According to scientists, this “mysterious hero” has saved Earth and humanity from collisions multiple times, not just in 1994.
Throughout its 4.5 billion year history, Earth has witnessed many mass extinction events caused by collisions with celestial bodies. However, none of these events are more famous than the extinction of the dinosaurs. This was the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event that occurred 66 million years ago, leading to the extinction of 76% of species on the planet.
The cause was the Chicxulub asteroid, which struck Earth at speeds of up to 70,000 km/h. After the impact, Earth was left with a crater more than 190 km wide, which also triggered a massive tsunami. Another significant collision occurred about 13,000 years ago when a comet struck Earth, leading to the extinction of the woolly mammoth and ushering in the Stone Age.
The Threat to Humanity from Outer Space
This raises the question: is humanity capable of experiencing a similar event? The answer is yes. In fact, in 1994, Earth was nearly involved in an unprecedented collision with a star. Although humanity escaped this collision nearly 30 years ago, scientists still sweat at the thought of it.
Earth still has the potential for another extinction event like 66 million years ago.
The story begins on March 24, 1993, when astronomers Carolyn Shoemaker, Eugene M. Shoemaker, and David Levy discovered the ninth comet using a 0.4-meter Schmidt telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California, USA. They quickly realized that this comet was unlike any other known comets. They named it Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, or SL9.
Comet SL9 was traveling at a very high speed toward the solar system. This comet was quite large, with a diameter of up to 5 km, making it one of the largest in the comet world. According to astronomers’ calculations, if SL9 followed its trajectory, it would collide with Earth in July 1994. This collision could have spelled doom for humanity. Therefore, since realizing SL9’s presence, astronomers have been observing it very carefully.
The most famous impact was that of the Chicxulub asteroid which led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. (Image: Baidu)
In reality, comets in space have collided with Earth many times. The consequences of these impacts are various craters of different sizes found on the Earth’s surface. NASA scientists have also predicted that if Earth were struck by Comet SL9, nearly 1 billion people would vanish in an instant. Additionally, other activities such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions would occur in succession, severely affecting the lives of survivors.
The scariest part is that dust in the atmosphere would rise, affecting the amount of light reaching Earth. For a long time, Earth’s vegetation would significantly decrease. Humans would be unable to cultivate crops. Survivors would face dire situations like food shortages and energy crises. It’s even possible that humanity could face extinction.
The “Mysterious Hero” that Saved Earth from Doom
Fortunately, as SL9 wandered through the solar system, it passed through the orbit of Jupiter, where it was pulled by Jupiter’s gravitational force, causing it to change trajectory. SL9 quickly crossed the Roche limit (the closest distance two celestial bodies can approach each other) and broke into 21 pieces. Astronomers calculated that these comet fragments would still collide with Jupiter in 1994, as this was unavoidable.
While Jupiter prevented Comet SL9 from being a threat to humanity, astronomers noted that the collision between them was a rare opportunity to witness a historic moment in the universe. They believed that this collision would provide more insights into the causes of the dinosaurs’ extinction on Earth.
After being pulled by Jupiter, Comet SL9 changed its trajectory and no longer headed toward Earth. (Image: Baidu)
Between July 16 and July 22, 1994, fragments of SL9, traveling at 60 km/s, entered Jupiter’s atmosphere in the southern hemisphere. The 21 pieces of SL9 impacted the surface of Jupiter, creating impact craters. These fragments were labeled in alphabetical order from A to W. Months after the impact, the remnants of SL9 left many round black marks on Jupiter’s surface.
Although Comet SL9 was broken into many pieces, their impact on Jupiter was profound and widespread. According to expert surveys, the impact marks left were even larger than the diameter of Earth. It’s hard to imagine how these comet fragments would have affected humanity had they struck Earth. The consequences would certainly have been far more severe than the extinction of the dinosaurs.
According to NASA, the fragments struck Jupiter with the power of 300 million atomic bombs, creating massive smoke columns rising from 2,000 to 3,000 km and heating the atmosphere to temperatures as high as 30,000 to 40,000 degrees Celsius. This figure has truly astonished many. From this, it can be inferred that Jupiter “saved” Earth and humanity from extinction.
Humanity on Earth avoided the risk of extinction thanks to Jupiter. (Image: Baidu)
So why was Comet SL9 pulled in by Jupiter and not by other planets? The reason is that Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, its volume is 1,300 times that of Earth and its mass is 318 times that of Earth. Because of its size, Jupiter has the strongest gravitational pull, which attracted Comet SL9. In fact, Jupiter has prevented countless comets, asteroids, and small planets from colliding with Earth. We can certainly regard Jupiter as Earth’s “shield.”
Moreover, with the advancement of science and technology, in the future, humanity will undoubtedly address potential threats from outer space. Astronomers will provide early warnings so that we have enough time to prepare plans to intercept asteroids, comets, or meteoroids before they reach Earth.
