Science
What really goes on in the Bermuda triangle
The Bermuda Triangle: A Persistent Mystery Introduction: The Enigma of the Bermuda Triangle One of the enduring mysteries of our world remains the Bermuda Triangle, a region infamous for unexplained disappearances of ships, boats, and planes. Rewinding history back about 600 years, we find the story of Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer who inadvertently sailed through this mysterious area on his quest to reach Asia—a land rich with spices, silk, and minerals.
By Adebayo Mahmud2 years ago in Earth
The Earth - Beautiful Planet
Planet Earth is the home of every lifeform, known to us, in the universe. Its age is about 1/3 of the age of the universe and, admitted, It is a thing of beauty. a slightly squashed fair with a heavy metal core, and a lighter surface crust, wrapped in a thin sliver of sweet air to breathe, with vast oceans, fertile plains, magnificent mountains, fresh water rivers, streams, lakes and aquifers, orbiting a star which warms us, and gives us energy. But how did our home come in to existence, and what's it made of? 4.6 billion years ago, Earth was created from the remnants of dead stars, that collected in a giant, dirty gas cloud. The gas cloud became denser in its center, and formed an accretion disk. small particles started clumping together, and building larger and larger objects, until they form the objects we call "Planets" today. This process took 10 to 20 million years, and is still not very well understood. At about this time, when the solar system was young and chaotic, a giant object, about as big as Mars, collided with our home. The impact was violent, and if the object had been more massive, it might have destroyed Earth. Materials from Earth were smashed out into orbit, and formed the Moon, which is the biggest satellite in relation to its planet in the solar system. At this time, Earth was a hot hell, constantly being hit by asteroids, with seas of lava, and a toxic atmosphere. But something was about to change drastically. Earth cooled down. Water from the inside of the Earth wandered to the surface and rained down on Earth, only to vaporize again and become clouds. Millions of asteroids brought more and more water to our planet. All the water on Earth has about this volume compared to Earth. Today, the surface of Earth is 71% water, and 29% land. 97.5% is saline water, while only 2.5% is fresh water. The Fresh water is 69% ice and snow, 30% are ground waters, and only about 1% make up the remaining ground waters. But even this small part is mostly frozen. Only a tiny part of our water is actually lakes and rivers. and an even tinier part is bound in living things. So, gradually the Earth cooled down, and the surface formed a thin crust. But inside the earth, hot rock continue to swirl about, moving the crust from below and breaking it apart. This process is called "Plate Tectonics", and is happening right now. We'll make a whole video about it in the future. For now, let's just say that the crust of Earth consisted of separate giant plates that move around. As they meet, they crumble, and create mighty mountains. OR: violently plunge back down, deeper into Earth, creating deep trenches. That's the way the highest place on Earth was formed: Mt.Everest, and the deepest: the Mariana Trench. From our perspective, Earth's mountains and trenches are mighty indeed, but when you look at the Earth in cross-section, you can see how tiny they actually are. The part we stand on is the crust, which is about 50 kilometers thick, though it can vary between 5 and 70 kilometers By the way, the deepest hole ever drilled by man is 12.262 kilometers deep. After the crust, comes the mantle. It's a silicate rocky shell, and about 2,900 kilometers thick. The mantle consists of the upper mantle, and the lower mantle. The upper mantle has different regions, too. It's upper part, which is viscous and carries the crust, is called the "Lithosphere." After that, there comes the "Asthenosphere," which consists of less mobile, mostly solid material. The lower mantle reaches deep down to the outer core of Earth. Earth's outer core is a liquid layer of iron and nickel, about 2,266 kilometers thick. Temperatures vary from 4,000℃(7,232℉) to 5,700℃(10,292℉). And in the center, is the inner core. It's mostly solid, a ball made of an iron-nickel alloy. with a radius of about 1,200 kilometers. 70% of the size of the moon, and about the temperature of the surface of the Sun. It is slowly growing at an estimated rate of about 1mm/year. Now, for some respective, this small layer of crystallized melt products of former molten mantle, is where we live. Then, there's Earth's magnetic field. It's an invisible phenomenon that diverts high energy particles coming from the Sun and other sources, allowing for a stable environment with comparatively little radiation impact on Earth. But why is it there? Actually, we don't really know a terrible lot about that. We know, it has something to do with the core of Earth. Inside this metal sphere, large electrical currents flow in complicated patterns. They cause a magnetic field, that sort of stabilizes itself according to the laws of electrodynamics. This entire system is called the "Dynamo." But, don't let us fool you into thinking we have it all figured out. Speaking of breathtaking information, what about the airy stuff that surrounds us? By volume, dry air consists mostly of Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, Carbon, a variable mount of water vapor, and small amounts of other gases. Humans are very dependent on the lowest layer of the atmosphere: the Troposphere - Where the weather is. It's 12 kilometers thick on average. Above that is the Stratosphere, which is where the ozone layer protects us from the sun's most aggressive type of light. Above that is the Mesosphere - the coolest place on Earth, with an average temperature around -85℃(-121℉). At about 80 kilometers up, the Thermosphere starts. The transition to space is a fluent one, without clear borders. but humans decided that space starts here. At about 100 kilometers, Earth stops, and space begins, though the atmosphere extends a bit further. In this region, we find the Ionosphere, the aurora borealis, and the ISS, and the outermost layer is the Exosphere, stretching up to 10,000 kilometers. It merges fluently with outer space, where there's no atmosphere at all. The atoms and molecules in this area are so far apart, that they can travel hundreds of kilometers without colliding with each other. OK. Humans, in their present form, have only been around for 200,000 years. - that's 0.004% of Earth's history. Not long, really. And, here we are now, living in a thin, moist layer on a small, wet rock. We call this rock: Earth. It is the product of the universe's deepest workings, the result of a constant process of creation and destruction, happening all of the universe, all the time, helped by chance, the laws of the universe and random events, we are really lucky.
