Asteroids, Near Earth Objects and Extinction Level Events

Films like 1998’s Armageddon thrill us in the realm of fiction, but today we asked how a big NEO collision destroyed the dinosaurs, how likely it is that a nearby space rock will make a violent and destructive visit to planet Earth and whether we can deflect an asteroid today. A massive impact would be devastating and potentially wipe out most life on Earth. Fortunately, the risks are so low that it is not worth a sleepless night. It is more likely – but still a tiny chance- we’ll see a smaller asteroid destroy a city in the next century. Don’t worry; the likelihood you’ll be near it really is extremely small. And finally, although we can’t prevent a hit as they do in the movies, NASA and collaborators around the globe are developing exciting technology to deflect a potentially hazardous object before it strikes. Season 1, Episode 8: Asteroids, Near Earth Objects and Extinction Level Events Near Earth Objects NEOs Asteroids Comets Meteoroids Impact craters Extinction level events ELEs Mass extinctions Planetary defense Space debris Collision probability Impact monitoring Impact hazards Impact risk assessment Cosmic impacts Asteroid belts Kuiper Belt Objects Oort cloud Meteorite Tunguska event Chelyabinsk meteor Chicxulub crater Dinosaurs extinction Climate change Geological record Planetary formation Solar system dynamics Space exploration Planetary defense strategies Spacecraft missions Asteroid mining Planetary protection Space situational awareness Orbital dynamics Near-Earth object detection Orbital simulation.