Asteroids /Destroyers or Messengers?

This Fall mankind made history by altering the orbit of a celestial body. An asteroid was hit by DART, a space mission testing how we can save Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids.

But why, and how, would you crash a million-dollar space mission on purpose? Is it possible to save our planet from an asteroid on collision course at all? Should we fear the next impact? And what can these cosmic rocks tell us about space, Earth, and ourselves?

This evening we will show both the dark and light sides of asteroids, as we are joined by Professor Martin Bizzarro from Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, and Line Drube from DTU Space.

Martin specializes in analyzing extraterrestrial material and will enlighten us on why asteroids hold the key to understanding our cosmic history. As leader of Centre for Star and Planet Formation, Martin is also an expert in meteorites and what these small pieces of space rock can tell us about the birth of our Solar System and how our blue planet came into being.

Line is project manager at DTU Space and former member of the UN’s Space Mission Planning Advisory Group. Not only can she give us insight into how we search for asteroids, but also which strategies and measures will be taken, should one ever be headed towards Earth.

In collaboration with Planetarium of Copenhagen, Line and Martin will incorporate the magnificent possibilities of the Planetarium dome in their lectures to give an immersive view on these enlightening and dangerous space rocks. Expect an unique experience in company with two brilliant scientist and a giant planetarium dome.