Asteroids, Near Earth Objects and Extinction Level Events

Solved Mystery Podcast

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.