Verschuur added that this will be the case “provided it doesn’t hit Earth before that.” What are the chances of Swift-Tuttle hitting Earth?Įvery 133 years, the comet comes several million miles within Earth’s orbit. Verschuur writes in his book “ Impact!: The Threat of Comets and Asteroids.” Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Imagesīecause of these factors, the comet has been dubbed “the most dangerous object known to humanity,” according to Forbes.Īnd it will likely be considered dangerous for 10,000 to 20,000 years, after which “its orbit is likely to deteriorate so that it will either fall into the sun or be thrown out of the solar system,” astronomer Gerrit L. The Perseids meteor showers are debris that broke off from Comet Swift-Tuttle. In fact, the comet is moving four times faster than Chicxulub did when it impacted Earth, according to . Swift-Tuttle also follows a very steep orbit around the sun, which contributes to its quick-moving speed of about 36 miles per second. This comet is estimated to have a nucleus of about 16 miles across - twice the size of the Chicxulub impactor, which was the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs. Why is Swift-Tuttle believed to be dangerous? There are currently 3,743 known comets in our solar system, but Swift-Tuttle is the most concerning. Swift-Tuttle was discovered independently by both Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle in 1862. When a comet approaches the sun, it forms a “tail” made of gas and dust particles that face away from the large star. They’re made of leftovers from the formation of the solar system. Swift-Tuttle (officially designated 109P/Swift–Tuttle) is a periodic comet that orbits our sun every 133 years.Ĭomets are “cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust,” according to NASA. This stream extends for more than 15 million kilometers (9 million miles) through space and is the product of Comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids, which appear to us as beautiful shooting stars lighting up the night sky, is really an enormous stream of space debris that our Earth is periodically passing through. NASA’s mega-rocket that will take humans to the Moon AND Mars is ‘ready to launch’Ī comet twice the size of the one that killed the dinosaurs comes dangerously close to Earth every once in a while.Įvery year, stargazers get out their telescopes with excitement to watch the Perseids meteor showers in July and August - and Comet Swift-Tuttle is to thank. Space rock the size of a bus makes close pass to Earth NASA reveals NEW James Webb Space Telescope images NASA warns at least FIVE asteroids are heading toward Earth in January
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |