...naaahhh

[Thatsecretchord]

This thing can't be real!

http://m.facebook.com/l.php?u=http:...t8%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&gl=GB&h=wAQHVo_Tb&s=1

And if it is real why haven't we all died??

 

[PhilipRJ_UK]

I read about this earlier! Fragments of meteorite that fell from the sky over Russia, and injured over 500 people in the process, according to their interior minister.

Apparently another asteroid is due to skim past the Earth soon, but this one is apparently going to miss by 'only' 17,000 miles. Which is apparently nothing, in astronomical terms.

 

[paracarl44]

Someday something BIG will hit. Remember the dinosaurs???????

 

[Cave In]

This meteor was tiny, the damage was done due to the shockwave generated by the speed of the impact. Scary to think something so tiny could do so much damage.

The asteroid passing us tonight is the closest something of this size has came to earth and yes its very very close in astronomical terms.

 

[Bothersome]

Want to know something truly frightening?

Go read up on some estimates of how often we'd get nailed by stuff like this if Jupiter hadn't formed where it did.

 

[PhilipRJ_UK]

Go read up on some estimates of how often we'd get nailed by stuff like this if Jupiter hadn't formed where it did.

I'm guessing we'd be dodging asteroids on a daily basis?

 

[Bothersome]

Well, I wouldn't call it 'dodging'.

More like... rolling with the punches.

Needless to say, mass extinctions would have been a lot more common throughout the history of our planet, and the likelihood of our species reaching it's current state is questionable at best.

This is mostly speculation, though. There's equal evidence to suggest that without Jupiter acting like a giant magnet, not many of the meteors, meteorites, etc would have been heading this way to begin with.

 

[Jagermeistered]

Well, I wouldn't call it 'dodging'.

More like... rolling with the punches.

Needless to say, mass extinctions would have been a lot more common throughout the history of our planet, and the likelihood of our species reaching it's current state is questionable at best.

This is mostly speculation, though. There's equal evidence to suggest that without Jupiter acting like a giant magnet, not many of the meteors, meteorites, etc would have been heading this way to begin with.

But, what about the objects in the asteroid belt? A lot of the rocks that could cause a extinction level event, would originate from there.

 

[Bothersome]

But, what about the objects in the asteroid belt? A lot of the rocks that could cause a extinction level event, would originate from there.

And that's true, but the Asteroid belt is between Mars and Jupiter, meaning that anything that got loose from there wouldn't really be terribly affected by Jupiter's gravity.

I don't actually know the specifics, as I'm not an astronomer by any means, but I would imagine that most of the rocks that Jupiter stops would come from beyond Jupiter's orbit of the sun. I mean, it would have a tough time stopping anything that's already closer to earth than itself.

Of course, there could be an element to this that I'm simply not seeing.

 

[kopfhorer]

More jaw-dropping vids here:

http://www.itworld.com/internet/342645/videos-flood-youtube-after-russian-meteor-strike

 

[paracarl44]

Look at the moon that does not have an atmosphere it is full of craters. Our atmosphere causes the smaller stuff to burn up before it hits us.