Why don't many asteroids hit the earth?

Answer 1

Even though the planet Earth is very large in comparison to the people who live on it, it is very small in comparison to outer space. It is effectively a small target for comets to hit. And even though the gravitational attraction of the Earth does tend to pull objects such as comets toward it, in most cases the comet (or other object) will still miss, and will then fly past the Earth.

Answer 2

While the Earth is big compared to us, in actuality it is incredibly small compared to the vast distances between bodies in the cosmos. In such an incredibly large space, it is highly improbable that an object would collide with such a tiny target. If you blindly threw a pebble on a beach, what are the chances it would hit a very particular grain of sand? Not very likely!

Answer 3

Every day we get hit by tons and tons of meteorites. Most are smaller than a pebble. Larger meteorites are very rare. Luckily the planet Jupiter because of its size keeps a lot of otherwise major problems from reaching our planet. A good example is the comets that hit Jupiter a few years back

Answer 4

Many asteroids do not hit Earth because they either burn up in the atmosphere before reaching the surface or they pass by at a safe distance due to the vastness of space. Earth's gravity also plays a role in diverting some asteroids away from a collision course.