No risk of an asteroid impact on Earth has been identified to date. This does not prevent one from wondering what such an event would look like. A simulator shows us that the answer is not pleasing.
We no longer count the number of “planet-killing” asteroids presented as threatening to Earth, which end up passing peacefully very far from us. No risk of impact from a asteroid on our planet is proven. However, humanity is right to anticipate such a situation. Experts regularly work on asteroid impact simulations. The mission DART was launched to deflect the trajectory of an asteroid, in order to conduct a planetary defense exercise.
Even if no danger is proven, we are still curious to know what would happen if one of these asteroids fell to Earth. A site allows you to discover it. Designed by developer Neal Agarwal, “ Asteroid Launcher » is accessible from December 5, 2022. The advantage of this tool is that you can choose all the parameters of the disaster: the size of the object, its speed, the angle of its arrival relative to the ground and the place of the impact.
What happens if a 500m asteroid falls on Paris?
Thus, we simulated the arrival of an asteroid 500 m in diameter, advancing at a speed of 17 km/s, with an impact angle of 45°, on the city of Paris. The result is an imposing crater 9.7 km wide, which crashed into Paris and claimed the lives of more than a million people.
By scrolling through the items displayed on the right column, one can discover other information about the event, in addition to the size of the crater that has formed. We simulated the impact of a smaller asteroid than the previous one in the vicinity of Bordeaux: this time, we learn that it caused a fireball extending over more than 8 km.
The simulation continues by providing information on other disastrous consequences: the shock wave, the powerful gust of wind, and the earthquake caused by the impact. Each time, we obtain (always in English) details on the number of victims, or on various effects caused by the impact. Thus, the gust of wind caused by our fallen asteroid near Bordeaux is even faster than the winds that exist on Jupiterwithin a radius of 17 km.
Even if all this remains a simulation, and that no danger of the kind awaits humanity, it must be recognized that this simulation is playful and fascinating. We understand all the better the importance of preparing for this eventuality, with efficient means of tracking asteroids.