Also, we'd be lucky if there was any flooding at all. A threat-worthy asteroid hits Earth only once every 500,000 years, reports Vox. Elliot Bay in Puget Sound is to the west of us. But it will come even closer to the moon, missing the Earth's only natural satellite by 150,000 miles. Nevertheless, scientists are keen to figure out potential scenarios, just in case. I understand my city would be in serious trouble if an asteroid hit in the Pacific, but we’re not a “coastal city” in the strictest sense. if this were to occur, and the asteroid were big enough to knock the moon from its orbit there would be a load of consequences. It was very close: only one fifth of the distance between Earth and the Moon. 1 … Each day, dozens of asteroids fly past Earth. Assuming a head-on hit, the moon would be destroyed. as for earth losing the moon.coconuts,date palms,algae.the original oil chemicals.fish would be food and shallow swamps everywhere.crabs etc. First off, if the asteroid hit the moon from the right angle it would send the moon and chunks of space stuffs (i.e. An asteroid big enough to break the moon up but not totally destroy it would most likely see the larger fragments of the moon coming back together. [Larger Video] []The video plays in 7x slow motion; otherwise the explosion would be nearly invisible to the human eye. If that were to happen, the moon wouldn't survive the impact. Let’s say the Moon was hit by a meteoroid, asteroid or comet and split in two, and let’s ignore the impacts from the debris here on Earth from the impact. If this happens, Earth will go through various events that can significantly affect life on the planet. What Happens To Earth If An Asteroid Destroys The Moon? If a big asteroid smashes into the moon there will be a tremendous explosion of rock and debris. If an asteroid is big enough to obliterate the Moon, it would send huge chunks of debris barreling towards Earth. Various objects hit the moon quite frequently, creating new craters on its surface. Some of these asteroids approach the planet from millions of miles away while others fly within a distance equivalent to that between the Earth and the Moon. Sometimes, we spot "flashes" where small asteroids hit the Moon. (1:01) Latest Videos. Think blockbuster movie and youve got an idea of how this story ends (1:01) The result wouldn’t be as pleasingly rounded as our current moon, but it would still exert a gravitational pull on the Earth so the tides wouldn’t suddenly cease and sunlight would still be reflected giving the night-time glow we are accustomed to. Think blockbuster movie and youve got an idea of how this story ends. Asteroid Impact 12,800 Years Ago Could Happen Again, Scientist Warns, Video Shows How Planet-Killer Asteroid Destroyed Earth, Killed Dinosaurs [Watch]. Above: A meteoroid hits the Moon, May 2, 2006; video-recorded by MSFC engineers Heather McNamara and Danielle Moser. But honestly, all this talk is more sci-fi than hard science. International Business Times | 10-04. The most famous asteroid ever is the one that hit Earth 65 million years ago. This event can lead to the death of many living things. Although they are called meteorites when they actually hit, not asteroids. The diameter of this object is between 60 and 130 m (more precise calculations are not yet available). However, if an object of similar mass and velocity to the Moon were to hit it, the Moon’s orbit could well be altered, though it’s more likely the Moon would be … That's not nothing, but it isn't much of anything, either. Aside from Earth, the Moon is also in danger of getting completely destroyed by a killer asteroid. Most of the time, these are asteroids so small that the resulting crater is too … The rock that collided with the moon was only about 10 inches across. If such a rock were to head toward Earth, it would burn up in the Earth's atmosphere and never reach the ground. In one second it covered 24 kilometres - the speed achieved only by the fastest spaceships. If you look at any picture of the moon it is literally covered with craters from the millions of hits it has had over the last few million years. Fortunately, no known nearby asteroids come anywhere close to that size. If an asteroid the size of an apartment hits Earth, this blow could possibly destroy a small city. Remember that the depest point in the oceans is in the Mariana Trench, and is only 11 km deep! "The duration of the fireball … As far as we know, no asteroids even close to the size of the moon exist nearby. Most asteroid collisions would result in large craters and little else; even the largest asteroid known, Ceres, wouldn’t budge the Moon. An asteroid 10 kilometers across is so massive that it's very hard to slow it down. The unstable axial tilt will also cause the planet’s poles to shift. For an asteroid 10 km in diameter, it doesn't matter where it hits, ocean or dry land. Will Money Laundering Laws End Art World's Culture Of Secrecy? At the end of July this year (25.07), asteroid 2019 OK flew past Earth. Something the size of the Moon would be called a dwarf planet, not an astroid. Asteroids do hit the moon all the time. some are larger. The gif image at right shows a meteoroid hitting moon on May 2, 2006, an impact which created a crater about 14 meters wide and three deep. Re: What happens if a large asteroid hits the moon? it would burn up in the Earth's atmosphere and never reach the ground. If an asteroid manages to break the moon up but fails to destroy it completely, If an asteroid the size of a 20-storey building hits Earth, this blow can completely flatten a small … Well, an asteroid the size and mass of the moon itself would probably just destroy it. Asteroid IMPACT: Watch the incredible moment a space rock hits the Moon at 38,000MPH ASTRONOMERS were stunned to see an asteroid strike the Moon with brute force during the first Blood Moon … Or nudge it out of its current orbit around the Earth. There are obvious craters on Earth (and the moon) that show us a long history of large objects hitting the planet. If this happens, Earth will go through various events that can significantly affect life on the planet. missing the Earth's only natural satellite by 150,000 miles, an impact which created a crater about 14 meters wide and three deep, A Super Bowl Ad That the Biden Presidency Made Possible, The Absurd Logic of Internet Recipe Hacks. The asteroid passing by Earth later today is going to come pretty close to Earth -- about 200,000 miles distant. These effects would all contribute to extreme climate variations on the planet. