What is an impact event?
Q: What is an impact event?
A: An impact event is a collision between objects in space, such as asteroids, comets or meteors. These collisions can have serious effects on the planet they hit.
Q: How do we try to predict when an impact will happen?
A: We use something called impact prediction to try and find out when one is going to hit Earth. Depending on the size of the object, much of the impact is reduced by the planet's atmosphere.
Q: Are there any evidence of major impacts in our Solar System?
A: Yes, some of the largest are on Mars and the Moon. These are said to be evidence of major impact events. The first time an impact event was recorded was in July 1994 with a comet colliding with Jupiter.
Q: What effect did impacts have on how our Solar System has changed since it was formed?
A: Impact events appear to have had a major effect on how our Solar System has changed since it was formed. Major impacts have also shaped the history of Earth including its evolution of life.
Q: Is it thought that an asteroid caused one of Earth's extinction events?
A: It is thought that a giant asteroid known as Chicxulub impacted 66 million years ago and caused what is known as Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. There is debate over whether other extinction events throughout history were caused by impacts or not.
Q: How often do asteroids with a diameter of 4 meters (13 ft) collide with Earth?
A: On average, asteroids with this size collide with Earth about once per year but usually explode in the upper atmosphere before reaching ground level so no damage occurs at ground level from these smaller objects.
Q: How often do larger asteroids (5 km/3 mi) collide with Earth?
A: Large collisions like this happen once every twenty million years approximately
