A new video showed an accurate comparison that highlights the sizes of some of the biggest known asteroids in space. As shown in the video, some of these asteroids are so massive they could instantly annihilate all life on Earth.
The YouTube video was uploaded by the channel Metal Ball Studios, which specializes in providing accurate 3D comparisons of various objects. For its latest video, the YouTube channel focused on some of the biggest asteroids that pose a threat to Earth.
Airburst-Causing Asteroids
The short clip began with relatively small asteroids with estimated diameters ranging from 4.1 to 30 metres. The smallest asteroid in this group, identified as 2008 TC3, is significantly bigger than a human. The other two asteroids, namely 2014 RC and 2004 FH are bigger than houses.
Depending on the impact velocity of these asteroids, there's a big chance that they won't cause impact events on Earth. Instead, they will most likely end up burning up in the atmosphere and causing powerful explosions in the sky.
City-Killer Asteroids
Towering over these asteroids are the city-killers or those that are capable of wiping out largely populated areas due to their immense size. The smallest asteroid in this group is 99942 Apophis. With a diameter of 370 metres, this asteroid is significantly taller than the Eiffel Tower in France.
Dwarfing Apophis are the kilometre-sized asteroids 69230 Hermes, (29075) 1950 DA and 4769 Castalia. With an average diameter of one kilometre, these asteroids are capable of causing major impact events and wiping out large areas due to the energy from their explosions. In the video, the sizes of these asteroids are highlighted by comparing them to the skyscrapers of a major city.
Planet-Killer Asteroids
The video then showed the asteroids that are capable of causing mass extinctions on Earth. Starting with 433 Eros, the diameters of these asteroids range from 16 to 33 kilometres. Aside from covering entire cities with their size, these asteroids make the other potentially hazardous space rocks look like pebbles.
Unfortunately, these aren't the biggest planet-killer asteroids in space. Dwarfing all other asteroids in the video are 2 Pallas, 4 Vesta and 1 Ceres. Pallas and Vesta, which are 512 and 525 kilometres wide respectively, are referred to as minor planets due to their size. Ceres, on the other hand, measures 939 kilometres across and is known as a dwarf planet. Aside from ending all life on Earth, these giants could cause Earth to fragment during a violent impact event.
