The reign of the dinosaurs came to an end 66 million years ago from the coast of the Yucatan province (Mexico) because of a huge rock that came from space. But the controversial astrophysicist at Harvard University (USA), whom we talked about recently for his unusual theory about the interstellar traveler called Oumuamua, Avi Loeb, poses a different scenario.
According to Loeb, a giant comet that crashed in front of Jupiter and then crashed into Earth 66 million years ago is actually responsible for the annihilation of the dinosaurs, and not an asteroid.
The Harvard University team analyzed the mechanics of the solar system, including comets in the Oort cloud and their movements over millions of years, finding that a significant proportion of objects in this icy region of the solar system can be “deflected from their course “through Jupiter’s gravitational field and potentially hit Earth. In this approach, and l “impactor Chicxlulub” would have created a crater 149 km long and 19 deep off the coast of Mexico, killing the dinosaurs and about three quarters of all life on Earth at that time.
The impact wreaked havoc on sea levels, sent tsunamis like torrents, started wildfires, and engulfed Earth in an atmosphere of soot and precipitation. The results of this global catastrophe included the extinction of most large creatures and the end of the age of dinosaurs.
“The solar system acts like a kind of pinball machine,” said Harvard University undergraduate Amir Siraj and co-author of the study. “Jupiter, the most massive planet, propels long-period incoming comets into orbits that bring them very close to the Sun.”
As they pass close to the Sun, comets, dubbed sungrazers or Kreutz sun grazers , can experience powerful tidal forces that break up chunks of rock and eventually produce shrapnel-shaped comet chunks.
“In a solar scrape event, the portion of the comet closest to the Sun feels a stronger gravitational pull than the portion that is further away, resulting in a tidal force through the object,” explains Siraj. “You can get what is called a tidal disruption event, in which a large comet breaks into many smaller pieces. “Most importantly, on the journey back to the Oort cloud, there is a greater chance that one of these fragments will hit Earth.”
The new calculations increase the chances of long-period comets impacting the Earth by a factor of about 10, and show that about 20% become this type of “solar scraper.” The researchers say their new impact rate is consistent with Chicxulub’s age, providing a satisfactory explanation for its origin and other similar impacts.
“We are suggesting that, in fact, if you break an object when it approaches the sun, it could lead to the appropriate event rate and also the type of impact that killed the dinosaurs,” Loeb concluded.
Referencia: Scientific Reports (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82320-2 , www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-82320-2
