• Question: is it possible that the planets will collide?

    Asked by katiesmith to Charlie, Eoin, Jemma, Julian, Steve on 22 Mar 2011.
    • Photo: Stephen Moss

      Stephen Moss answered on 22 Mar 2011:

      Hi Katie
      It is certainly possible, and I expect planets have collided many times in the universe. In fact, your question got me interested so I had a look on Google, and it turns out that a few years ago astronomers did witness a collision of planets in a galaxy about 300 light years away. Apparently if there had been life on either planet it would have been wiped out within minutes – the ‘ultimate extinction event’.

    • Photo: Charlie Ryan

      Charlie Ryan answered on 22 Mar 2011:

      hi katiesmith again! i really dont think that the planets will come out of orbit any time soon – and in the orbits they are in, they won’t collide with each other!

    • Photo: Eoin Lettice

      Eoin Lettice answered on 22 Mar 2011:

      Hi katiesmith,
      I don’t know a whole lot about space, but I’m pretty sure the answer to this question is no.
      The planets are in steady orbits around the sun and scientists can use maths to calculate where those planets will be at any given time. The orbits of the planets ensure that they never come into contact, so they will never collide – lucky for us, I guess!!

      Eoin

Comments