Meteorite fireball over city. Illustration of a fireball over a city as a large meteoroid (originally an asteroid) heats up as it passes through Earth's atmosphere. The meteoroid may explode in the air (an airburst), or it may survive to impact the ground as a meteorite. The effect of a large meteorite impact or meteor airburst over a city would be catastrophic, with extensive damage and loss of life. Asteroids that are 30 to 40 metres across are large enough to wipe out a city. Around a million such asteroids exist, though unlike the larger asteroids that could cause global destruction, only a small number of these smaller 'city killers' are being tracked. | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / Van Ravenswaay, Detlev |
Bildgröße: | 4026 px × 4988 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |