Bad illustration on asteroid collision

[Argos]

CNN people always use this image to illustrate articles about close asteroid approach to Earth. I think that no space rock that size would retain its integrity all the way down. The tidal effects would rip it apart before the collision. I also think that the plunge would release energy enough to blind any view at the moment of the impact. A hypothetical astronaut photographing the scene would rather see a blinding fire ball, instead of a neat panorama. The artist apparently doesn't make the slightest idea of the amount of energy output in such collision.

Not to mention that a rock that size would turn Earth into something like the planet Krypton: Fragmented into pieces. It would be the birth of an inner asteroid belt, between the orbits of Venus and Mars.






<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Argos on 2002-03-22 04:54 ]</font>

[Russ]

Isn't that the graphic that the news folks developed in the movie "Deep Impact"? As I recall the story, they didn't know all that much about comet impacts at that stage of the film.

If it's not the same graphic it's very close.

[Argos]

On 2002-03-20 07:24, Russ wrote:
Isn't that the graphic that the news folks developed in the movie "Deep Impact"? As I recall the story, they didn't know all that much about comet impacts at that stage of the film.

I remember to have seen it on C. Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot". But I always thought it was kinda fake. Of course it is a beautiflu art, but it doesn't help in educating people.

[CJSF]

Actually, I recall seeing that graphic (or something VERY similar) on a NASA site regarding asteroid impacts... I'll post it here if I can find it (assuming it still exists).

[Ben Benoy]

Also of interest, the graphic seems to imply that the atmosphere of the Earth is about 100 feet thick.

From the CNN site:

If it pierced the atmosphere, the approximately 70-meter-long rock could have disintegrated and unleashed the energy equivalent of a 4-megaton nuclear bomb, researchers said.

Now compare the stated dimensions with their graphic. Yikes. Bad news for those BA readers who live, well, pretty much anywhere.

Q: How's the air up there in Chicago this time of year?

A: Gasp!

Ben Benoy [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[Mr. X]

That's some huge rock!

[GrapesOfWrath]

On 2002-03-20 15:19, Ben Benoy wrote:
Also of interest, the graphic seems to imply that the atmosphere of the Earth is about 100 feet thick.

I'm pretty sure that that illustration was not of 2002 EM7--it missed us, right? [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[ToSeek]

On 2002-03-20 15:19, Ben Benoy wrote:
Also of interest, the graphic seems to imply that the atmosphere of the Earth is about 100 feet thick.

Actually, I think the depiction is reasonable. I'd guesstimate that the depiction of the Earth has a diameter of about a foot. If a foot corresponds to 8000 miles, then the 100 miles of atmosphere (and that's a very generous definition of atmosphere) comes to about 1/7 of an inch.

[GrapesOfWrath]

I think Ben Benoy was assuming that the depiction was of the asteroid 2002 EM7, which was only 70 meters in diameter--so that would make the atmosphere less than that.

[CJSF]

I am 99% sure that the Asteroid Imapct Hazards Website at NASA's Ames Research Center had that illustration on it's home page a while back. It isn't there now.

The page is:
http://impact.arc.nasa.gov

Oh well.

[CJSF]

FOUND IT! If you go to the website I posted above, then click on "Multimedia Gallery" in the left side menu...

the first image that pops up is the one!

Here's the URL again:
http://impact.arc.nasa.gov

CJSF

NOTE: For some reason, the thumbnails do not display for me when I first load the page in. I have to right click on the image and choose "show picture" to get the thumbnail. Not sure if this is just specific to my PC or not

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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Christopher Ferro on 2002-03-21 08:50 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Christopher Ferro on 2002-03-21 08:52 ]</font>

[ToSeek]

On 2002-03-21 07:46, GrapesOfWrath wrote:
I think Ben Benoy was assuming that the depiction was of the asteroid 2002 EM7, which was only 70 meters in diameter--so that would make the atmosphere less than that.

Well, that would also make the Earth about the size of Disneyland, so the atmosphere wouldn't be the only problem.

[GrapesOfWrath]

If the Earth were the size of Disneyland, I believe that Washington, DC, would be Mickey Mouse. California would be Goofy.

Notice that that CNN link says that there is a chance that the asteroid will hit Earth in 2093. Dang, I think I'm not gonna make it that long.

[Bob S.]

CNN people always use this image to illustrate articles about close asteroid approach to Earth...
Not to mention that a rock that size would turn Earth into something like the planet Krypton: Fragmented into pieces. It would be the birth of an inner asteroid belt, between the orbits of Venus and Mars.

Maybe not. Wasn't it supposed to have been a much bigger piece of rock that smashed into the Earth and flung out debris that created the moon?
http://www.psi.edu/projects/moon/moon.html

[Argos]

On 2002-03-21 11:34, Bob S. wrote:
Maybe not. Wasn't it supposed to have been a much bigger piece of rock that smashed into the Earth and flung out debris that created the moon?
http://www.psi.edu/projects/moon/moon.html

Well, the graphics in that website are much more reasonable. Anyway, the illustration at CNN site depicts an asteroid that's even bigger than the one which would have given birth to the Moon. It seems to have +3000 km diameter. I really don't think Earth could withstand such monster, depending on the angle/direction/speed of the impact.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Argos on 2002-03-22 05:19 ]</font>

[Argos]

On 2002-03-21 08:49, Christopher Ferro wrote:
FOUND IT!

Thanks Christopher, for the help. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Argos on 2002-03-22 05:20 ]</font>