Suppose that an asteroid of mass 2 × 1021 kg is nearly at rest outside the solar system, far beyond Pluto. It falls toward the Sun and crashes into the Earth at the equator, coming in at an angle of...

Suppose that an asteroid of mass 2 × 1021 kg is nearly at rest outside the solar system, far beyond Pluto. It falls toward the Sun and crashes into the Earth at the equator, coming in at an angle of 30 degrees to the vertical as shown, against the direction of rotation of the Earth (Figure 11.104). It is so large that its motion is barely affected by the atmosphere.

(a) Calculate the impact speed.

(b) Calculate the change in the length of a day due to the impact.