ON POSSIBLE CATASTROPHIC DESTRUCTION OF LARGE ASTEROID IN NEIGHBOURHOOD OF EARTH

The arguments of catastrophic destruction of near-Earth asteroid are given.

The problem of origin numberous of near-earth asteroids (NEA) have a great application in meaning of asteroid's hazard. In spite of close relation with main belt and comets, the orbits of Aten's association are considerably differ from orbits of another minor bodies. Each theory of origin NEA must take into accounting this fact. On our opinion, mutual collisions of minor planets put very remarkable contribution in forming of recent orbits of NEA. So, few of them appeared as independent objects directly in neighborhood of Earth. For testing this assumption, the calculation of distance d between 82 numbered asteroids was carried out. Only 154 cases with d<0.035 a.u. took into account. The application of cluster analysis to this cases is very interesting. In results, the very uncasual distribution of crossing points was obtained. The remarkable concentration of them observed near heliocentric longitude 320-360 degrees, it cannot be explain by observation conditions. According to results of cluster analysis from variable l and r (longitude and heliocentric distance of crossing point), three independent groups of semicrossing orbits may be detected in this direction (table 1). In addition, few another associations of asteroidal orbits may be detected at different directions (different l). Of course, there are many casual events, not related with collisions, between 154 crossing orbits. For exception of them, the cases, when 3 or more orbits are crossed in small space (Dl=5 degrees, Dr=0.03 à.u., Dz=0.03 à.u.) are obtained. The results are shown in table 2. It is evident, that position of points of triple crossing is not casual, and closed to two parts of two orbits, which crossed very near (< 0.01 a.u.) from Earth's orbit. So, it may be suggested, that Earth, by it's own gravitational field, assist to destruction of unknown encountered celestial body. Full size of destructed body may be by 15-30 km. Then, fragments of this body collided one another. The irregular shape of 1620 Geographos and any other NEAs may be the result of such events. More detail consideration of mutual crossing orbits of 350 NEA, included non-numbered, give 2 cases of concentration points of trial crossing, in addition to described. One of them with l=90 degrees, lie near Earth orbit. Possible, that another similar cases will be obtained in future, but described case represented largest and most recent catastrophe.