Asteroids and Atmospheres | Wonders of the Solar System with Brian Cox | BBC Studios

The Best of British Geekery - Part of BBC Worldwide's Geek Week takeover.

Professor Brian Cox reveals how something as flimsy as an envelope of gas - our atmosphere - can create some of the most wondrous sights in the solar system and provide protection from objects like Asteroids. The tiny planet Mercury was stripped naked of its early atmosphere and is fully exposed to the ferocity of space as we can see from it's scarred surface.

[hjc]

this guy is EXTREMELY passionate, hence his efforts in the public space for advertising and broadcasting science and physics like the epic Carl Sagan, who is is utmost hero. Watch more of his stuff, you will see.

[ferretwill]

This almost sounds like an aid charity advert for Mercury :)

[youme]

My favorite of Professor Brian Cox videos has been the one he did on LHC. He elucidate the whole complicated project with the minutest point in details require to grasp what the project is all about. He is truly a prof!

[Venky_sir]

Hello brain cox...I just love ur lectures..love from#India ❤

[JuniorFanCirca]

Naked Mercury... Just need a singer, guitarist, bassist and keyboardist and we got a great band. (i'll of course provide the garage and "herbal substitutes").

[cateattingmonster]

I bought the dvd for this and I love it.

[poppyorangeflower]

If we perchance had a very aerodynamic asteroid (bullet or inverted-raindrop shaped), would it be able to hit the earth's surface without getting burnt/broken up in the atmosphere?

[deankeet]

Those type of planets including the mood are like graveyards in space. Time to search for dem alien ships :P

[BenJHare]

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: Streamlining would reduce the effects slightly, but it would be impossible to completely negate them without making the meteor so small that you might confuse it for a small grain of sand. To further reduce burnup, you could have your object come straight at the planet instead of at an angle, this would reduce the amount of atmosphere it would pass through. Still, no.

[MagicWarrior]

I totally just want to straighten up the fluffy part of his coat. lol.

[wanderliscious]

one persons opinion, I think he sounds very passionate about the subject

[sebianoti]

That soundtrack is similar to soundtrack of Lost

[Lewa]

We need an asteroid protection system before that.

[mongo]

meteoroid, chunk of rock travelling through space, meteor, meteroid that burns up in atmosphere, meteorite, chunk of rock that makes it to the surface of a planet

[nutier]

the moon is the best place for future humans, indeed ; a lot of asteroids had dropped on it, but there are no living plant, or animal existing on it yet ;

[noufalahmmed]

Dude, the asteroids comes from the solar system where there is only one star -Sun.

[Dentarthurdent]

Yes, *I* know what they are; I'm saying that *he* mixed them up

[arashghm]

by starts i meant the other planets : / [like Mars, Earth, Moon, or Jupiter] sorry for my mistake :P not very familliar with solar stuff apology

[Dentarthurdent]

He mixed up meteor and meteorite... :|

[hexisnexis]

Just a simple donation of 5$ can help save mercury...what can you do to help save our solar system? Lol!!