The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #131995   Message #2983988
Posted By: GUEST,leeneia
10-Sep-10 - 12:07 PM
Thread Name: BS: Asteroids: Missed us by THAT much!
Subject: RE: BS: Asteroids: Missed us by THAT much!
Thanks, Lox and Gnu. You know why.

Here's some data that my husband sent me.
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Here are some interesting numbers re asteroid diameters:

250 feet: Meteor Crater, Arizona
2,000 to 5,000 feet:   Estimated to be too small to cause major
extinction due to relatively low soot or sulfate levels in atmosphere;
1 Mile: Estimated 1 billion human casualties.
6 miles: K-T Boundary extinctions;
6 miles plus: Permian extinction;
6 to 10 miles: Extinction of human race by concussion, fire, tidal
waves, blocking of sunlight for several years.

Looks like anything smaller than about 250 feet in
diameter is likely to break up in the atmosphere.
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"Impact would still be high risk." Oh, I dunno. We get hit by meteorites/oids-whatever-you-call-em all the time. They almost never hurt anything.

I read a book on dust once. Did you know that tiny debris from space is a large component of household dust?