Disturbing simulation shows what would happen if meteor half the size of Pluto hit Earth
A disturbing clip shows how a large asteroid impact could affect Earth, and what it might look like.
The video was posted to TikTok, and sees an asteroid approximately half the size of Pluto slamming into our planet.
Meteors do regularly hit Earth, though these are in the form of dust or very small particles after passing through the atmosphere so are completely harmless.
Of course, the size and density of an asteroid have a pretty large impact on how much devastation it would cause on Earth.
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As a little context, the meteor which led to the extinction of the dinosaurs is thought to have been around 10 to 15km (6.2 - 9.3 miles) wide.
Experts believe that for a meteor to render Earth a barren and lifeless planet on impact it would need to be just under 100km (62 miles) across.
And the asteroid shown in the video is considerably larger than this so needless to say this would destroy all life.
As the clip progresses, it shows the landmasses erupt in flames while the seas boil dry.
Meanwhile, masses of debris are thrown into space, and a wall of fire engulfs the entire surface of the Earth, sterilising it of life as it passes.
The post asks viewers what they would do in this scenario.
It begs the rather obvious question of what could you do, other than say goodbye to your loved ones and brace yourself?
Social media users echoed the sentiment in the comments.
One wrote: "Bro really like 'what y’all doing in this situation' like we have options."
Another posted: "Dying. We’re all dying."
A third wrote: "I'm just taking the L."
But an asteroid wouldn't need to be big enough to destroy the human species through its impact to wipe us out.
Smaller asteroid impacts could still see a more drawn out end to humanity.
After the wildfires, earthquakes, and tsunamis subsided, the impact would create a massive dust cloud, causing rapid cooling of the planet surface. That would mean mass crop failures and infrastructure collapse.
Famine and disease would begin setting in for those who survived the initial impact.
Add into that societal collapse leading to war and even the possible use of nuclear weapons, and humanity's demise would be all but inevitable.
Even if we did survive, it's unlikely that the humans who made it would be anything like us now.
The loss of knowledge, technology, and education would see us becoming an intellectual shadow of our current selves.
What a lovely thought, eh?
Kit Roberts