Tag

Airburst

All articles tagged with #airburst

archaeology2 years ago

The Truth Behind the Alleged Comet Destruction of Hopewell Culture

Archaeologists and scientists have criticized the claim that a comet caused the downfall of the Native American Hopewell culture 1,500 years ago. Experts argue that there is no evidence supporting the theory of an exploding comet, and that the decline of the Hopewell culture was likely due to other factors. They refute claims of burned villages, meteorites, and an upsurge in mineral concentrations as evidence, stating that these are either ceremonial burnings or natural products of local soil chemistry. The study also criticizes the mixing up of samples and materials by the researchers who proposed the comet theory.

science2 years ago

The Catastrophic Consequences of an Asteroid Collision with Earth.

Scientists have calculated that if the asteroid Ryugu were to hit Earth, it would break up in the atmosphere resulting in an airburst similar to the Chelyabinsk meteor in 2013. Ryugu is considered a rubble-pile asteroid with low mechanical strength, meaning scientists would have to take great care to prevent it from breaking apart if they attempted to divert it. The asteroid's tensile strength is currently unknown, which could impact the size of the pieces that would fall to Earth. The analysis of samples returned by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft will help assess the impact of asteroids like Ryugu on Earth.