In recent days, NASA scientists have been working on a task to simulate the impact of an asteroid on Earth. According to their information, the fictitious body that the experts worked with is to go to the center of Europe. During the six-day research, the place of impact was clarified. According to their calculation, the asteroid should fall into the vicinity of České Budějovice.
The simulation has been organized by NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object since the beginning of last week. The results are presented on the website cueÖ.
The exercise lasted six days and was intended to show how current technologies, networks and institutions would cope with a similar problem. The researchers worked with limited information, which was supplemented every day. At the same time, they had to react to the complications that came during the exercise.
The assignment of this year’s simulation, which was already the seventh in a row, sounded clear. „19. In April, astronomers in Hawaii discovered the asteroid 2021 PDC, 57 million miles away. It will approach Earth on October 20, 2021, in just six months. The original probability of impacting the Earth is 1: 2500. Estimates of asteroid size range between 35 and 700 meters. “
During the first day, the threat of a collision was specified, indicating that about two-thirds of the planet was a possible point of impact. Therefore, scientists could not begin to prepare a specific part of the world for impact. The next day, thanks to additional information, it was discovered that the object would fall somewhere in Europe or North Africa. Information that could be used to estimate the damage, but the scientists did not.
In the center of the impact Czechia
On the third day of the research, the scientists had a more accurate estimate of where the asteroid should land. It was a belt of 800 x 250 kilometers in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, but also the Czech Republic. Given that the Czechia is almost in the center, the probability of an impact is the highest.
Map of possible impact from the fourth day of the simulation. Source: NASA
Over the next few days, scientists confirmed that the asteroid would actually hit the Czech Republic. Specifically southwest of České Budějovice. The accuracy of determining the impact is 99 percent. On the last day of the exercise, the exact distance of the object from the Earth, 6.3 million kilometers, was determined. According to the scientists, that was enough to be able to use radar to find out how big the fictitious body is and what its properties are.
At the end of the exercise, it was clear that the asteroid was much smaller than the scientists had originally thought. Therefore, it should not hit such a large area on impact. Discussions were taking place on the next steps and the evacuation of people from the affected area began. Prague and Salzburg were also in partial danger in the perimeter with a diameter of 250 kilometers. Participants do not have more information yet.
The main threats to the impact of a fictitious asteroid would be the energy released by the impact, a large amount of heat and a shock wave.
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