Rocks That Fly
HAVE you ever seen a shooting star blaze across the sky on a clear night? It may be just a matter of time before you do. According to scientists these fireworks of nature trace their paths across earth’s skies some 200,000,000 times every day!
What are they? They are simply chunks of stony or metallic matter known as meteoroids that light up in white heat as they enter the earth’s atmosphere. The bright streak of light they trace across the sky as observed from earth is known as a meteor.
Most meteoroids burn up completely before they reach the earth, but some survive the intense heat and reach the earth’s surface. These are known as meteorites. Some scientists estimate that each day some 1,000 tons of this flying rock is deposited on earth.
These crashes are seldom dangerous to humans, mainly because of the relatively small size of these flying rocks. In fact, most meteors are caused by meteorites no larger than a grain of sand. (See box, "Rocks From Outer Space.") But what about the thousands of larger rocks flying in space? Take, for instance, the one known as Ceres, which is about 600 miles [1,000 km] in diameter! And there are about 30 other known rocks with a diameter greater than 120 miles [190 km]. These larger rocks are actually minor planets. Scientists call them asteroids.
What if one of these asteroids were to crash into the earth? This apparent threat is one important reason why scientists study asteroids. Although most asteroids orbit in a belt between Mars and Jupiter, some tracked by astronomers actually cross the orbit of the earth. The threat of a collision is reinforced by the existence of huge craters such as the Meteor Crater (also known as Barringer Crater) near Flagstaff, Arizona, U.S.A. One of the theories for the extinction of the dinosaurs is that a large impact altered the atmosphere and plunged the earth into an extended period of cold weather through which the dinosaurs could not survive.
Such a catastrophic collision today would likely destroy mankind. However, the Bible indicates that "the righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it."—Psalm 37:29.


A Fireball on Videotape
Some meteors are unusually bright and large. They are known as fireballs. On October 9, 1992, the fireball shown in the above photograph streaked across the skies over several states in the United States. The fireball was seen first over West Virginia and appeared over a 430-mile [700 km] stretch of land. One fragment, weighing about 26 pounds [12 kg], landed on a parked car in Peekskill, New York.
What is unique about this event is that because of the grazing angle at which the meteoroid entered the atmosphere, a bright fireball was produced that lasted more than 40 seconds. This afforded an unprecedented opportunity to record it on video, and this was done from at least 14 different points of view. According to the magazine Nature, "these are the first motion pictures of a fireball from which a meteorite has been recovered."
The fireball broke into at least 70 fragments, which appear in some of the videotapes as individual glowing projectiles. Although just one meteorite from this event has been found, scientists believe that one or more other fragments may have pierced the earth’s atmosphere and crashed on land. That is all that may be left of the large meteoroid that previously weighed about 20 tons


Rocks From Outer Space
Asteroid: Also known as a planetoid or a minor planet. These extremely small planets travel in an orbit around the sun. Most have irregular shapes that may indicate that they are fragments of once larger objects.
Meteoroid: A relatively small chunk of metallic or stony matter floating in space or falling through the atmosphere. Some scientists think that most meteoroids are fragments from asteroids produced by collisions or by the rocky debris from extinct comets.
Meteor: When a meteoroid penetrates the earth’s atmosphere, the air friction produces intense heat and a bright glow. This trail of hot glowing gases is momentarily visible as a streak of light in the sky. The streak of light is known as a meteor. Many call it a shooting star or a falling star. Most meteors are first sighted when they are about 65 miles [100 km] above the earth’s surface.
Meteorite: Sometimes a meteoroid is so large that it does not burn up completely when entering our atmosphere, and it crashes into the earth. Meteorite is the term for such a meteoroid. Some can be very large and heavy. One meteorite in Namibia, Africa, weighs more than 60 tons. Other large meteorites weighing 15 tons or more have been found in Greenland, Mexico, and the United States.



