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An impact event is the collision of a large meteorite, asteroid, comet, or other celestial object with the Earth or another planet.
Impact events have been a plot and background element in science fiction since knowledge of real impacts became established in the scientific mainstream.
An impact event is commonly seen as a scenario that would bring about the end of civilization.
In 2000, Discover Magazine published a list of 20 possible sudden doomsday scenarios with impact event listed as the No. 1 most likely to occur.
Until the 1980s this idea was not taken seriously, but opinions changed following the discovery of the Chicxulub Crater, which was further reinforced by witness to the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 event.
Impact events can cause the following:
Impact injuries from falling debris
Falling injuries from shaking
Breathing injuries from dust cloud
Crushing injuries from collapse
Electrocution from exposed power lines
Hypothermia from cold due to dust cloud
Burns from debris fires
May also cause:
Tsunami
Worldwide dust cloud that blocks sun
Worldwide winter
Societal breakdowns, food shortages, power outage, transportation issues, looting, and riots
After the impact you will be faced with the rule of 3's basic survival skills
Protect yourself
If there is enough time, move away from expected impact zone.
Move to higher ground away from coastal areas if impact is expected to hit the ocean.
If possible, move to an underground bunker.
If it is a large impact event, prepare for indefinite survival period.
Small objects frequently collide with the Earth. There is an inverse relationship between the size of the object and the frequency that such objects hit the earth. Asteroids with a 1 km (0.62 mi) diameter strike the Earth every 500,000 years on average. Large collisions – with 5 km (3 mi) objects – happen approximately once every ten million years. The last known impact of an object of 10 km (6 mi) or more in diameter was at the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event 65 million years ago.
Objects with diameters smaller than 10 m (33 ft) are called meteoroids (or meteorites if they strike the ground). An estimated 500 meteorites reach the surface each year, but only 5 or 6 of these are typically recovered and made known to scientists.
Asteroids with diameters of 5 to 10 m (16 to 33 ft) enter the Earth's atmosphere approximately once per year, with as much energy as little boy, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, approximately 15 kilotonnes of TNT. These ordinarily explode in the upper atmosphere, and most or all of the solids are vaporized. Objects with diameters over 50 m (164 ft) strike the Earth approximately once every thousand years, producing explosions comparable to the one known to have detonated above Tunguska in 1908. At least one known asteroid with a diameter of over 1 km (0.62 mi), (29075) 1950 DA, has a possibility of colliding with Earth on March 16, 2880, but the torino scale only works for impact possibilities within 100 years, and thus cannot apply to this asteroid.
The Torino Scale is a method for categorizing the impact hazard associated with near-Earth objects (NEOs) such as asteroids and comets. It is intended as a tool for astronomers and the public to assess the seriousness of collision predictions, by combining probability statistics and known kinetic damage potentials into a single threat value. The Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale is a similar, but more complex scale.
The first known modern case of a human hit by a space rock occurred on November 30, 1954, in Sylacauga, AL. There a 4 kg (8.8 lb) stone chondrite crashed through a roof and hit Ann Hodges in her living room after it bounced off her radio. She was badly bruised. Several persons have since claimed to have been struck by 'meteorites' but no verifiable meteorites have resulted.
