Reason Number 1: The google definition of an
asteroid “is a small rocky body orbiting the sun. Large numbers of these,
ranging in size from nearly 600 miles (1,000 km) across (Ceres) to dust
particles, are found (as the asteroid belt) especially between the
orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though some have more eccentric orbits, and a few
pass close to the earth or enter the atmosphere as meteors.” So imagine a huge rock the
size of the states, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Montana falling
from the sky. That would most definitely have everyone running back to their
families because in the 21st century we have never seen an asteroid that big.
If an asteroid of that mass hit the earth, we would all be extinct in an
instant.
Reason
Number 2: There have been many asteroids that have narrowly missed the earth in
the past 16 years. For example, in 2013 an asteroid was only 17,200 miles away
from the earth which was the closest call in history. According to national geographic they stated, “This is
indeed a remarkably close approach for an asteroid this size," which
shows how crazy it would have been if it had hit the earth. The asteroid was
the size of half a football field and if it would have it earth there could
have been major effects to earth because if that. Some major effects could
depend on where it hits the earth. There might have been tsunamis and
earthquakes and the atmospheric pressure could have possibly change the
temperatures in our skies causing harsher global warming. They also estimate
between 36 and 166 meteorites larger than 10 grams fall to Earth per million
square kilometers per year. Over the whole surface area of Earth, that
translates to 18,000 to 84,000 meteorites bigger than 10 grams per year.
Reason Number 3: 65
million years ago an asteroid hit earth and caused a complete
global firestorm. According to www.whyfiles.org, “then a cold snap and finally a global warming that
extinguishes the dinosaurs.” An asteroid wiping out an entire species of
animals is a pretty serious thing because the same thing could happen today.
Some asteroids are so big that they have moons of their own so just imagine the
size of the asteroid that hit the dinosaurs. The next big asteroid is scheduled
to hit earth in 2175.
