People don’t take the threat of asteroids impacting the planet seriously. It’s crucial to recognize the concern without overstating it. This is why even organizations catalog hazardous items and research strategies to avoid them. It depends on the size, speed, and density of the asteroid if it manages to get through the net. A relatively limited number of asteroids—only seven—have been found and tracked before they struck our planet. Thankfully, they were found a few hours before they ignited in the atmosphere. This allowed people plenty of time to flee if they were in danger.
Historical instances offer us an idea of the safest distance from an asteroid impact. However, the exact distance relies on the characteristics of the asteroid. Objects known as “city killers” are those that could wipe out an entire metropolis without causing a mass extinction. The Tunguska incident in 1908 is the most well-known illustration. Above the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Siberia, a large asteroid that could have been up to 60 meters (200 feet) in diameter split apart high in the atmosphere. According to estimates, the event had the energy of three to thirty megatons of TNT. All buildings would fall within a radius of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of the impact’s epicenter. Around 20 km (12.4 miles), only wooden-frame structures would collapse. By 30 km (19 miles), glass windows would be smashed.
The Barringer meteor crater in Arizona was created by an impact that was slightly less than Tunguska in terms of size and yield. Yet, it did create a one-kilometer-wide hole in the earth, killing or badly hurting creatures in prehistoric America within a 6-kilometer (4-mile) radius. The Chelyabinsk event, which occurred on February 15, 2013, released between 60 and 75 times less energy than the 1908 event when it broke apart in the atmosphere. However, it had a far lesser impact than the Tunguska event. The 1,491 injuries (all of them were nonfatal), even though many buildings were damaged, were caused by broken windows.
You should maintain as much distance as you can from an asteroid if it is known to be headed in the direction of where you live. You should prepare to brace if you notice the light from the impact. This is because light travels more quickly than a shock wave. According to eyewitness descriptions of the Tunguska event published in English on Wikipedia, they have driven back a short distance, subjected to a sudden change in pressure from the impact. Also, they were exposed to a scorching wind. Semenov and his wife were about 60 kilometers (41 miles) away from the impact site, and even if they had traveled twice that distance, they still might have encountered catastrophic circumstances.
The exact safe distance from an asteroid impact is difficult to establish because it relies on the asteroid’s characteristics. However, it is generally agreed that being tens of kilometers from the epicenter is a decent place to start. It is crucial to remember that asteroids are not the sole danger from space. Other dangers might destroy our world completely, include solar flares, gamma-ray bursts, and coronal mass ejections. More research is needed on these hazards, as well as ways to minimize their consequences. This will preserve the security of our world and its inhabitants.