By NguyenHoangNam2 years ago in Earth
The Earth - Beautiful Planet ( I )
Planet Earth is the only place we know of that supports life in the universe. It is about one-third as old as the universe itself and is truly beautiful, resembling a slightly flattened sphere with a heavy metal core and a lighter outer layer. It is surrounded by a thin atmosphere that provides air to breathe, and it features vast oceans, rich plains, towering mountains, and freshwater sources, all while orbiting a star that gives us warmth and energy. But how did our planet come to be, and what is it composed of? Approximately 4.6 billion years ago, Earth formed from the remnants of dead stars, which gathered in a massive gas cloud. This cloud became denser at its center, forming an accretion disk where small particles began to stick together to create larger objects, ultimately leading to the formation of planets. This process lasted between 10 to 20 million years and remains poorly understood. During this early period, a large object roughly the size of Mars collided with Earth. The impact was intense, and had the object been larger, it could have destroyed our planet. Material from Earth was thrown into orbit, resulting in the formation of the Moon, which is the largest satellite in relation to its planet in the solar system. At this point, Earth was a harsh environment, bombarded by asteroids, filled with lava, and having a toxic atmosphere. However, significant changes were on the horizon. Earth began to cool. Water from within the planet rose to the surface and rained down, only to evaporate and form clouds again. Countless asteroids also delivered additional water to Earth. Today, the Earth's surface consists of 71% water and 29% land, with 97.5% being salty and only 2.5% fresh. Of that fresh water, 69% is trapped in ice and snow, 30% is found underground, and only about 1% consists of lakes and rivers, with even less within living organisms. Over time, as Earth cooled, a thin crust formed. However, beneath the surface, hot rock continues to move and shift, breaking apart the crust. This ongoing process, known as plate tectonics, causes large tectonic plates to drift and collide, creating towering mountains and deep trenches. For instance, Mount Everest is formed by plate collision, while the Mariana Trench results from one plate sinking beneath another. Although these features seem significant from our viewpoint, they are relatively small compared to the entire structure of the Earth. The crust, where we live, is approximately 50 kilometers thick but can range between 5 and 70 kilometers. The deepest human-made hole is 12.262 kilometers deep. Below the crust lies the mantle, a rocky layer that stretches about 2,900 kilometers. The mantle is divided into the upper and lower sections, with the upper part being viscous and supportive of the crust, known as the lithosphere. Following this is the asthenosphere, made of mostly solid material that is less mobile. The lower mantle extends down to the outer core. This outer core is a liquid layer of iron and nickel, around 2,266 kilometers thick, with temperatures ranging from 4,000℃ to 5,700℃. At the center is the inner core, a mostly solid ball made of an iron-nickel alloy with a radius of about 1,200 kilometers, roughly 70% the size of the Moon and as hot as the Sun's surface. It grows slowly at an estimated rate of about 1 millimeter per year.
By NguyenHoangNam2 years ago in Earth
Understanding Solar Storms
Understanding Solar Storms: A Glimpse into the Sun's Fury The Sun: A Roiling Mass of Chaos The Sun, our closest star, is not just a tranquil ball of light in the sky; it's a violent and dynamic entity. With magnetic tornadoes spiraling upward for tens of thousands of miles and dark spots large enough to engulf our planet, the Sun’s surface is a battleground for cosmic forces. These phenomena result in explosive eruptions that hurl charged particles into space at astonishing speeds, often exceeding 2 million mph. As we enhance our observational technologies, we are gaining insights into these spectacular and sometimes threatening solar activities.
By Adrian Mickens2 years ago in Earth
GRAVITY IN SPACE
The idea that there is "zero gravity" in space is a common misconception, but it's not entirely accurate. Gravity exists everywhere in the universe, including in space. However, the effects of gravity in space differ significantly from those experienced on Earth, leading to the sensation of weightlessness that astronauts often describe.
