Against the background of human life, the concept of “cosmic catastrophe” sounds somehow abstract, unreal. But just look at the photographs of the Moon, Mercury, Mars, the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, their face, “disfigured” by meteorite bombardments, as it becomes clear that cosmic catastrophes in the Solar System occur much more often than we suppose. The recent fall on Jupiter of the Shoemaker-Levy comet is direct evidence of this. The Earth, thanks to its dense atmosphere, is well protected from small meteoroids weighing tens and hundreds of kilograms. But what will happen if the Earth collides with an asteroid or a comet weighing a million tons? Continue reading →