Here’s one extremely uncomfortable truth that we all need to learn to live with: there’s no such thing as 100% certainty that a giant asteroid won’t collide with our planet in the future. The good news, on the other hand, is that scientists can estimate the chances for such a catastrophic event to occur. They’re not jumping the gun at all on this one since it’s about our entire existence as a species.
In a new research led by Oscar Fuentes-Muñoz from the University of Colorado, Boulder, scientists tried to answer the ultimate question: what are the chances for a huge asteroid to hit our planet in the next 1,000 years?
We’re most probably safe for the next 1,000 years
The new study indicates that there are high chances for the Earth to be safe from any major asteroid impact over the next 1,000 years, according to MIT Technology Review
Researchers from the University of Colorado tracked large asteroids and concluded that the chances of a collision with Earth are very low. While asteroids have caused catastrophic events in the past, such as the extinction of the dinosaurs roughly 66 million years ago, they are rare occurrences.
NASA’s catalog of near-Earth asteroids larger than a kilometer is now believed to be 95% complete, enabling astronomers to predict their paths with greater accuracy. While smaller asteroids still pose a risk, efforts are being made to track them. Overall, the study brings good news, but scientists remain vigilant.
Even if, let’s say, astronomers are wrong in their claim that there’s no chance for a huge asteroid to collide with our planet over the next 1,000 years, nobody can predict the level of technology that humanity will have after so much time. In other words, it’s realistic to assume that the world will be advanced enough to find very efficient ways of overcoming dangerous asteroids that come from the depths of the Solar System.
