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Nasa’s asteroid collision: How many asteroids are really out there?

As a Nasa craft slams into an asteroid to try and divert its course, we ask how many there really are – and how dangerous they might be to Earth.

This week Nasa slammed a spacecraft into an asteroid in the hope of diverting its course. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test or DART mission will help scientists understand how easy it would be protect Earth if one was headed in our direction. More Or Less first discussed this in 2016 with a little help from the movie Armageddon – with listeners getting in touch once again we ask how many asteroids are really out there and how dangerous they might be to Earth.

Presenters: Charlotte McDonald and Simon Maybin
Producer: Charlotte McDonald

(Image: 3D rendering of a swarm of Meteorites or asteroids entering the Earth atmosphere. Credit: ratpack223/Getty Images)

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9 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Sat 1 Oct 2022 04:50GMT
  • Sat 1 Oct 2022 22:50GMT
  • Sat 1 Oct 2022 23:50GMT
  • Sun 2 Oct 2022 00:50GMT
  • Sun 2 Oct 2022 13:50GMT
  • Sun 2 Oct 2022 22:50GMT
  • Mon 3 Oct 2022 09:50GMT

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