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A NEW estimate of how space rock should fall to Earth has been revealed each year, and it’s probably much more than you thought.
A team of UK scientists focused on meteorites above 50g and think about 16,000kg annual rainfall on us.
This figure of 16,000 kg (17 tons) doesn’t even take into account space dust that is regularly deposited on our planet or the infrequent impacts of larger space rocks.
The figure is said to increase to 40,000,000 kg.
Dr. Geoff Evatt told the BBC: “The vast majority of objects that hit Earth are really small.
“We are talking about objects for which, when they hit the ground, the fragments add up to more than 50g. So typically 50g-10kg in total.”
The University of Manchester mathematician added: “Objects larger than this are very, very rare.”
The study also allowed researchers to conduct a risk assessment of space rocks hitting certain areas.
For example, they discovered that the number of meteorites found at Earth’s poles is approximately 60% more than would be expected at the equator.
Most of the meteorites on Earth are found in Antarctica.
This is likely aided by the fact that black rocks stand out against white snow.
Dr. Evatt and his team undertook a search for meteorites in East Antarctica.
They found that they could successfully calculate how many space rocks they would find in the selected search areas.
They then used this to create a global estimate.
They took a variety of factors from our planet into account to estimate around 17,000 falls a year.
Professor Sara Russell, leader of the Planetary Materials Group at the Natural History Museum, London, told the BBC about the study.
She told the media, “I think this is an amazing study, and this estimate seems to be in the right stage.”
“We believe that a total of approximately 40,000 tons (or 40,000,000 kg) of extraterrestrial material falls to Earth each year, but the vast majority of this is in the form of small grains of dust.
“This is a very difficult measurement to make accurately and you only see half a dozen meteorites fall each year, but of course almost all meteor falls are not observed because they fall into the sea, in unpopulated areas or just don’t “One is watching!”
The researchers published their findings in the journal Geology.
The University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, the University of Manchester and the British Antarctic Survey worked together for the study.
What is the difference between an asteroid, a meteorite, and a comet?
Here’s what you need to know, according to NASA …
- Asteroid: An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits around the Sun. Most are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter), but can be found anywhere (even on a path that can impact Earth)
- Meteoroid: When two asteroids collide with each other, the small pieces that fall off are called meteoroids.
- Meteorite: If a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere, it begins to evaporate and then turns into a meteorite. On Earth, it will look like a ray of light in the sky, because the rock is burning
- Meteorite: If a meteoroid does not completely evaporate and survive the journey through Earth’s atmosphere, it can land on Earth. At that point, it turns into a meteorite.
- Kite: Like asteroids, a comet orbits around the Sun. However, instead of being made primarily of rock, a comet contains a lot of ice and gas, which can lead to the formation of incredible tails behind them (thanks to vaporization from ice and dust)
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Finally, some good news when NASA reveals that the ‘near’ giant asteroid soared past Earth today.
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In other news, Elon Musk has plans to make his Starlink satellites “invisible to the naked eye”.
NASA has a list of 22 asteroids that could hit Earth.
And, NASA astronauts will launch into space from American soil next month for the first time in nearly a decade.
What do you think of all these meteorites falling to Earth? Let us know in the comments …
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