Ida and Its Baby Moon
While photographing an asteroid named Ida, the Galileo spacecraft, on its way to Jupiter, made an unexpected discovery—the first documented example of a moon orbiting an asteroid. As reported in Sky and Telescope, scientists estimate that this egg-shaped moon, named Dactyl, measures one mile by three quarters of a mile. [1.6 by 1.2 km] Its orbit is about 60 miles [100 km] from the center of asteroid Ida, which measures 35 miles by 13 miles [56 by 21 km]. Their infrared color properties suggest that both Ida and its tiny moon are part of the Koronis family of asteroids, which are thought to be fragments of one single, large rock that was shattered by a collision in space.



The Bible’s Viewpoint
Will a Cosmic Disaster Destroy Our World?
ON March 12, 1998, newspaper headlines, TV screens, and Internet sites around the globe spread the ominous news: "Mile-wide asteroid on course for near-miss with Earth." Scientists and laymen scrambled to assess the actual danger. Astronomers soon concluded that the chance of an impact was zero.
However, amid the hubbub, a new awareness has emerged. "The most remarkable thing about the false alarm may be that, however scary it was, many people treated it as no huge surprise," said U.S.News & World Report. "The notion that we on Earth should be watching for more such objects—and planning to do something about them—would have been outlandish a decade or more ago, but now scientists and even some politicians think the threat, while slim, is real."
Some astronomers believe that about 2,000 celestial objects large enough to cause a global catastrophe are hurtling on paths that either intersect earth’s orbit or come close to it. Even if a relatively small one of them struck the earth, researchers say, the explosion would be equivalent to the power of many nuclear weapons going off at once. The consequences of such an impact would be catastrophic for our planet and its inhabitants, human and animal alike.
The one opinion that is often left out of such grim predictions and calculations is that of the Creator of the universe, Jehovah God. (Psalm 8:3; Proverbs 8:27) In the Bible he has clearly made known his will and purpose for the earth and the human race. Will he allow a cosmic disaster to destroy our world?
A Universe Under Divine Control
Since Jehovah is the almighty Creator of the universe, it is reasonable to conclude that he has the ability to exercise complete control over the forces that govern celestial bodies. Wise King Solomon said that Jehovah has "solidly fixed the heavens in discernment." (Proverbs 3:19) The prophet Jeremiah declared that God is "the One who by his understanding stretched out the heavens."—Jeremiah 51:15.
Jehovah has set in motion the laws and forces behind the movements of the heavenly bodies, including stars, planets, comets, and asteroids. (Isaiah 40:26) However, it appears that he allows the stars and planets to go through their natural cycles of metaphoric birth, life, and death without his constant intervention. This includes some terrific collisions of heavenly bodies. One recent example is the July 1994 collision in which fragments of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into the planet Jupiter.
There is geologic evidence of large rocks from outer space impacting the earth in prehuman history. But will such an event ever take place on our populated planet? What might happen, for instance, if a mile-wide asteroid collided with the earth? Astronomer Jack Hills predicts that its impact would unleash energy millions of times that of the bomb that leveled Hiroshima. If it hit the ocean, the tidal waves would flood the coastlines. "Where cities stood," Hills says, "there would be only mudflats." The worst scenario predicts the complete annihilation of the human race. How does this doomsday forecast fit in with our Creator’s will for the earth? The Bible shows that this planet has a special place in Jehovah’s purpose.
Our Earth—Made for a Purpose
Regarding our planet, the psalmist states: "The heavens, to Jehovah the heavens belong, but the earth he has given to the sons of men." (Psalm 115:16) Isaiah describes Jehovah as "the Former of the earth . . . , the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it even to be inhabited." (Isaiah 45:18) The earth is the inheritance Jehovah has given to mankind. And since our Creator has in mind an eternal future for God-fearing humans, the earth will remain forever as their lasting home. Psalm 104:5 assures us: "[Jehovah] has founded the earth upon its established places; it will not be made to totter to time indefinite, or forever."
True, God has allowed some great disasters on our planet, resulting in death to large segments of humankind. Some of these catastrophes—such as wars, famines, and epidemics—have in whole or in part been caused by the greed, foolishness, and cruelty of humans. (Ecclesiastes 8:9) Others—such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and storms—have been caused by natural phenomena not fully understood by mankind. Contrary to God’s original purpose, humans are no longer perfect; they are sinful. As a consequence, on an individual basis, we cannot at this time count on divine protection from so-called natural disasters.
However, in no case has Jehovah permitted man’s existence on earth to be seriously threatened. Since the creation of man, confirmed history contains no incident of a natural catastrophe that threatened the existence of all mankind.
Survival of the Human Race Guaranteed
From the beginning of human history, our Creator’s purpose has been for man to "fill the earth and subdue it." (Genesis 1:28; 9:1) He has promised that "the righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it." (Psalm 37:9, 11, 22, 29) Regarding his promises, Jehovah confirms: "My own counsel will stand, and everything that is my delight I shall do."—Isaiah 46:10; 55:11; Psalm 135:6.
The Bible does not completely rule out the possibility of a small-scale earthly calamity caused by cosmic phenomena. However, we can rest assured that Jehovah will not allow any cosmic disaster to thwart his stated purpose for the earth and mankind. On the basis of Bible promises, we can be sure that our planet will remain inhabitable forever—yes, it will be the home for humankind to time indefinite!—Ecclesiastes 1:4; 2 Peter 3:13.
[Footnote]
The Flood of Noah’s day was a means of divine execution, but Jehovah made sure that some humans and animals survived.—Genesis 6:17-21.



