An asteroid collision with earth could be potentially catastrophic for the planet and its inhabitants. If big and powerful enough, an impact from a giant slab of rock to the Earth’s surface could wipe out vast areas, putting cities, countries or even the entire human race itself at risk of total destruction.
Fortunately, though, meteorite incidents are few and far between. Although it’s true that the planet is subject to thousands of tiny dust and rock particles entering the atmosphere on a daily basis, there are very few tangible threats.
The last significant incident took place back in 2013, when an asteroid that was roughly the size of a small building entered the atmosphere above the city of Chelyabinsk, before disintegrating around 20 kilometers above the ground. Several smaller meteorites did hit the surface, though no serious damage was done.
Simulation shows what would happen if a giant asteroid smashed into Earth
A video simulation posted by ‘Rinón Curioso’ -a Twitter account ‘focused on topics of interest in the scientific and technological fields’- has shown what would happen if an asteroid was ever to reach the earth’s surface.
The video, which gives a first-person view from an airplane, shows the giant piece of rock smashing into the earth, with catastrophic consequences unfolding right in front of the viewer’s eyes. The clip is genuinely terrifying and shows how the giant blast radius and consequent fireball would wreak havoc on the ground and knock the plane out of the sky.
It makes for horrifying viewing and Twitter users expressed their concerns in the comments of the video.