Another Close Call! (1 Viewer)

[MikeH]

Every time we hear something like this it always concerns hitting the earth. What if it hit the moon instead?

I would assume the aftermath would be almost as catastrophic. For sure coastal tides would change but what else would be affected?


Mike

 

[Jack Briggs]

A large asteroid impacting the Moon would have zero immediate effect on Earth. Conceivably, lunar ejecta could be blasted into space from the force of the impact and reach Earth, most likely to incinerate in the atmosphere.

Spectacular impacts on the Moon have been observed from Earth in times past.

 

[Kevin P]

If something hit the moon, it would be a spectacular sight, but it wouldn't affect the earth in any way unless it was HUGE, big enough to shatter the moon or dramatically affect its orbit. A rock 80M wide hitting the moon would make a crater and throw up a lot of debris, but I doubt any of it would reach the earth.

Supposedly about a thousand years ago something hit the moon which created the Tycho (?) crater, and the impact was visible from the earth. I think it was mentioned in one of the early episodes of Cosmos.

KJP