Probably we all see movies in which the end of the world is marked by an immense collision of an asteroid with Earth. Then, chaos is released: huge tsunamis, fire, explosions and panic. But are all of these just fiction or may they happen? Unfortunately, the chances of this kind of disaster are real. History demonstrates us that asteroids collapsed into our atmosphere many times before. One of the most discussed events of this kind was the extinction of dinosaurs about 65 million years ago.

But what is an asteroid? An asteroid is a small planet that orbits around the Solar System. Its composition is poorly understood. It is often believed that they are formed from rock, a nickel core, an icy belt and a basaltic crust.

However, in the case of such catastrophic event, we are prepared. NASA has developed a program called NEO (near-Earth objects). This program is meant to monitor the activity of all objects with a diameter bigger than one kilometer that are near Earth. It also calculates their course or trajectory. Each day, NEO observes photos of different objects in space and consigns every change in their behavior. NASA estimates that there are over 1000 NEOs with diameters bigger than 1 kilometer. In 2010, 7075 NEOs have been discovered, but the website of NASA announced that only 209 NEAs (near-Earth asteroids) present a risk of collision.

It is not well known what will happen in case we discover an asteroid or a comet that has established the course straight towards Earth. A lot of methods are available but each of them has certain limitations. In movies we see that a nuclear warhead is launched directly to the asteroid and it is destroyed and everyone is happy. But this is not the most practical solution. The reason is that, even if we blast the asteroid, it will not change its course. It would just turn into many pieces. More practical solutions can be implemented, like attaching some power engines on the asteroid and change its trajectory or even deflecting it with a powerful laser. But such operations require a lot of time and resources to be put into practice.

Ed is an experienced internet marketer and he is writing for Viking Outdoor Grills. You can find additional info about Ed by accessing BBQ Charcoal Grills website.

Author: Ed Raine
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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