Death by asteroid impact is statistically more likely than being struck by lightning. Research from Olin College reveals the odds of dying from an asteroid collision are one in 156,000, derived from current data on 22,800 near-Earth objects. Each year, there is a 0.0091 per cent chance of a significant asteroid striking Earth. In a worst-case scenario, such an event could lead to mass extinction, although a 140-metre asteroid might also land harmlessly in the ocean. The risk of asteroid impact should be understood in the context of other everyday dangers, like car crashes.
Using the latest NASA data, physicists from the Olin College of Engineering found that there are 22,800 near-earth objects (NEOs) measuring 140 metres or larger. Assuming that an impact will kill one in 1,000 people, your odds of dying in a collision with a space rock are one in 156,000.
The researchers write: 'The dust lofting alone has the potential, in some cases, to obscure the sun to the point of stopping photosynthesis, which would then cause a mass extinction.'
If a 140-metre asteroid were to impact, it could potentially kill up to one million people or may land harmlessly in the ocean.
According to the researchers, each year there is a 0.0091 per cent chance that a 140-metre or larger asteroid will slam into the Earth.
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