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first people to ever walk on the surface of the Moon… More likely, the oceans would all boil away and Earth's orbit would change, etc. Probably the immediate effect Earth will experience following the destruction of the Moon is multiple impact events. An asteroid impact is also the stuff of science fact. If it ends up getting hit by a very massive asteroid, the large explosion from the impact could destroy the Moon. Ask Smithsonian: What Would Happen if a Large Asteroid Hit the Moon? With the Moon gone, Earth’s axial tilt will drastically shift and change the planet’s orbit around the Sun. It’s hard to see, but that faint flash in the upper right-hand corner is the site of impact. It could even plunge Earth into a new ice age within a few hundred years. If the moon was hit by a massive asteroid or for some reason blown up by humans, because you know, sometimes we just like to blow stuff up, what would be the outcome? A meteorite smashed into the moon's surface at some 38,000 miles per hour (61,000 kilometers per hour) while our lunar neighbor was in total eclipse in January, a new report reveals. Although some of the lunar fragments that will hit Earth could be as big as the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaur 66 million years ago, they would release less energy on the planet. The small white flash on the right-hand side is the impact occurring, but at a speed seven times slower than reality. the large explosion from the impact could destroy the Moon. "If an asteroid hits the moon, it will just get another crater," says Gareth Wynn-Williams, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii. An asteroid big enough to break the moon up but not totally destroy it would most likely see the larger fragments of the moon coming back together. the angle of attack on the moon by ceres is the main factor.if it was dead on.we would be real safe. Well, an asteroid the size and mass of the moon itself would probably just destroy it or nudge it out of its current orbit around the Earth and cause drastic changes to our tides. With an asteroid hitting the Earth; dust and smoke rising in the atmosphere prevents sunlight from reaching our world and causes the total temperature to drop. Could it knock it clear out of its orbit? Most are small about the size of a grain of sand. An asteroid that large striking the Moon would release a large amount of energy and it probably would eject some of the moon rock into space, however I would guess that the bits would be quite small, so if they happened to be going in the right direction to hit … As for little 2005 YU55: If it had run a collision course with the moon it would have caused a good-sized crater -- about four kilometers across, according to Don Yeomans, director of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program. I was watching Armageddon the other day and I was wondering, considering that the Moon was so close to the asteroid's trajectory, what if the asteroid was a few days late and hits the Moon instead, what would be the damages to the Earth? Depending on certain factors, an asteroid impact on TweenTribune: What Would Happen if a Large Asteroid Hit the Moon? A regular large asteroid will have different effects depending what part of Earth's crust is hit. Also, a typical speed for meteorites is around 30 kilometers per second. Anniversary of the moonwalk. Aside from Earth, the Moon is also in danger of getting completely destroyed by a killer asteroid. And cause drastic changes to our tides. But honestly, all this talk is more sci-fi than hard science. Look Toward Employers. The asteroid would suffer major damage with a large portion of its mass being ejected into space, most of which would fall back to the asteroid eventually. The Moon and Earth are tidally locked, with each of them serving as a gravitational anchor to keep each other’s orbit stable. Another major effect that Earth will go through if an asteroid destroys the Moon is the change in the planet’s axis. However, this does not automatically mean they’re not dangerous. The chunks from the Moon, on the other hand, will approach Earth at a much slower speed. Costco Opens Vaccinations Sites At These Stores, Stocks Still Buoyant As Bitcoin Retreats From All-time High, Southern Snow: Find Out What’s Next After Deadly Weather In Texas, Helping Your Leaders Discover Their Personal Core Values, Want To Prevent The Next Generation Of Student Debt? Even though chunks of Moon would be massive, dense and even potentially larger than the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, they would have a lot less energy. [Armageddon] what if the asteroid hit the Moon instead? What would happen if a large asteroid did strike the moon? If the asteroid is much larger … well, then we might have some issues. Former Popsci writer Sandeep Ravindran likens it to "whacking an egg with a golf club," which could send chunks of the moon hurtling toward Earth, and potentially jeopardizing life on Earth as a result of disruption to the lunar cycle. This is because aside from their size, the impact energy released by asteroids is caused by their speed, which can range from 20,000 to 50,000 kilometers per hour, Forbes reported. When several observatories record the same flash, it shows that it is not just a glitch in one camera. These large fragments can still cause a lot of damage to populated towns and cities across the planet. At regular speed, the flash lasted four-tenths of a second. It would take another nearly moon-sized object to actually move the moon, Clark Chapman, a scientist at the Southwest Research Institute told Popsci. This clearly indicates that like Earth, the Moon is also susceptible to colliding with an asteroid. This asteroid was a mere 10 inches wide, but its collision with the moon created an intense 45-feet-wide crater. With the number of asteroids zipping past Earth on a regular basis, it’s only a matter of time before the planet gets hit by a massive space rock. The same thing that would happen if the moon hit the Earth. Take a look at this asteroid colliding into our moon in 2006: NASA.