4 ms·

More important than the size, I think, is the angle of impact... Still huge numbers we could just fathom....

throwbadubadu 3y ago
Depends, but in general would say no.. energy is speed times mass, and mass is cubic in the size, while speed is linear. Angle is complicated, I mean unless it is very shallow all will still go into earth? I wonder if and at which angle it could impact earth's rotation, but for that then direction is also relevant (: *: Ah, interesting, the neal.fun/asteroid-launcher also gives same energy for different angles except very shallow ones.
- ridgeguy 3y ago
  Energy is (1/2)(mass)(speed)^2. That ^2 term is important.
- Jyaif 3y ago
  > energy is speed times mass, and mass is cubic in the size, while speed is linear. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy#Kinetic_energy_of_rigid_bodies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy#Kinetic_energy_...
  - CoastalCoder 3y ago
    This sounds like the starting point for a cringey song about physics.
- alexpotato 3y ago
  I believe that all other factors kept the same, angle does matter b/c of the amount and time you spend going through the atmosphere. e.g. a shallower angle means you pass through more atmosphere which leads to more heating time which in turn means to "icier" asteroids burning off more of the ice. I can also imagine a scenario where the asteroid passes so close that it passes through the atmosphere but doesn't actually hit the earth.
  - pmayrgundter 3y ago
    Doesn't the ratio of mass of asteroid to atmosphere dominate? The larger the asteroid, the proportionally less momentum it loses to the atmosphere. Not sure how much a column of air the radius of a mountain weighs, but seems relatively very small?
- irrational 3y ago
  I think the hypothesis is Uranus is tilted 90 degrees because of a collision. Crazy to think of a similar thing happening to the earth.
  - adolph 3y ago
    Uranus is the only planet whose equator is nearly at a right angle to its orbit, with a tilt of 97.77 degrees – possibly the result of a collision with an Earth-sized object long ago. This unique tilt causes the most extreme seasons in the solar system. For nearly a quarter of each Uranian year, the Sun shines directly over each pole, plunging the other half of the planet into a 21-year-long, dark winter. Uranus is also one of just two planets that rotate in the opposite direction than most of the planets (Venus is the other one), from east to west. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/uranus/in-depth/ https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/uranus/in-depth/
spenczar5 3y ago
Composition matters a lot too (rubble pile vs monolith). Many things affect whether it will be a bolide, and at what altitude. But size is the most important feature because it is unbounded. You can’t be more direct than a perpendicular impact, but asteroids can always be bigger. And a 10km rock at pretty much any angle is much more energetic than a 10m rock, no matter what you do.
- baq 3y ago
  yeah at that size it's going to be a huge-ass almost literally earth-shattering explosion no matter the composition...

Depends, but in general would say no.. energy is speed times mass, and mass is cubic in the size, while speed is linear. Angle is complicated, I mean unless it is very shallow all will still go into earth? I wonder if and at which angle it could impact earth's rotation, but for that then direction is also relevant (: *: Ah, interesting, the neal.fun/asteroid-launcher also gives same energy for different angles except very shallow ones.

ridgeguy 3y ago
Energy is (1/2)(mass)(speed)^2. That ^2 term is important.
Jyaif 3y ago
> energy is speed times mass, and mass is cubic in the size, while speed is linear. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy#Kinetic_energy_of_rigid_bodies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy#Kinetic_energy_...
- CoastalCoder 3y ago
  This sounds like the starting point for a cringey song about physics.
alexpotato 3y ago
I believe that all other factors kept the same, angle does matter b/c of the amount and time you spend going through the atmosphere. e.g. a shallower angle means you pass through more atmosphere which leads to more heating time which in turn means to "icier" asteroids burning off more of the ice. I can also imagine a scenario where the asteroid passes so close that it passes through the atmosphere but doesn't actually hit the earth.
- pmayrgundter 3y ago
  Doesn't the ratio of mass of asteroid to atmosphere dominate? The larger the asteroid, the proportionally less momentum it loses to the atmosphere. Not sure how much a column of air the radius of a mountain weighs, but seems relatively very small?
irrational 3y ago
I think the hypothesis is Uranus is tilted 90 degrees because of a collision. Crazy to think of a similar thing happening to the earth.
- adolph 3y ago
  Uranus is the only planet whose equator is nearly at a right angle to its orbit, with a tilt of 97.77 degrees – possibly the result of a collision with an Earth-sized object long ago. This unique tilt causes the most extreme seasons in the solar system. For nearly a quarter of each Uranian year, the Sun shines directly over each pole, plunging the other half of the planet into a 21-year-long, dark winter. Uranus is also one of just two planets that rotate in the opposite direction than most of the planets (Venus is the other one), from east to west. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/uranus/in-depth/ https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/uranus/in-depth/

spenczar5 3y ago

Composition matters a lot too (rubble pile vs monolith). Many things affect whether it will be a bolide, and at what altitude. But size is the most important feature because it is unbounded. You can’t be more direct than a perpendicular impact, but asteroids can always be bigger. And a 10km rock at pretty much any angle is much more energetic than a 10m rock, no matter what you do.

baq 3y ago
yeah at that size it's going to be a huge-ass almost literally earth-shattering explosion no matter the composition...