Asteroids Headed Towards Earth with Rick Binzel

About This Episode

How likely is an asteroid to impact Earth? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice sit down with planetary scientist Rick Binzel, the creator of the Torino Scale, to discuss asteroid hazards, the results of the asteroid sample return, and the search for Planet 9.

Rick, a former MIT professor and OSIRIS-REx investigator, has been obsessed with asteroids since he published his first paper at age 15. He and Neil go way back—both attended the same nocturnal astronomy camp, where they spent their nights scanning the cosmos. Learn how Rick helped measure Pluto’s moon transiting in front of the dwarf planet—revealing Pluto’s real size for the first time.

We break down the Torino Scale, a 10-point system that categorizes asteroid impact risk. What does it mean when an asteroid has a 1.3% chance of hitting Earth? How do astronomers refine those probabilities over time? We discuss YR-4, an asteroid with a fluctuating impact risk, and the cosmic game of uncertainty. Why do asteroid impact predictions sometimes look like a spaghetti string of possibilities?

Then, we turn to Apophis, the “God of Chaos” asteroid that will pass closer than some satellites in 2029. With OSIRIS-APEX set to visit it post-flyby, what can we learn about its composition? Plus, we get the latest on the OSIRIS-REx mission—what did its asteroid sample reveal about the origins of life?

And finally, is there a hidden ninth planet lurking beyond Pluto? Some scientists see hints in the Kuiper Belt, while Chuck Nice has his own theory: a giant alien mothership. Neil and Rick debate what it would take to confirm (or debunk) Planet 9’s existence. All this and more, on StarTalk!

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