How to determine if an asteroid will burn up or hit Earth?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the development of an interactive simulation to determine whether an asteroid will burn up in Earth's atmosphere or hit the surface. Participants explore the mathematical formulas and variables involved in such calculations, including speed, mass, density, and entry angle.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire about mathematical formulas to assess if an asteroid is large or fast enough to survive atmospheric entry.
  • One participant emphasizes the importance of density, noting that a dense nickel/iron asteroid is more likely to reach the ground intact compared to a stony asteroid of the same size.
  • Another participant mentions that Purdue University created a simulation called "Impact Earth," which uses multiple variables (diameter, angle of entry, density, velocity) to determine impact outcomes.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about the complexity of the calculations and the need for simplifications or assumptions in their simulation design.
  • One participant acknowledges their limited research and seeks guidance on calculations to determine the fate of asteroids based on size and density.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the significance of density and other variables in determining whether an asteroid will burn up or hit the Earth. However, there is no consensus on a specific formula or approach to simplify the simulation, and multiple viewpoints on the importance of various factors remain present.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention that speed is relatively constant at around 45 km/s, but the discussion lacks specific formulas or detailed calculations to support their claims. The complexity of the problem and the need for assumptions are acknowledged but not resolved.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students and enthusiasts interested in asteroid dynamics, simulation development, and the factors influencing meteorite survival during atmospheric entry.

justiny92
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I want to make a interactive simulation that shows whether or not an asteroid will hit the surface of the Earth. It would have 2 sliders for you to control the speed and mass of the asteroid. The simulation will output "yes" or "no" if the asteroid hits the surface.

Is there a mathematical formula to determine if an asteroid is fast enough or big enough to pass through Earth's atmosphere without burning up? Is there a way to simplify this with some assumptions?

Thanks!
 
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hi there

justiny92 said:
I want to make a interactive simulation that shows whether or not an asteroid will hit the surface of the Earth.

you have labelled your thread with an "I" undergraduate level, what research have you done for yourself so far ?
justiny92 said:
Is there a mathematical formula to determine if an asteroid is fast enough or big enough to pass through Earth's atmosphere without burning up?

speed isn't going to vary overly much with around 45km / sec being the avg.
What is more important and you didn't account for is it's density. you can have two 10m diameter rocks, one is very dense nickel/iron and one is stony
The nickel/iron WILL make it to the ground and for the most part stay intact till impact.
But the stony rock of the same size is more likely to break up / explode in the atmosphere and hit the ground in many smaller pieces.

Ant nickel/iron object of around 5m or more will make it to the ground, the atmosphere can't stop it
 
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justiny92 said:
I want to make a interactive simulation that shows whether or not an asteroid will hit the surface of the Earth. It would have 2 sliders for you to control the speed and mass of the asteroid. The simulation will output "yes" or "no" if the asteroid hits the surface.

Is there a mathematical formula to determine if an asteroid is fast enough or big enough to pass through Earth's atmosphere without burning up? Is there a way to simplify this with some assumptions?

Thanks!
Purdue University made such a simulation a while back: Impact Earth!
So I'm sure there are mathematical formulas to determine such things.
But, they used 4 variables(diameter, angle of entry, density, velocity), so a two slider control would have to set two variables as constants.

Regardless of which two variables you choose, I think it would be a fun project.

ps. I only know this, as we discussed this earlier: Impact: Earth! A meteor/comet impact simulator
 
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you have labelled your thread with an "I" undergraduate level, what research have you done for yourself so far ?
I have tried to do research myself and have only found given scenarios but no formulas to calculate my own. I am currently taking an introduction to astronomy course and this subject is outside the curriculum.
speed isn't going to vary overly much with around 45km / sec being the avg.
What is more important and you didn't account for is it's density. you can have two 10m diameter rocks, one is very dense nickel/iron and one is stony
The nickel/iron WILL make it to the ground and for the most part stay intact till impact.
But the stony rock of the same size is more likely to break up / explode in the atmosphere and hit the ground in many smaller pieces.

Ant nickel/iron object of around 5m or more will make it to the ground, the atmosphere can't stop it

I figured it would be more complicated than I hoped. Thanks for pointing out the density parameter. I will either make it constant or add it as a variable if I have time. Is there a calculation I can do to prove these sized rocks would either burn or hit the ground?
 
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OmCheeto said:
Purdue University made such a simulation a while back: Impact Earth!
So I'm sure there are mathematical formulas to determine such things.
But, they used 4 variables(diameter, angle of entry, density, velocity), so a two slider control would have to set two variables as constants.

Regardless of which two variables you choose, I think it would be a fun project.

ps. I only know this, as we discussed this earlier: Impact: Earth! A meteor/comet impact simulator

Thank you for this share! It's as fun as it is interesting. I found their article explaining the calculations and formulas they used for the simulation. If you or anyone would like to see it too, I shared it below. Looks like I have a lot of reading to do!

http://impact.ese.ic.ac.uk/ImpactEffects/effects.pdf
 
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