By Sharon Chebet2 years ago in Earth
What Was Happening on Earth Before Dinosaurs Roamed
Billions of years ago, our entire solar system was nothing more than a vast cloud of dust and gas floating in the expanse of space. This tranquil existence was disrupted by an unknown event, the cause of which still puzzles scientists. Some hypothesize that a distant star might have exploded in a supernova, sending shockwaves that set this Dust Cloud into motion. As the cloud began to spin faster, the dust and gas within it were drawn towards the center, forming a dense, rotating disc known as a solar nebula. The gravitational forces at the center of this disc became so intense that hydrogen atoms began to collide with each other, creating helium and releasing enormous amounts of energy. This cataclysmic process ultimately led to the birth of our Sun approximately 4.6 billion years ago.
By Sibusiso Khumalo2 years ago in Earth
Unlocking Earth's Treasures: The Art of Mining and Exploration
Mining, a cornerstone of human civilization, is the process of extracting valuable minerals from the earth. It's a complex endeavor that requires a delicate balance between economic growth, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility. At the heart of this industry lies exploration, the pioneering pursuit of discovering new mineral deposits.
By Harsh Jain2 years ago in Earth
Simple questions about our world we still can't answer . AI-Generated.
Intro hey guys it's my chin it seems like every day there is news about something new we might have discovered in space or a space X rocket that did where it did not explode where maybe we found another planet we could live on once we use up this one and speaking of this planet sometimes it does feel like that mankind and Earth are like this old married couple you kind of feel like you already know every single thing there is to know about this person that mystery is gone there's no romance left and we're constantly looking for someplace better to live but a reality there is still quite a lot of mystery left as we take a look at some basic things about our planets we still don't understand number Undiscovered Caves one unexplored caves I always talk about on this channel how over 95% of our oceans remain unexplored but did you know that there are literally thousands of caves that no one well at least no one we know of has never set foot in National Geographic estimates the number of undiscovered caves at 90% of the planet's total even in well explored regions like a US only about 50% of caves have never been discovered number 2 all no minerals we know of around 5,000 minerals on earth which is a pretty good amount but according to Roberts M Hazen a mineralogist and astrobiologists at the Carnegie Institute for science whose team created a very complex system to calculate the number of unknown minerals currently found on earth they found that there are over 1500 minerals on this planet we still don't know anything about that may seem like a lot but keep in mind that many of the Earth's know minerals are pretty rare and are found in only a few select locations on this planet so think about that and then think about the massive amount of land across the globe that probably still has not been surveyed so and what makes sense that there are still a lot of minerals that we have yet to discover but check this out he's his model only ink those minerals that are possibly accessible if you add up the ones we may never be able to get to then the number of unknown minerals may increase exponentially number three we don't really know what's beneath the surface of our planet I talked about this in Whats Beneath Our Feet another video I did but when it comes to what we know about our planet we've literally only just scratched the surface think about this it took the Voyager 1 satellites 26 years to exit our solar system and it took about the same amount of time for us to dig just 7.5 miles below the earth's surface and if you didn't know that's the Kola super-deep borehole in Russia which is only 12 point 3 kilometers were like I said it's 7.5 miles deep and if you're wondering that's only 3990 2.5 miles short of the Earth's core although researchers think they have a pretty good idea what's beneath our feet based on our analysis of things like gravity fossils and earthquakes those are just theories and I'll tell we can actually reach the center of the earth we can't be completely sure for example this is what we typically think of when we think of what's inside the earth you've got the crust mantle outer core inner core but a discovery in 2014 suggested that there is an ocean inside the earth and that ocean might have as much water as undiscovered civilizations all the world's oceans combined and since typically where there's water there's life maybe there's even strange creatures in those waters who knows number four undiscovered civilizations when you think of ancient civilizations you may think of the Mayans were Egyptians because well we have found a lot of evidence of their existence but researchers believe there are still hundreds or even thousands of civilizations out there either covered up by the dense vegetation deserts war water we had no clue ever existed that's why every year you'll hear news of archaeologists digging up a new city so it could mean that legendary cities where civilizations like Atlantis or a dorado could actually exist and we just haven't found it yet to find these ancients roars researchers employ the use of CT scans satellite imagery or Google ground-penetrating radar and most recently even robotic drums number five all known species we know this planet is all known species massive and it contains an astonishing amount of creatures many we have never seen more have documented before just to give you guys some perspective according to her book wildlife of a garden a 30-year study biologist Jennifer Owen talked about how she began to document the different types of wildlife that she happened to find in her standard family garden in suburban Leicester England after 40 years she had documented over 8,000 species 20 of which have never been