Solar System Debris
 
 
An asteroid impacting the Earth See also
An asteroid impact ends the reign of the dinosaurs
An asteroid about to impact the Earth
Asteroids or comets impact the Earth at night
Splashdown (1999)  Ouch! Like some of the other images in this gallery, the picture above shows Earth being hit by a giant asteroid. Fortunately for us, impacts such as this are rare — but they certainly haven't stopped altogether. An event like this could happen any time in the next 10 million years ... or some Tuesday afternoon next month. At teatime.