How are solar system objects affected by gravity-induced impacts?
The craters on the moon were caused by impacts with other objects. Craters on Earth are evidence that large objects have hit Earth. Many scientists believe that an asteroid or a comet was responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs. The current theory of the formation of the moon is linked to a collision or close encounter with a very large body. The oceans are believed to have formed from the impacts of many water-rich planetesimals and cometesimals. An asteroid hit the sparsely populated region of Tunguska, Siberia on June 30, 1908, causing destruction of many trees and reindeer. Craters on most solar system bodies provide evidence of collisions with asteroids or comets. If the impacted body is small, it can be forced into a different orbit and find itself captured by a nearby larger body. Some astronomers believe that the moons of Mars are really asteroids that ventured too close to the planet and were trapped by its gravity. 21. How fast was Shoemaker-Levy 9 traveling and how m
