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Fascinating video showing asteroid impact by different sizes is leaving people mind-blown

Home> Science> Space

Published 09:26 8 Jan 2024 GMT

Fascinating video showing asteroid impact by different sizes is leaving people mind-blown

The video breaks down just how destructive an asteroid could be - from small fry to a rock 20km wide.

Prudence Wade

Prudence Wade

Have you ever wondered what would actually happen if an asteroid hit Earth?

It's a conflicting one - of course we don't want to experience the destruction an asteroid would bring to our planet, but we're a bit morbidly curious to know how bad it would actually be.

If that sounds like you, luckily you're not alone - YouTube channel MetaBallStudios has put together a simulation of what various asteroid impacts might look like.

The video says it uses scientific data provided by Ignacio R Ferrin, a physics professor at the University of Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia.

The simulation uses two measurements to outline the destructive power of the impact - the Hiro(shima) and the Tzar bomb.

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One Hiro is equal to 15,000 tons of TNT, while 1 Tzar bomb is the equivalent of 5,000,000 tons of TNT - so is a lot more powerful than a Hiro.

The video starts off with the smallest asteroid, one that's four meters tall. The video says it would impact Earth with the energy of 0.6 Hiros and have an explosion height of 40km.

We're told the asteroid will hit New York - but native New Yorkers can breathe easy, because the video shows the asteroid flaming out when it hits the Earth's atmosphere. It seems with this small asteroid, we've had a lucky escape - but that doesn't last long.

The next simulation is of a 20m asteroid - as tall as a small block of flats. With the energy of 18 Hiros, this one has an explosion heigh of 21km - and it's broken up into smaller pieces, with these bits of rocks hitting various different areas around the city.

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An asteroid the size of the Statue of Liberty would leave a huge crater in New York.
MetaBallStudios/ YouTube

The size of the asteroid slowly creeps up, until we get to a simulation of a 90m rock, around about the size of the Statue of Liberty. With an impact energy of 208 Hiros, this asteroid hurtles towards New York and leaves an unequivocal trail of destruction - a crater measuring 1.16km and a ring of fire around it.

The asteroid simulation gets bigger and bigger, moving away from New York and showing the impact on places like Paris and Rome.

We see a 20km asteroid similar to the Chicxulub event that wiped out the dinosaurs, leaving a crater 200km wide - but that's not even the biggest one.

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The scariest asteroid in the video is a whopping 940km wide - the size of dwarf planet Ceres.

It's so big, it looks like a mini planet making its way towards Earth - and the video says it would hit with the impact energy of 9040 billion Tzar bombs.

It's shown to hit Turkey, leaving a 6,000km-wide crater - the impact is so huge, it radiates over the planet, leaving us looking like a burning rock suspended in space.

An asteroid the size of Ceres would spell almost certain destruction for Earth.
MetaBallStudios/ YouTube

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YouTubers have found the video fascinating, with one commenting: "Much less damage than I expected until you get to the ~1km size... But remember the damage will vary greatly depending on the composition of the object. An asteroid made of solid iron will do a lot more damage than one made of porous rock."

While another said: "I love that there's a simulation as it hits the land and not just an image of the explosion. Makes it easier to understand how dangerous these asteroids truly are."

It's all pretty terrifying stuff, but before you start building a bunker - NASA has said it 'knows of no asteroid or comet currently on a collision course with Earth, so the probability of a major collision is quite small'.

Featured Image Credit: MetaBallStudios/ YouTube
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