Can asteroids end life on Earth? Within the framework of International Asteroid Day, which is celebrated this June 30, they respond from the Vatican Observatory.
The international press often reports on the approach of some objects to the earth, which could cause great damage to our planet and even its disappearance.
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However, given the continuous apocalyptic predictions of the media, there are few occasions in which these objects cause serious damage to the earth.
About these events, ACI Prensa spoke with Brother Guy Consolmagno, director of the Vatican Observatorythe astronomical research institution dependent on the Holy See known as the Vatican Observatoryand which is considered one of the oldest astronomical observatories in the world.
“The truth is that our world is finite, and it will end someday; My own life is finite, and it will end someday. But what is written in the Scriptures is that ‘we will not know the day or the hour,'” explained the American astronomer.
He then assured that “pieces of space constantly hit the earth”.
“They are called meteorites. Our museums have thousands of these rocks, and I study them as part of my scientific research, since they are samples that date back to the origin of our solar system.”
“Once every hundred years, one of those impacts can be large enough to level a small town; once every hundred million years, it may be large enough to cause a mass extinction like the death of the dinosaurs,” the scientist said.
“But there are many other things that can kill you sooner. If you are worried about dying, stop smoking and put on your seat belt,” she warned.
“Of course, this leads to a deeper question. Some people cling to a false idea of science because they believe it can give them security in an uncertain universe. Other people cling to a false idea of religion for the same reason,” he explained.
“But just like a true scientist is open to see what nature has to say, not what we want him to say, in the same way a true Christian must be open to the God who is, not to the God we want him to be,” he concluded.
Originally published June 30, 2024. It has been updated for republication.
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
I am a graduate in Journalism and Advertising from the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. I have been a senior correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in the Vatican for two years and I am currently a European correspondent based in Spain.