GEOSCI / IMPACTS
Impact
Ride an asteroid from the dark between the planets to the moment it hits, then follow the aftermath through hours, months and thousands of years. The world behind the page moves with you, and every stop has something to play with.
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01 / 08 · Asteroid belt
The asteroid belt
Between Mars and Jupiter, millions of leftover rocks orbit the Sun: the raw material of a planet that never formed. Jupiter's gravity keeps stirring them. Turn up its pull and see what gets thrown our way.
02 / 08 · On a collision course
One rock breaks away
Sooner or later a nudged rock crosses Earth's orbit. What happens next depends on how big it is and how fast it travels. Energy grows with the cube of the size, so big rocks are in a different league.
03 / 08 · Impact
Impact
It hits at around 20 km/s, roughly 20 times faster than a rifle bullet. In minutes it digs a crater many times wider than itself. Press play and watch it form in four stages.
Chicxulub: a rock roughly 10 km wide left a crater about 180 km across.
04 / 08 · Blast and fire
Blast and firestorm
A flash of heat and a shock wave race outwards. How far they reach depends on the asteroid's energy. Pick a famous one and watch the rings.
05 / 08 · Tsunami
Tsunami
Hit the ocean and you launch waves. In deep water they are fast and low. Near the coast they slow down, bunch up and grow. Change the size and watch one reach the shore.
06 / 08 · Impact winter
Impact winter
Dust, soot and vapour thrown into the sky can block sunlight for months. Drag the timeline and watch the light, the cold and the plants.
07 / 08 · Mass extinction
Mass extinction
About 66 million years ago the Chicxulub impact ended the reign of the non-avian dinosaurs and wiped out roughly three quarters of all species. Each dot below is 1% of species. Step through time, or pick a group.
08 / 08 · Aftermath
How we know
The impact left fingerprints in rock all over the world. Green shoots return, and detectives read the evidence millions of years later. Pick a clue.