seen before in England and of those 24 were completely new to science all this from just in ordinary backyard now can you imagine what we could find if we just expended a search a little even after 250 years of official documentation over 15,000 new species of planes and animals are discovered each year according to the Guardian researchers estimated that there are five to ten million species of wildlife in the world and we have only identified around 1.2 to 1.3 million so basically if it could be up to 90% of how to life left in the world that are completely unknown to us number 6 how gravity works how gravity works when we think of gravity what comes to mind Newton with an apple what goes up must come down Sandra Bullock scientists tell us that gravity is the reason that when you jump up you don't just go floating into space and the gravity is what keeps the earth and orbits around the Sun but then they really can't tell us what gravity really is because well nobody really knows there are even mainstream researchers who say that gravity is just an illusion and it really doesn't exist at all now here's why gravity is so perplexing there are four conventionally accepted fundamental forces of nature electromagnetic strong nuclear forces weak nuclear forces and while gravity but gravity is supposed to essentially hold the entire universe together and is the weakest by far of all the forces like this times weaker than the third weakest force weak nuclear this makes gravity hard to demonstrate in lab experiments it also doesn't we fit in to Einstein's theory of relativity which only explains gravity on a large scale and get this researchers don't really know what gravity is made of because at the grounded level of atoms and molecules gravity just stops working number seven why ice is slippery this might sound really simple but you'd be surprised I mean we do know that ice is slippery because there is a very thin layer of liquid water on top of it even when ice is very very cold but here's the thing how did ice produce that layer of water for a long time researchers believed that when we walk or skates on top of ice the pressure we put on the eyes of what lower is melting point and then that would cause the outermost layer to melt but this was not the case because it was later discovered that the pressure we put on the ice was really not enough to cost us to happen so why then well we have no idea but here are some theories one is that friction was causing the outer layer of the ice to melt but then that's pretty much debunked because even when someone is standing on the ice not walking on it so you're not causing friction the ice is still slippery and the other theory is that well maybe the water on the outermost layer of ice it just never freezes number 8 how the moon was created okay this was a bit out how the moon was created of this world but it's still pretty interesting so I'm gonna include it here now we love talking about the moon we love looking at it we love sending people up there and just have them drive around we also love to debate whether we sent somebody up there at all but one thing we have no clue of is how the moon was created we do have some theories though in the 1800s Charles Darwin's son George suggested that the moon was created because at some point the earth responds so fast part of our planet spun off into space and because Earth's gravity the moon was created then there's the theory that the moon was created somewhere in the universe and when and passed by earth it was caught in his gravity and then there's the most popular theory which says that something massive collided with earth millions of years ago and a piece of the planets broke apart and for the moon there are some other theories about how the moon was created which I briefly read about such as the moon is actually hollow it was pretty interesting it has some valid points so I'll make a video on it and you can judge for yourself but you know what I love doing videos like this because I like the fact that there are still a lot of things in this world that is still a mystery and that's awesome to me I like a little mystery in my life
By Jariatu Kallon2 years ago in Earth
Apollo 11 Moon Landing Mystery
20th July 1969, The Lunar Module of the Apollo 11 mission landed on the moon. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were in it. After the landing, Neil Armstrong tried to open the door, to get down on the moon. It wasn't easy opening this door,due to high pressure, but he successfully opened it after a little struggle.Then he tried to get down to the moon in his heavy spacesuit.The exit wasn't spacious so by mistake, he hit the top, and a piece of the Lunar Module broke off. Neither of them was aware of this because of the lack of air. The sound didn't travel. They didn't hear any sound. But this broken piece was very crucial. It was the Assent Engine Arming Switch. Without this switch, their Lunar Module couldn't take off again, and they couldn't return to Earth. Unaware of this, Neil Armstrong got out and stepped on the moon's surface. He became the first man to step on the moon. "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." But did it actually happen? Today, more than 50 years later, many people refuse to believe that humans had gone to the moon. People cook up theories of their own to claim that the entire Apollo 11 mission was a farce put up by America. That they filmed the scenes on Earth, and lied to the world. How else do you explain the flag fluttering without air? What's the truth to it? All engines running. "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy,but because they are hard." Tranquillity Base here, The Eagle has landed! One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Friends, you'd be surprised to know, the real reason why Apollo 11 mission was planned was a war. Specifically speaking, the Cold War. Fought between America and the Soviet Union. Both countries were engaged in a Space Race. In 1957, the Soviet Union became the first country to launch the first artificial satellite. It was named Sputnik, and it was the first manmade object to be placed in Earth's orbit. The American government was shocked to see the Soviets getting ahead. Months later, in 1958, America launched their satellite as well. But 3 years later, in 1961, America got another shock. Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, was the first person to go to space. The Soviets beat America once again. One week later, the then President of America, John F. Kennedy, wrote a letter to the Vice President dated 20th April 1961. He asked the Vice President how they could beat the Soviet Union. "...by putting a laboratory in space, or by a trip around the moon,..." "Are we working 24 hours a day on existing programs? If not, why not?" "Are we making the maximum effort?" Asking if there was another space program that could be achieved quickly that would produce dramatic results and give them a lead in the race. He got the answer some days later he soon realised that the next big step would be to send humans to the moon. On 25th May 1961, in his famous speech, he promised the world that he would send humans to the moon before the end of the decade. Not only this, he also promised to get the humans back on Earth safely. "Before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon, and returning him safely to the Earth." For many, this was an unbelievable announcement. Friends, imagine 1961, There were no smartphones, no internet, there wasn't even GPS technology. The computers were so slow and old, in such times, he was promising to send humans to the moon. For this, over the next 5 years, he provided $7-$9 billion, in additional funding to the space program. The entire space agency was engaged in fulfilling this one aim. Mere months later, the tests began. First, they tested the rockets that would be used to leave the Earth. Then the heat shields of the command modules were tested. How much they'd be able to resist heat. Then the propulsion system of the service module. Between 1963 to 1967, many unmanned tests were carried out. The rockets didn't carry any humans during the tests. In February 1967, the planned the first manned tests. A test in which astronauts will go up to space in the rockets. This was the Apollo 1 mission. But during the tests on Earth, on 27th January 1967, the cabin caught on fire, and the three astronauts preparing to go to space, died in the fire. After this painful event, NASA didn't lose courage. Instead, it continued further testing. Apollo 4, Apollo 5, and Apollo 6, were all unmanned missions. for further testing. In October 1968, Apollo 7 mission was launched and once again they attempted to send humans to space. This was successful. Only 2 months later, in December 1968, Apollo 8 mission was launched in which three astronauts were sent near the moon. Three months later, in March 1969, Apollo 9 mission was launched. In this, the lunar module was tested. The part of the spacecraft that was actually going to land on the moon. And 2 months after that, in May 1969, was the Apollo 10 mission. In this mission, 3 astronauts had to do almost everything for practice that was supposed to be done in Apollo 11 mission, except actually landing on the moon. Look at the speed with which NASA was launching the missions one after the other. In the gap of 2 to 3 months, a new mission to test the next thing. Testing the rockets, spacecraft, going to the moon, and after all these tests, finally, on 16th July 1969, Apollo 11 mission was launched. "...2...1....0! All engine running. Liftoff, we have a liftoff. 32 minutes past the hour. Liftoff of Apollo 11." Three astronauts were a part of this mission. 38-year-old commander Neil Armstrong, he led this mission. The pilot of the Command Module,Michael Collins, And the pilot of the Lunar Module,Edwin Buzz Aldrin. These three names are inscribed in the pages of history. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become famous names everyone knows them today. But Michael Collins isn't very popular the reason for this is very interesting,I'll tell you later in this video. The spacecraft of this Apollo 11 mission, had three main parts. The Command Module, Service Module, and the Lunar Module. The first two are collectively known as CSM. Command and Service Module. They aimed to detach the Lunar Module and have it land on the moon. And to return, the Lunar Module would have to be relaunched and attached to the CSM, to enable the astronauts to return to Earth. To launch this spacecraft, a Saturn V-5 rocket was to be used. Before the launch, the rocket was loaded with 1 million gallon of Kerosene, Liquid Oxygen, and Liquid Hydrogen. The weight of this rocket was 3 million kg. With its help, the spacecraft reached Earth's orbit. It took less than 10 minutes to reach the orbit. Then they made about 1.5 revolutions around the Earth, after which they were given the permission from the mission control, the mission control was of course based on Earth, they communicated their permission to begin Trans-Lunar Injection. i.e., taking the spacecraft out of Earth's orbit and towards Moon's orbit. To leave Earth's orbit, the Saturn V-5 rocket was used. This was the third stage for the rocket. These events took place within 5 hours of the launch. But to actually reach the moon, took several days. Astronauts waited in the spacecraft the ate, slept, and took pictures of themselves and their surroundings, 19th July 1969, After travelling for almost 400,000 km, The Apollo 11 spacecraft reached moon's orbit. Here, it was supposed to be split into 2. The Command and Service Module separated from the Lunar Module. Michael Collins was in the Command Module, This part of the spacecraft was nicknamed Columbia. And the Lunar Module was nicknamed the Eagle. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were in it. The thing is that, the command and service module,was tasked to remain in the moon's orbit. Only the lunar module was going to land on the moon. It meant that only Armstrong and Aldrin had the chance to step on the moon, and not Michael Collins. Perhaps, this is the reason why not many people know Michael Collins. Even though he was a part of the Apollo mission, he did not step on the moon.
