asteroid impacts

How did the planets form? How did life happen? Where did Earth’s water come from? To answer questions like these, scientists used to go big—looking at planets, dwarf planets, and moons—but now small is the new big. Technology is zooming in on the pint-size stuff—asteroids, comets, meteors, and other chunks of space rock—that couldn’t be studied before, and Lucy, a spacecraft designed to visit eight asteroids near Jupiter, is poised to learn how the secrets inside these small bodies are reshaping ideas about the big old solar system. For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard Want more?
 How do you recover a sample from an asteroid? Send a spacecraft equipped with something akin to a Roomba at the end of a 10-foot pogo stick. Bennu's orbit brings it close to Earth. Now we have a precise calculation of the odds that—gulp—it will collide with us Coming soon from NASA: a demonstration to test whether we could avert an oncoming asteroid. Also explore: In the early 1800s, astronomers wanted to find a missing planet. Instead, as our video series Nat Geo Explores shows us, they discovered the asteroid belt.  For the first time, scientists are studying interstellar interlopers—asteroids and comets visiting us from another star system. The solar system has always been a violent place. But Earth’s recent history suggests a rising tide of celestial impacts, according to one study. And for paid subscribers: Michael Greshko’s National Geographic cover story explains how the study of small objects is rewriting what astronomers know about the solar system. If you like what you hear and want to support more content like this, please consider a National Geographic subscription. Go to natgeo.com/exploremore to subscribe today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we transition to our new host Manoush Zomorodi, Guy Raz looks back on some of his favorite episodes from his seven years hosting the TED Radio Hour. This episode originally aired on March 8, 2013. Gazing up at the night sky is simultaneously humbling and utterly thrilling. This hour, we'll hear from TED speakers who share an infectious sense of wonder and curiosity about our place in the universe and what lies beyond our skies. Guests include physicist Brian Greene, writer Phil Plait and astronomer Jill Tarter.

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The near-Earth object (NEO) known as Asteroid 2019 OK just made an unexpected close pass, raising the hair on the back of humanity’s collective neck. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe weigh the risks posed by other NEOs and discuss what we’re doing to track them and even stop an incoming doomsday rock. 

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Sean Carroll is a cosmologist and physics professor specializing in dark energy and general relativity. He is a research professor in the Department of Physics at the California Institute of Technology. Check out his books and more of his work at https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/

Asteroid impacts are inevitable. As they hurtle toward Earth, experts race against the clock to build an effective asteroid deterrent. Will they succeed in time? Learn more about asteroid fighters -- and their plans to save the world -- in this episode.

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