Asteroids

Meteoroids are particles of debris that impact Earth, ranging in size from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a boulder. When they enter Earth's atmosphere, they are called meteors or shooting stars.

If an asteroid were to hit Earth, it could cause widespread devastation, including tsunamis, wildfires, and climate changes. Depending on the size of the asteroid, it could potentially lead to mass extinctions and significant damage to infrastructure. Efforts are being made to track and potentially deflect any asteroids that may pose a threat to Earth.

Historically, an asteroid that struck the Earth 65 million years ago is one theory for the extinction of the dinosaurs, but that hit in Yucatan (Mexico).

the main way scientist find new asteroids is through imaging them. They bring telescopes' large reflectors to a location in an area where they think the planet will be. They take an image, and then, from a couple minutes to a couple weeks later, they take another image of the same spot. anything that moves from each slide, they will check to see if it is an already existing and known object, or a man-made object, or fake. If the object is real, they will take several follow-up pictures to learn more about the asteroid's speed/trajectory/distance from the sun. the asteroid has been assigned a classification number once it has been proven to exist. once the orbital/physical mechanics of the asteroid have been discovered, the asteroid will be named. The namer may name the asteroid (only if it is a minor body) whatever they want, from xyyxxxxyyyzzz to blue purple-greenscreen. If the asteroid is large, it will be named according to what part of the solar system it resides in.

No, asteroids do not float in space. Instead, they move through space under the influence of gravity. Any object in space will follow an orbit determined by its mass and the gravitational forces acting upon it.

Since the largest crater, the Aitken Basin, is around 1,300 miles in diameter, and probably the largest in the solar system, second only to a 3,000 mile in diameter possible impact crater on Mars, the impact object that caused the large basin on the moon is probably in the range of 50-100 miles across. It is worth noting that since the moon has over 600,000 impact craters over 1km in diameter, the earth, by process of logic, has had, in it's past, has had over 9 million craters of over 1km across over it's history, the vast majority having been covered by changed surface geology. - A Huisenfeldt

Because many valuable metals like platinum are dense so most of them have sunk into the molten center of the earth at some point during history leaving relatively small amounts in the crust. This cannot happen in an asteroid as there is nowhere for valuable metals to sink so they remain easily retrievable. That's why so many metals that are rare on earth are plentiful in asteroids, thus making them valuable.

The leftover debris from the formation of the solar system are asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. These are remnants of the material that created the planets and other celestial bodies in our solar system. They exist in the form of rocks, ice, and dust left over from the early stages of the solar system's evolution.

A meteorite by definition has reached the ground. Mist meteoroids burn up in the Earths atmosphere. Any meteorite would have been bigger as a meteoroid as the outer coating would have been burnt off during entry.

They have crater's in them because they collide with other, smaller asteroids or space debris on it's orbit and, because it was the bigger one of the two, comes away in tact with a scar (the crater).

No. meteors are the bits of dust and stone that burn up on entering Earth's atmosphere. Asteroids are larger rocky lumps floating round in space. We hope the larger ones do not meet Earth's atmosphere.

No, there is no evidence to support the claim that a giant asteroid was going to hit Earth in 2014. Astronomers keep a close eye on potentially hazardous asteroids, and there are protocols in place to deal with any potential threats.

Here's all the info you could even need on this. More than you want probably. If you aren't scared when you are done reading it something is wrong. Keep in mind, the size is not the only factor on the devastation one of these nasty buggers could cause. Mass and velocity both play a factor. A heavy smaller object travelling faster is just as bad as a bigger but lighter slower moving object. http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ The Reasoner - http://un-reasonable.blogspot.com

Yes, if a meteor reaches the ground and is large enough, it can cause damage and injury to people and property. However, the chances of being hit by a meteor are extremely low. Most meteors burn up in Earth's atmosphere before reaching the ground.

Depending on what you view as an asteroid. The second largest non-Dwarf Planet KBO is 2007 OR 10 (this is a fairly newly discovered object and is based on some guesswork) falling just behind Sedna. The second largest non-Dwarf Planet in the main asteroid belt is Vesta which falls only slightly behind Pallas. However, Vesta has more mass.

Missiles can be used to potentially deflect or break up an asteroid, rather than destroy it completely. The effectiveness of this method would depend on the size and composition of the asteroid. Efforts to develop technology for asteroid deflection are currently being researched.

Asteroids vary a lot from one to another - basically, objects less than 10 meters across are called meteorites, larger objects are called asteroids. But they may also be much larger - up to thousands of kilometers in diameter. Similarly, they may have large differences in other aspects.If the asteroid is large (several hundred or thousand kilometers across), you can expect it to have a layered structures - i.e., it would also have a nucleus.

Yes, the Earth has been hit by asteroids in the past. One notable impact is the one that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs around 66 million years ago. This impact caused widespread devastation, including tsunamis, wildfires, and a "nuclear winter" effect due to debris blocking sunlight.

When an asteroid or comet crosses Earth's orbital path but doesn't collide with it, it's often due to the object passing through a different point in space at a different time than Earth. Additionally, the vast majority of space around Earth is empty, so the chances of a direct collision are very low. Astronomers track these objects closely to assess any potential collision risk.

Yes, there has been a lot of astroids that hit the earth. Most of them are small.

The lack of asteroids between Mercury and Mars is likely due to the gravitational influence of Jupiter, which prevents the formation of a stable asteroid belt in that region. Additionally, the intense heat and radiation from the Sun may have prevented the formation or survival of asteroids in that inner region of the solar system.

In the context of the movie, the odds of 3720 to 1 are considered high because they indicate a low probability of success. Han Solo is highlighting the difficulty and danger of navigating an asteroid field to emphasize his piloting skills. So, in this case, the odds are not considered good.

Asteroids are given numbers because it helps in keeping track of them and distinguishing between different asteroids. The numbering system typically indicates the order in which the asteroid was discovered. Each asteroid is assigned a unique number when it is first spotted and confirmed by astronomers.

Mars and our moon do not have dense atmospheres where many of the smaller probable impacts break up prior to reaching terra firma's earth. Second the earth's massive tectonic shifts mold the earth slowly and the actions of wind, water, and life break down geologic features, so many visible craters are erased.

There is no difference between the name meteor and meteorid and meteorite but the real difference of an asteroid and a meteor is well meteors move really fast around space and an asteroid they just kinda stay there thats why they call it an asteroid field cyndaquil831 is out