A CHIEF scientist at Nasa has raised concerns that experts have been misreading traces of previous asteroid strikes.
Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center chief scientist, James Garvin, thinks the odds of a large asteroid hitting Earth could be higher than we first thought, according to Science Alert.
GettyThe chances of a large asteroid hitting Earth in our lifetime are very small[/caption]
That could be the case if scientists have used incorrect data to make current estimates.
Garvin recently made a presentation at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
He used the talk to make this point and express how bad the impact of this miscalculation would be.
The scientist said: “It would be in the range of serious c**p happening,” according to Science Alert.
Experts use the geological record to determine when significant asteroids hit Earth and the time in between these strikes.
Many believe large asteroid strikes that would result in deaths and years of famine for any survivors happen about every 600,000 years.
Garvin and his researchers investigated new satellite images of impact craters from the last one million years.
They concluded that some of the craters may be bigger than first thought.
This would mean deadly asteroids could be striking more often than previously thought.
The research goes as far as suggesting kilometer size objects are hitting Earth around every few ten-thousand years.
It’s just a theory for now so there’s no need to panic.
Nasa keeps an eye on asteroids and doesn’t expect one to hit any time soon.
“The Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) accurately characterizes the orbits of all known near-Earth objects,” it explains.
“(It) predicts their close approaches with Earth, and makes comprehensive impact hazard assessments in support of the agency’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington.”