Meteor fireball. Illustration of a fireball that has formed as a large meteoroid (originally a small asteroid) heats up as it passes through Earth's atmosphere. The meteoroid may explode in the air (an airburst), or it may survive to impact the ground as a meteorite. The effect of a large meteorite impact or meteor airburst over a city would be catastrophic, with extensive damage and loss of life. Asteroids that are 30 to 40 metres across are large enough to wipe out a city. Around a million such asteroids exist, though unlike the larger asteroids that could cause global destruction, only a small number of these 'city killers' are being tracked. | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Van Ravenswaay, Detlev |
Taille de l’image : | 4651 px × 4961 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |