Asteroid Impact Simulator
What would happen if an asteroid hit Earth? This calculator estimates the kinetic energy released and approximate crater diameter using simplified physics. Enter the asteroid's diameter, composition (which determines density), and impact velocity. The results include mass, energy in joules and TNT equivalent megatons, plus a rough crater estimate. Note: crater formation is highly complex; this is an educational approximation.
How We Calculate This
Mass = (4/3)πr³ × density. Kinetic energy = ½mv² × sin(angle). TNT equivalent: 1 megaton = 4.184 × 10¹⁵ J. Crater diameter uses simplified scaling: D ∝ E^(1/3), calibrated to known impacts. Results are educational approximations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is the crater estimate?
The crater estimate uses a simplified cube-root scaling model. Real crater formation depends on target material, impact angle, atmospheric effects, and complex physics. Treat this as an order-of-magnitude approximation only.
What was the Chicxulub asteroid?
The asteroid that caused the dinosaur extinction was about 10-15 km diameter, travelling around 20 km/s. It released roughly 100 trillion tons of TNT equivalent energy and created a 180 km crater.
What about the Tunguska event?
The 1908 Tunguska event was likely a 50-60 metre stony asteroid that exploded in the atmosphere at about 15 km/s. It released about 10-15 megatons of energy but left no crater because it airburst.
Why does impact angle matter?
The effective impact energy scales with sin(angle). A vertical (90°) impact delivers full energy, while a grazing impact loses much energy to atmospheric passage and horizontal momentum.
What velocities are realistic?
Earth escape velocity is 11 km/s (minimum impact speed). Typical asteroids hit at 15-25 km/s. Retrograde comets can reach 72 km/s (Earth orbital velocity + max solar system velocity).
Related Calculators
You might also find these calculators helpful: Nuclear Blast Effects, and Drake Equation.
This calculator uses simplified physics for educational purposes. Real impact effects depend on many factors not modelled here. Crater estimates are order-of-magnitude approximations only.