How Far Apart Are Asteroids?

How empty is our solar system? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice break down how to navigate an asteroid field in a spacecraft. Should we be hearing about more asteroid crashes?

Learn about the discovery of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. What were the first asteroids to be discovered? We explore how many asteroids are in our solar system, what the Oordt Cloud is like, Neil’s Asteroid, and another thing that Star Wars got wrong. Why did Voyager never crash into anything?

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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: Empty Space
1:59 - How Dense is the Asteroid Belt?
3:43 - The First Asteroid Discovery
5:20 - Neil’s Asteroid
7:55 - Oordt Cloud & Kuiper Belt
12:00 - Asteroid Fields in Movie

[StarTalk]

Did Neil just ruin your favorite Sci-Fi?

[DikkeBetha]

Chuck needs his own asteroid. So that people can say "hey that's a nice asteroid!".

[gemgreg]

I can't express how great Chuck is to this show :)

[jimmyphelps]

I just finished reading Astrophysics for people in a hurry and it was incredible such an easy book to get into especially as someone who wasn’t big on reading anything outside of Comics, In fact it was so good I’ve already bought one of your other books Death by Black Hole because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get enough of your witty comments and expressions throughout each chapter while teaching me the wonderful wonders of the universe.

[theskintexpat-themightygreegor]

Chuck was in fine form on this one. I laughed out loud several times. I love Startalk in general, but this one was hilarious. Thanks for this one, guys!

[rogertulk]

I was so glad to see this explainer. I'm always amused when I see things like How the Universe Works showing the solkar system crowded with rocks and protoplanets and such things when they are really huge distances apart.

[geraldstiling]

Neil👨🏽‍🏫 and chuck👨🏽 is literally the definition of "The whole being greater than the sum of it's parts"😊

[dresmat]

Whats really important when crossing an asteroid field is not the average distance but the minimun distance between asteroids

[aivelu]

I felt like Chuck was speaking for himself in the name of space when Neil mentioned the emotional emptiness of space !! 🤣🤣🤣 that was funny

[meir]

Bring more of these videos. No patience for videos over 15 minutes

[rainelind]

I learned something new, today.
Thank you.

[discodubber]

Lol. Chuck. I was not prepared for an existential crisis 30 seconds into the episode.😅

[alexanderxyz]

What about changing term 'cloud' via your institution, Neil. Because to me a cloud means it contains stuff, very inside, not just the surface. Contrary the term asteroid 'belt' is actually fitting so well, good job there guys.
*AmsterdamTimes: Urgent news:* Our asteroid Oort cloud called beach ball? ONLY IN NEW YORK

[Flying_Blind]

Lord Knight, I did that. I wasn't learning to drive, I knew how to drive. I hit a Light Pole in a Bowling Alley Parking Lot in the middle of the night.

[lifetimevic]

I've always thought, when i see asteroids in movies why don't they coalesce because they are so close together. But now I know why. They are so far apart.

[Bubbaist]

If you don’t think it’s possible for a spacecraft to hit an asteroid… have you heard about the “Tree of Tenere?” It was the only tree in a 500-mile radius of the Sahara, in Niger. It was destroyed when a Libyan truck driver crashed into it (he should hold the record for worst driver ever). If someone could crash into that tree, anyone could crash into anything.

[joebushnell]

This one has me in stitches 🤣 😂 😅😅😂 ❤😊

[Tokanese]

What is the distance between objects in the rings of Saturn? Maybe sci-fi writers can switch up the locations.

[marchlopez]

- Space is emotionally empty and the narrator wants to connect with people.
- There are eight planets in our solar system and a belt of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter.
- Comets come into the Sun from all directions and form a cloud around the solar system.
- Pluto is the most significant member of the Kuiper belt of comets.
- The first asteroid, Ceres, was discovered in 1801 and people initially thought it was a planet.
- There are over a million known asteroids in our solar system.

[thestevenjaywaymusic]

My name, is Steven Jay, and I have a star named the Jay star. It is on the NASA list. It was a gift from someone.