.8 million tons of TNT.
Scientists indicate that asteroids with diameters larger than 140 meters could cause serious damage to Earth, while those with diameters greater than 1 kilometer could lead to a global catastrophe. The extinction of non-avian dinosaurs 65 million years ago was caused by an asteroid around 10 kilometers in diameter colliding with Earth. The immense energy released caused natural disasters such as tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs, the rulers of Earth at that time.
The consequences of an asteroid impact on Earth are severe, so why do we experience over 500 collision events each year without significant consequences or news of anyone being killed by an asteroid?
This is due to Earth’s thick atmosphere; asteroids with diameters below 10 meters burn up in the atmosphere and have minimal impact on human survival.
Moreover, the likelihood of larger asteroids colliding with Earth is low. According to statistics by scientists, on average, a 1-kilometer diameter asteroid collides with Earth every 500,000 years, while a 5-kilometer diameter asteroid collision happens every 10 million years. Events involving asteroids larger than 10 kilometers are rare, with the most recent major collision occurring 65 million years ago.
Although Earth must endure more than 500 asteroid collision events each year, most of these do not result in meteorites, and all are incinerated in the atmosphere.
However, a very small number of asteroids could impact the ground, so why have there been no reports of an asteroid hitting a human?
We know that Earth comprises 70% oceans and 30% land. The probability of an asteroid landing anywhere on Earth is the same. Therefore, there’s a 70% chance that an asteroid will land in the ocean and only a 30% chance it will hit land.
In areas with low population density such as forests, deserts, and high mountains, even if an asteroid were to fall, the probability of hitting a human is still very low.
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However, low probability doesn’t mean it has never happened. In the case of the 1911 Egypt asteroid event, a dog was killed—this is one of the few documented casualties caused by an asteroid impact.
We can see that the probability of an asteroid hitting a person is very low, as low as winning a jackpot.
Among over 500 asteroid impact events each year, scientists have only managed to collect about 4-5 meteorites.
One reason is that many asteroids burn up before reaching the Earth’s surface.
The second reason is that many asteroids fall into the ocean, making retrieval difficult.
The third reason is that when an asteroid impacts Earth’s surface, it breaks into small particles mixed with Earth’s rock, making it difficult for scientists to differentiate them.
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Due to the scarcity of meteorites, collectors are willing to spend a substantial amount to acquire them. From a scientific perspective, meteorites contain material from the early days of the Solar System. Studying meteorites helps us understand Earth’s history during its formation and whether life existed beyond our planet. Thus, they hold not only collector’s value but also significant scientific research value.