Plundering the Oceans
"In a frantic race to find new and potentially lucrative drugs, ‘bioprospectors’ working for pharmaceutical companies are taking too many organisms from the oceans without any idea of the consequences," states New Scientist. According to Mary Garson, a marine biochemist at the University of Queensland, Australia, 98 percent of the collected samples are discarded without detailed analysis. For example, 990 pounds [450 kg] of acorn worm and 5,300 pounds [2,400 kg] of sponge yielded only 35 millionths of an ounce [1 mg] each of an anticancer substance, 3,500 pounds [1,600 kg] of sea hare produced 350 millionths of an ounce [10 mg] of a peptide used for treating melanoma, and 1,900 pounds [847 kg] of moray eel liver were needed to isolate just 12 millionths of an ounce [0.35 mg] of ciguatoxin for study. "We cannot simply remove large volumes of an organism from the ocean—however useful—unless we know for sure that we are not wiping it out," said Garson.
Planet Discovered by Accident
A small planet was recently discovered by amateur astronomer George Sallit of Bradfield, a village in England, through a telescope in his garden shed. "It was a complete accident," he admitted. "I took a picture and when I looked closer I realised it was a planet moving slowly across the frame." Sallit One, as the new planet is now called, is only about 20 miles [30 km] in diameter and is some 400 million miles [600 million km] from the earth. Its orbit takes it between Mars and Jupiter. The telescope used is a 12-inch [30 cm], computer-controlled model costing $7,000 but employing software equipment designed for use on the Hubble telescope, reports The Times of London. There may be thousands of such minor planets, or asteroids, in our solar system.
A Surprise for Rice Farmers
For years rice farmers in Asia have sprayed their crops heavily in the early part of the season to kill off the larvae of leaf-folder moths, which decimate the rice plants’ leaves. Recent experiments suggest, however, that the rice plants can afford to lose up to half of their leaves without any effect on the amount of rice they produce. Some Vietnamese farmers were convinced to go without the early spraying—which accounts for 30 to 50 percent of all the pesticide Asian farmers use—and found that crop yields were not hurt at all.
Thumbs Down on Religion and Politics
According to the newspaper The Australian, "the typical Australian adolescent" has no real interest in either politics or religion. This conclusion is based on a survey of students 13 and 16 years of age, which was compiled by University of Sydney lecturer Dr. Jennifer Bowes. The youths’ priorities went in this descending order of importance: "having close friends, getting a good education, having a secure job, developing my talents, being close to my family, preserving the earth for future generations, protecting animals, having a nice home, travelling to other countries, earning a lot of money, doing something to stop pollution, getting married, helping those who are less fortunate, helping my country, doing something worthwhile for society, having some influence on other people." The two least important of the 18 values listed were "following the principles of my religion" and "being active in politics.