Scientists have made a new discovery about the asteroid that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. They found out that this asteroid probably didn’t come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, as previously thought. Instead, it likely came from a far-off region of our solar system called the Kuiper Belt, which is beyond Neptune.
This asteroid hit what is now Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and created a huge crater known as Chicxulub. The impact caused massive climate changes, leading to the extinction of about 75% of life on Earth, including the dinosaurs.
This new information changes our understanding of where dangerous space rocks might come from and helps scientists learn more about how to protect Earth from future impacts.
