Do asteroids and comets ever hit the earth?
A. Yes. Bits of dust from asteroids and comets encounter the earth all the time; when they flash through the atmosphere, we see a “meteor” or “shooting star”. Larger chunks of asteroids may fall to earth, and we call them “meteorites”. If they are very large, they may make a “crater” or hole in the ground. Very large asteroids and comets hit the earth every 10-100 million years, and may destroy much of the life on earth. Scientists believe that an impact, 65 million years ago, caused the extinction of many species on earth, including dinosaurs.