By Vashundhara2 years ago in Earth
Earth ending in 2038
13th April, 2029. A huge asteroid Apophis, more than 1000 feet in diameter, will pass by the Earth at a close prproximity. If it hits the earth, it will bring about such a devastation which has never been seen before in human history. Compared to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima this will release 1 million times more energy. There will be tsunami waves of hundreds of metres. And entire cities will be wiped out. But not only that, on 12th July, 2038, another asteroid can collide with the earth. And look at this post. There is a 72% chance of this collision. NASA has already issued an alert and has started its planetary defence exercises. And look at this post, it's only a few weeks old. After NASA Chief, ISRO's Chief has now issued a warning that we can all go extinct. Oh, my God! An earth-destroying asteroid is speeding towards us. ISRO Chief says that migrating to Mars is an option and all global space agencies are working on it. How much truth is there in such news? Which asteroids pose the most danger for Earth? And what is NASA's plan? Let's understand all these things in depth in this video. Asteroids are also called Planetoids. Because they are like small planets. They are basically some huge pieces of rocks that are orbiting in space. Their diametre can be as small as 10-20 metres or as big as 100-200 kilometres. The smallest existing asteroid we've discovered is only 2 metres wide and the biggest is called Ceres with a diameter of 940 kilometres. Most of the asteroids in our solar system are found in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. It houses millions of asteroids. The drawing of this asteroid belt in our textbooks looks like this. This might seem like these asteroids are so close to each other, but in reality, the average distance between any two asteroids is more than 1 million kilometer. But sometimes these asteroids move away from this belt and get quite close to the earth. In such cases, these are known as Near Earth Objects. In short, they are called NEOs. NEOs are not just asteroids, they can be Comets, Meteors, Meteorites, and Meteoroids. You may ask what is the difference between them? Basically, all of them are just pieces of rocks moving through space. But the way we define them, is different for each. Like asteroids are made of rocks and metals. Comets are made of ice, rocks, and dust. They are known as Dirty Snowballs too. Asteroids are found between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. Comets are found in the Kuiper belt. This belt lies before Neptune, quite far from our Sun. When comets move in space, they seem to have a tail which asteroids don't. Typically, comets can be large too, with a diametre of 1-10 km. And whenever a comet passes by earth, it can be easily seen with the naked eye. But to see asteroids, telescopes are needed in most cases. In terms of danger posed to us, a comet is far more dangerous than an asteroid. Because first, a comet travels at twice the speed of an asteroid. And second, the warning time is shorter. A comet may suddenly appear and collide with the Earth, and unfortunately, we won't find out about it for a long time. This was shown in the film, Don't Look Up. In this film, we see how there was a 6-month warning time of a comet colliding with the Earth. And how the government and space agencies react to it. A Meteoroid is a small piece of an asteroid or comet. When a meteoroid gets closer to the earth and enters our atmosphere, we call it a Meteor. When that happens, it burns very quickly and we see a streak of light. It is also known as a shooting star and some of you might have seen it yourself. When this happens in large numbers, it is called a Meteor Shower. And if a piece of meteor, travels through our atmosphere and falls on the earth, it is called a Meteorite. That's the only difference. However, for us, the important thing is are the NEOs. The asteroids and comets that pass by the earth. Those posing considerable risk of of crashing on the earth. And bringing about the end of our world. This is a justified concern because this happened 66 million years ago to the dinosaurs. If they can go extinct, so can we. But before measuring this danger and moving ahead, I would like to say one thing. If you get your news from such accounts on Instagram and Facebook, it would be better to stop following news. Because this news about the 2038 Asteroid Strike is completely fake. If you want to follow some pages on Instagram for news, then there are many options like The Hindu, Indian Express, Scroll.in, The Wire, News Laundry. Or even our mainstream news websites, even though the standard of Indian media isn't quite up there, but at least they won't spread this level of lies there. Because see, Times of India has also written an article on this. The headline states that "NASA warns that a planet-sized asteroid has a 72% chance of impacting the earth." This headline is wrong. It is a click-bait headline. But if you read the first line of the article by scrolling further, they have clarified this headline. "NASA recently conducted a hypothetical exercise to assess the planet's preparedness against an asteroid impact." Actually, this 72% chance is not a finding or result. This is a hypothetical imaginary scenario which was created by NASA. They conducted an exercise, that if today we found out that an asteroid is going to collide with earth in July 2038, what can we do? This was a mock test in which more than 100 experts took part from different organisations. NASA, European Space Agency, UK Space Agency, United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs. Everyone discussed this hypothetical situation if an asteroid were to collide with the earth 14 years from now, what should be the exact steps to stop it. On 20th June, NASA released this report in public which contain some interesting points. We will talk about them in the video later, but before that I would like to tell you, the date of 2029, which I talked about at the beginning of the video, that date is not hypothetical. Apophis asteroid with a diametre of more than 1,000 feet does really exist. And on 13th April 2029, this asteroid will pass by very close to the earth. Only 30,000 km away. Many geostationary satellites are farther away than this. NASA had released a video showing the exact path of this Apophis asteroid. 