In disaster movies is threatened, humanity is like from the impact of huge asteroids. A horror scenario as well-such a collision triggered the dinosaurs to die, experts do not foresee. New monitoring systems should there be nevertheless.

Darmstadt, Germany (dpa) - The sky disc of Nebra, the sun gods or moon eclipses: the sun, moon and stars have fascinated humans for thousands of years. And shooting stars are considered to be romantic.

on each of the earth's atmosphere verglüh ends of the celestial body can wish for the observer something - the dinosaurs, however, had no desire to be more free. Could wipe out a chunk of rock fell from the All again a lot of life as we once were 65 million years ago the Dinos?

"is The danger of a large impact is low but cannot be ruled out," says the asteroid researchers Alan Harris from the Institute for planetary research of the German centre for air and space travel. The probability of a collision of a chunk of 100 meters size, spent in a percent in 100 years. "Something like that could destroy a large city or parts of Germany," he explains to the Asteroidentag on 30. June.

larger asteroids hit the earth, comes again and again. In February 2013, the Explosion of a 20-Meter-Brocken taught in millions of Russian city of Chelyabinsk devastation. The pressure wave injured without any warning around 1500 people, mostly due to broken discs. The Asteroid came out of nowhere.

"If we had discovered previously, it would have been enough for that window to open," says asteroid expert at the European space Agency, Esa, Detlef author. "Because it would be enough if we inform the people a day before on the Radio." An Asteroid of this size, when the Explosion in the atmosphere with an energy of 500 kilotons of the explosive TNT. The Hiroshima bomb was 15 kilotons.

On 30. June, 1908, there was also in Russia to an asteroid explosion In Tunguska Region in Siberia, the pressure wave swept away millions of trees over an area almost as large as the Saarland. Due to this natural disaster the United Nations has called on 2016 the 30. June to the International Asteroidentag from.

Only in the last year, the scientists were afraid that the up to 50 metre-wide Asteroid "2006QV89" could hit the earth. The Chance for a collision was before the all-clear by the experts according to the risk list of Esa for 1 to 7299. For comparison: For a lottery win with six plus the bonus number, the Chance is 1 to 140 million.

Small chunks of rock fly almost every day in the earth's atmosphere and burn up. In space that's nothing out of the ordinary. Through such collisions, the planets in our solar system were once made. Most of the objects are not made of stone and Woodman that, as is sometimes feared, radioactive. "This is nothing different than what we find on earth also." The process didn't stopped, says Harris. He had years, not only weakened in the billions.

"There are two large monitoring programs, both funded by Nasa, the scan almost every night to the heaven, and according to these objects," explained Woodman. With the data, then the orbits of the asteroids could be calculated. In Europe currently, an additional monitoring telescope will be developed that 2022 should go to Sicily. The Americans were working on a satellite based telescope. "A telescope on the far side of the moon would of course be even better," says the author. Only it would also be very expensive.

In the case of asteroids of a size of 50 meters and more one needs a distraction to think. "In 50 meters, since you would then have to evacuate a whole state," says the author. The scenario would then be to send a satellite on a collision course and the flight path of many kilometres per second-fast boulders to distract. The US hit movie "Armageddon" is also not a pure Science-Fiction. According to Harris, there are in the US, discussions about the use of Nuclear missiles.

The danger of a large impact is, according to the experts is rather low, but not completely impossible. "From the very large, larger than a Kilometer, are 95 percent is known", is the author sure. The Dinokiller was Harris that twelve kilometers in size. Such chunks you would see with today's Technology for centuries. "Since we have enough time."

© dpa-infocom, dpa:200624-99-542277/2