Comet Twice the Size of Dinosaur-Extinction Rock Coming Back Toward Earth
We are but a rock, spinning though the void of space at an abjectly terrifying rate, hoping to miss all of the extreme and dangerous clutter that exists out there in the universe.
This is particularly difficult for earth, which has to travel through the cosmos in close proximity to a number of asteroid belts, but our planet in somewhat serious danger of being assaulted by other space rocks.
And, thanks to our knowledge of these celestial bodies, scientists tend to get a little nervous when certain confluences come to pass.
Swift-Tuttle (officially designated 109P/Swift–Tuttle) is a periodic comet that orbits our sun every 133 years.
Comets are “cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust,” according to NASA.
They’re made of leftovers from the formation of the solar system.
When a comet approaches the sun, it forms a “tail” made of gas and dust particles that face away from the large star.
Advertisement - story continues belowSwift-Tuttle was discovered independently by both Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle in 1862.
There are currently 3,743 known comets in our solar system, but Swift-Tuttle is the most concerning.
And why is this so concerning?
This comet is estimated to have a nucleus of about 16 miles across — twice the size of the Chicxulub impactor, which was the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs.
Swift-Tuttle also follows a very steep orbit around the sun, which contributes to its quick-moving speed of about 36 miles per second.
Advertisement - story continues belowIn fact, the comet is moving four times faster than Chicxulub did when it impacted Earth, according to Space.com.
As of this time, there is no indication that Swift-Tuttle is going to smash into the planet and create some extinction level event, but it serves as a good reminder that nothing about life on earth is truly guaranteed.