5 years later, the day this asteroid will pass by the earth you won't need a telescope to see it. You will be able to see it with your eyes at night. So the question is, what are the chances of this asteroid actually colliding with earth? The answer is Zero Percent. This asteroid was discovered in 2004. After which, there was quite an uproar all over the world. Because according to the initial observations, they claimed that there was a 2.7% chance of this asteroid colliding with the earth in 2029. Even though this 2.7% chance wasn't very significant. It basically meant that there's a 97% chance that it won't collide. But when the consequences can be so devastating, even a 2% chance can be terrifying. That's why in those years, this asteroid was called the City Killer, the most dangerous asteroid. This was the origin of its name Apophis. In Egyptian mythology, Apophis is a giant snake which destroys everything. It is also known as the God of Chaos. But the good news is that after further observations of this asteroid by the scientists, they found that in reality, it has a 0% chance of colliding with the Earth. For a few years scientists thought that though it won't collide in 2029, when it'd come closer to Earth the next time, it might be dangerous. Like in 2036 or 2068. Because when it would pass by Earth in 2029, it would pass through a Keyhole Area. In space, those places are said to be Keyholes that is so close to the Earth, where a passing asteroid is affected by Earth's gravitational force. When the asteroid comes close to Earth in 2029, it will pass through a Keyhole region, which will change its orbit. Due to Earth's gravity, the asteroid's orbit will change, which will increase the risk in 2036. Scientists were afraid of this at one time, but today, this threat has been debunked. NASA has confidently stated that in the next 100 years, the asteroid will not collide with the Earth. This is why, it has been removed from the risk list of Near-Earth Objects. You might be surprised at this. To know that there is a risk list. Of course, there is. Space agencies around the world have made a Risk List of the most dangerous asteroids in the near future. For example, on the European Space Agency's website, look at this Risk List. The possible collisions of these asteroids and comets. The Impact Date and Time are mentioned. The probability of their collision. Look at this IP max section. This mentions the maximum probability. And this section at the back, mentions the diameter to show how big the asteroid or comet is. It was only because of Data Science take a closer look at the top three objects in this risk list. At #1 is the 2023VD3 asteroid. The 2023 in the name tell us that this asteroid was discovered in 2023. This asteroid is quite small in size. It is only 11 to 24 metres wide. It might collide with earth on 8th November 2034. And the probability of collision is 1 in 387. That is, in percentage, it has a 0.25% chance of colliding. This is a substantial chance actually. That is why it is placed at the top of the list. But because of its smaller size, it is not very dangerous. The chances are that even if it collides with earth, it will fall into a sea or ocean or somewhere with few people. It won't cause much damage. In 2013, there was a similar incident when in Chelyabinsk, Russia, the Chelyabinsk meteor blasted above the city. "It came out of nowhere a bright speck in the sky seen streaking across the horizon. Followed by an almost apocalyptic scene. A blinding flash of light and then, all hell broke loose." The diameter of the meteor was about 20 metres and a powerful shockwave was released. Some buildings were damaged, some people were injured but thankfully, no lives were lost. "Nearly 1,500 people were injured. Most of them suffered cuts from shattered windows." At #2 on the risk list is the 1979XB asteroid. It is quite big. Its diameter is around 400-900 metres. Potentially, it will collide with earth on 12th December 2056 and the probability of the collision is 1 in 4.27 million. That is 0.00002%. The chance of this collision is almost negligible, but it is still ranked #2 on the risk list because of its size. We cannot afford this low chance. At #3 is asteroid 2008JL3. With an estimated diameter of 23-50 metres. And the potential impact date as 1st May 2027. And the probability of impact at 1 in 6,711. That is a 0.01% chance of collision. As you can see, these scientists working in these space agencies are doing a great job. Because they don't want to risk Earth's future due to these small risks. The only problem is that these are the asteroids that we have discovered so far. They may discover more asteroids in the future. But Comets don't have such a proper calculated trajectory. That is, we won't get a big warning window about comets. Tomorrow, we may discover a new comet that may collide with the Earth and for that we will have only 6-7 years to prepare. The detection systems on Earth, work well most of the time, but sometimes they might not. I would like to tell you about 4 most popular detection projects. The first is LINEAR, Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research. It was started in 1996 by the US Air Force, NASA, and MIT, in a joint collaboration. Two 1-metre long telescopes and a 0.5-metre telescope is used to discover more than 10,000 objects every year. Today, out of all the asteroids that are being discovered, 65% of them are being discovered by this project. The second is CSS, Catalina Sky Survey. Established by the University of Arizona in 1998, it uses two big telescopes. Its measurements are so precise that in 2008 it found an asteroid which was only 4 metres in diameter. And it had accurately predicted the exact time and day when this asteroid will fall on the earth and the exact location. 19 hours after its prediction this asteroid fell in the desert of North Sudan the same place it had predicted. The third is PAN STARRS Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System. It is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii and it uses the world's largest digital cameras to find asteroids. The images captured by this largest camera are of 1.4 billion pixels. And the fourth is ATLAS Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System. It is also located in Hawaii. And scientists have created it as a final warning of sorts. In case all the other systems are unable to detect an asteroid, if an asteroid goes undetected by mistake, then this system will give us a last minute warning of a possible asteroid impact. Every night this system scans the sky twice to detect any danger. So overall, Earth's defence system is quite brilliant and strong. But sometimes there might be some errors. Like, sometimes small meteors remain undetected as they get closer and then collide with the earth. Like the Chelyabinsk meteor in February 2013. This 20-metre wide meteor was not detected by any system on time. That's why for such scenarios, a Civil Defence Component becomes crucial. NASA has