64.8M views · Mar 8, 2011 · 4:46 · 0 HN recommenders · 6 mentions · discussed 2020–2025
A Discovery Channel computer simulation of a large asteroid impact on Earth, showing the scale of the devastation. It sits in a broader context of early Earth impacts and the moon-forming collision.
Why Hacker News points people here: HN commenters link it to convey the scale of asteroid impacts, such as the one that killed the dinosaurs, or of ejecta and tsunamis.
“This discovery channel video might help put things in perspective”HN comment, 2021
Simulated asteroid impact plume lofting matter off Earth.
When a sufficiently large asteroid[0] slams into Earth, the impact plume[1] can hoist matter off the surface. The velocity of said matter may be sufficiently high to escape Earth's orbit, potentially seeding the solar system with life[2]. [0]: link [1]: this video [2]: link
“Here’s a version with just the impact”
Impact simulation, a version with just the impact and music.
Here’s a version with just the impact and some music to enjoy it with. Used to leave this video running on various Macintoshes at the Apple Store on my way out. this video
“This discovery channel video might help put things in perspective”
Simulation conveying the scale of a large asteroid impact.
Bacteria species, sure, but having full on land animals survive an event like that is worthy of note. This discovery channel video might help put things in perspective: this video
“Not to spoil your lunch or anything”
Not to spoil your lunch or anything: this video Of course 500 Km is a big difference with 400 meters but to those near the point of impact it wouldn't matter and the global effects would still be beyond anything in our history. This is one interpretation of what this could look like: link
“Not sure it's very accurate but it gives an impression of the sort of thing that may have happened.”
Simulation of large impact ejecting material into the sky.
>the energy required to kick up a rock to a trajectory where it will hit Mars (or vice versa) is orders of magnitude more than the energy required to vaporize all nearby life, so we've got a pretty big problem already Not necessarily. Something like the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs would have created temperatures at the impact point high enough to vapourize everything but probably also chucked a lot of more distant stuff into the sky that didn't get as hot. Here's a Discovery channel 'simulation' of a large impact chucking stuff up this video Not sure it's very accurate but it gives an impression of the sort of thing that may have happened.
Absolutely. I'll milk that impact for all it's worth. Too bad I'll be too busy evaporating myself to cash in on it but for a very short while I'll be the richest man on Earth ;) And I'll re-invest my riches into start-ups that aim to deal with very fast climate change. this video Applications are open.
