Scariest Space Facts: On Asteroid Collisions, Coronal Mass Ejections, and More

While scientists have been trying to delve into deep outer space, life beyond Earth is still full of fearsome realities that humanity must not turn a blind eye to. Let's take a deeper look into some of the scariest space facts.

A Massive Asteroid Collision Could Lead to Widespread Catastrophe

For one, if a massive asteroid were to collide with the Earth, this could be catastrophic for the whole planet and all who live on it. Such a strong impact could wipe out vast terrains and put cities, countries, and even the entirety of humanity at total destruction risk.

The good thing is that meteorite incidents remain few. While it is true that the Earth is daily subject to thousands of tiny particles of dust and rock that enter the atmosphere, only a few tangible threats are there.

The last time a significant asteroid-related event took place was in 2013. Back then, a small-building-sized asteroid entered the Earth's atmosphere above Chelyabinsk. Several meteorites of smaller sizes hit the surface, but no serious damage resulted from them.

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) From the Sun Could Trigger Dangerous Geomagnetic Storms

Just last week, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) revealed photos taken by its Aditya-L1 mission to the Sun. The shots revealed the Sun's characteristic features, including massive sunspots.

These sunspots are capable of releasing strong coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that could hit the Earth and lead to strong geomagnetic storms that could be potentially dangerous. This comes regardless of whether humans can or cannot see the dark patches on the solar surface.

With this, humans could be caught off guard by space weather events that are extreme. The massive electrified gas clouds can move up to hundreds of miles per second. This could impact GPS navigation, communications, power grids, satellites, and air travel.

Gamma Ray Bursts Close To Earth That Hit the Planet Could Be Devastating For the Ozone Layer

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the universe's most violent and powerful explosions. These typically result from some of the most explosive events across the Universe, including black hole birth and neutron star collision. In a matter of seconds, GRBs are capable of releasing the energy equivalent to what the Sun expels throughout its lifetime of nine billion years.

While Earth is technically hit by GRBs regularly, the ozone layer of the planet successfully protects the planet from the photons that are remarkably damaging. This is why the gamma-ray telescopes are all satellites situated beyond the atmosphere.

It is because of how frequently GRBs hit the Earth that scientists are able to detect them. However, all of these detected GRBs are from galaxies way beyond the Milky Way. Because of this, the GRBs are not strong enough when they reach the Earth and do not pose much threat.

However, the case would be different if the GRB were to take place near the Earth and directly hit the planet. In such a case, the ozone layer of the Earth would end up facing a catastrophe. If life is not totally obliterated due to this, drastic changes may nonetheless result.

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