talked about this on Page 12 of their mock test report. If a small asteroid or meteor is about to crash somewhere International coordination is required at the right time, as well as the activation of the Disaster Management plans. But what will happen if a large asteroid is about to collide? There are three strategies to deal with it. First are the Kinetic methods, second are the Slow Push and Pull methods and the third are the Nuclear methods. The first of these three, the Kinetic Method is the only one that has been successfully tested in real life. In this, we send a spacecraft that collides with the asteroid and changes its orbit. The asteroid moves in a new orbit. This is a simple and effective method. Its practical experiment was conducted two years ago in NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). On 26th September, 2022, a 170-metre-wide Dimorphous asteroid was in space, far away from Earth and NASA launched a spacecraft to collide with it. "NASA's first planetary defence test to strategically crash into an asteroid..." This asteroid didn't pose any danger to us. It was just an experiment to see whether doing this really changes the orbit of the asteroid or not. You can watch the video of this collision on the screen. After that, when NASA looked at the result, the asteroid's orbit had actually changed. The same experiment is going to be conducted by China's National Space Agency next year. In 2025, they will have their spacecraft collide with a 30-metre-wide asteroid, and try to change its path. The second method is Slow Push and Pull. In this, we change the asteroid's orbit gradually. Solar energy can be used for this. If a spacecraft is sent near the asteroid it can concentrate the sun's rays on the asteroid to vaporise a part of the asteroid, this reaction will release some amount of gas, which will cause a small thrust on the asteroid. And gradually, the asteroid will change its orbit. This happens naturally on asteroids when an asteroid passes near the sun. But if it is done by sending spacecraft, scientists' only concerns is before the rocks on the asteroid are vaporised, these rocks should not interfere with the spacecraft's optical system. Thirdly, we have the Nuclear Method. Literally, sending a spacecraft carrying nuclear b0mbs to destroy the asteroid. It sounds very filmy but realistically, it may hardly ever be used. There are two reasons behind this. First, deploying a nuclear b0mb in space can lead to many legal, international, and geopolitical problems. And second, when an asteroid is destroyed, its pieces will be blown up all around and we can't control the orbit of those pieces. A piece may even collied with earth after the asteroid is destroyed. But this method is still under consideration because if an asteroid is large beyond an extent, like if the asteroid's size is more than 10 km, the same size that caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Then the other methods may not work as well because of the extreme size of the asteroid. In NASA's mock test from a few months ago they discussed these points. "Exactly how to deal with an asteroid which is going to collide with the Earth after 14 years with a chance of collision at 72%." The good news is that 81% of the participants participating in this mock experiment believed that we are ready to deal with such a threat. There are only a few gaps that scientists have raised regarding such scenarios. For example, one gap mentioned was that we have tested only one method till now, the Kinetic Method. We should test this Kinetic Method more times in the future so that we can be sure that it will work as needed. This was the 5th meeting to discuss a hypothetical asteroid strike. Before this, in 2013, 2014, 2016, and then in 2022, similar meetings were held. It was named Planetary Defense Interagency Tabletop Exercise. And in John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, around 100 experts came together. So, in conclusion, friends, there is nothing to worry about. First of all, in the next 100 years there are no big asteroids that have even a 0.01% chance of colliding with the Earth. Secondly, our Earth's defence systems are becoming more advanced with time. In the year 2028, NASA is planning to launch a space telescope named Near Earth Object Surveyor. It will be stationed outside Earth, to detect such asteroids so our detection systems will improve further. And thirdly, even if we find an asteroid that can collide with the earth, we already have adequate systems to stop it. Stop believing in such fake news.
By Vashundhara2 years ago in Earth
Mount Merapi
Volcanoes represent a persistent threat while simultaneously playing a crucial role in sustaining life on Earth. Their dual nature as both perilous and awe-inspiring necessitates ongoing efforts from rescue teams. A significant number of individuals reside in proximity to active volcanoes, underscoring the importance of being prepared for potential evacuations. In late October 2010, Mount Mori experienced a notable eruption, triggered by magma ascending to approximately one kilometer beneath the surface, which resulted in heightened seismic activity and volcanic tremors. The expansion of the lava dome created a significant risk, prompting the evacuation of 19,000 residents within a 10-kilometer radius. Eruptions within the Pacific Ring of Fire are primarily fueled by the explosive expansion of gases. This region has witnessed the majority of the most substantial eruptions over the past 12,000 years. In 2014, Japan's Mount Onake experienced a significant eruption that was not predicted. Volcanic eruptions can be both lethal and devastating, as superheated water and steam can lead to explosive bursts of hot water and rock fragments. Even volcanoes that appear relatively dormant, such as Kilauea in Hawaii, can still present significant risks. Different types of volcanoes exhibit varying levels of destructive potential. Shield volcanoes, with their gently sloping profiles, tend to be less destructive than the more iconic stratovolcanoes. Stratovolcanoes, characterized by their conical shapes, are formed from layers of lava and debris, resulting in particularly hazardous eruptions. Volcanic ash poses serious health risks and can endanger aviation. Composed of silicon, volcanic ash can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, and inhalation may lead to a cement-like buildup in the lungs, displacing thousands of people and affecting aircraft operations. A volcanic eruption in 2010 had a significant impact on global air travel, incurring costs of approximately $1.7 billion, as it released 250 million cubic meters of ash into the atmosphere.
By Isaac Ekow Anyidoho2 years ago in Earth
