“A single blow could reshape our world, and the only thing that can stop it is science.”
So begins the trailer for the new IMAX movie “Asteroid hunters, “which is slated to hit theaters on October 8. As the title implies, the 38-minute documentary introduces viewers to scientists and engineers working to protect our planet from asteroid strikes, natural disasters that are inevitable and potentially devastating, but also preventable.
“I am very excited to work with IMAX to continue to transport audiences into space,” said the film’s narrator and actress. Daisy Ridley of “Star Wars” fame, he said in a statement. “‘Asteroid Hunters’ shows the brilliant minds of scientists and true planetary advocates working to protect our world and reminds us of what our people are capable of when united by a common goal.”
Related: Images: potentially dangerous asteroids
The film’s producers revealed the 1.5-minute trailer today (June 30), first providing it to Space.com before giving the release a general sneak peek. The presentation date was chosen in an advisable way: June 30 is Asteroid day, an international day of awareness about space rocks and the danger they pose to human civilization and life on Earth.
That danger was struck home on June 30, 1908, when an object the size of a soccer field exploded in the atmosphere over the Tunguska River in Siberia, crushing 770 square miles (2,000 square kilometers) of forest. We had another treat in February 2013, when a smaller air blast occurred over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. The shock wave of Chelyabinsk event broke countless windows, injuring more than 1,000 people with shards of flying glass.
More impacts of this type are approaching, scientists emphasize. The odds of a catastrophic attack, like the one dispatched the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, occurring in our lives are very low; Asteroid hunters have a good handle on mountain-sized near-Earth asteroids, and none of them pose a threat to the foreseeable future. But a really dangerous rock will eventually present itself to us, and therefore we must be prepared, experts say.
Preparation requires action on multiple fronts, starting with a better understanding of the potentially dangerous asteroid population. There is still a lot of work to be done in this area. For example, astronomers have discovered and tracked only a third of the approximately 25,000 near-Earth objects at least 460 feet (140 meters) wide, which would cause devastation on a regional scale if they struck.
Engineers are also working on ways to deflect incoming space rocks Away from Earth, from flying “gravity tractor” probes to broken “kinetic impactors” to nuclear warheads. (Nukes would be the option of last resort, put into service if we detect a giant asteroid that attacks us with very little waiting time).
Asteroid hunters will provide you with a solid foundation in all this planetary defense work, if the new trailer is a guide.
“IMAX invites you to learn about science, technology and the heroes that are Earth’s secret weapons,” says the narrator at the end of the trailer.
Mike Wall is the author of “Out There” (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book on the search for extraterrestrial life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
