With the number of asteroids that passby Earth every year, many are always anxious they may hit or cause an impact on our planet. This new study suggests that there is actually a higher risk of space impact than we might think.
Several research potentially points objects in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter as posing alarming levels. This brought them to classify these as "centaurs."
Centaurs are considered to pose more threat compared with any asteroids that have crossed Earth. Their mass and unstable, elleptical orbits make them more perilous. To illustrate their massiveness, Science Recorder reports that one centaur is equivalent to more than the mass of all the asteroids that passed by Earth combined.
Spreading as wide as 50 to 60 miles, centaurs are typically covered with ice and dust. They usually cross paths with big planets such as Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter and Saturn. But owing to their incredibly huge massive fields, scientists fear they may soon ricochet towards our planet.
Although astronomers confirmed that this instance is a rare event, and chances of a crash would most likely happen every 40,000 to 100,000 years. However, its aggressive increase may propound a greater risk to human life.
Meanwhile, several astronomers argue that a comet once struck our planet some 65 million years ago, thus eradicated all dinosaurs. Another similar incident would most likely cause major destruction on our world.
The current research urges scientific groups to not take this possibility for granted. "A centaur arrival carries the risk of injecting, into the atmosphere ... a mass of dust and smoke comparable to that assumed in the nuclear winter studies. In terms of magnitude, its ranking among natural existential risks appears to be high," researchers said. "If we are right, then these distant comets could be a serious hazard, and it's time to understand them better."
