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space scientists estimate that as many as 15 percent of those observable are binaries

This observation has caused scientists problems

due to the

evidence of binaries striking the Earth – as few as 2 to 4 percent

the team

suggests that many of the craters evident on the surface of the Earth, and believed to have been caused by a single asteroid, may in fact have been caused by binaries

a binary could cause just one crater if the two asteroids were close enough together when they struck.

suggest such craters would likely have a peanut shape, or have one side distorted

came to these conclusions after building computer simulations that showed asteroids hitting the earth

Some of the craters that resulted were oblong, or irregularly shaped, which they say, means the same could be true of real craters here on Earth

that the crater has some asymmetries that could be explained by a binary strike

If that were the case, they further suggest it likely that the combined size of the asteroid would have been roughly the same as the calculated size of a single entity

a combined diameter of 7 to 10 k

The crater left behind has a diameter of approximately 180 km, which means, the researchers say, that twin asteroids could have been as far apart as 80 km and still produced a single crater.

scientists will have to take a new look at other existing craters to try to determine if they too are possibly the result of binary strikes and if so, recalculate their number