Nearly 60 years ago, audiences thrilled to the destruction of the Earth in George Pal s classic film, "When Worlds Collide." The idea of a planetary smash-up is a staple of science fiction, but can it really happen? Astronomers using NASA s Spitzer Space Telescope think they ve actually seen the aftermath of such a collision around another star. The story unfolded as Dr. Casey Lisse and his team studied disks around young stars. Once planets have formed astronomers think there are a lot of left-over asteroids in the system. They occasionally slam together and produce dusty debris. Spitzer s Infrared Spectrograph was designed to detect the faint glow from this material. By spreading the light out into its component colors, astronomers can look for the spectral fingerprints of different minerals. Our dusty star of interest is a faint speck known as HD 172555. It s about 100 light years away and 12 million years old which, compared to our 4.5 billion year old Sun, is like a baby born a few days ago. Studying its spectrum, Dr. Lisse and his colleagues realized they had found something very peculiar that they had not seen around other stars. Aside from the usual indicators of rocky rubble, they found features corresponding to tektite, obsidian, and silicon monoxide gas. What s strange is that tektite and obsidian are formed from molten materials. Tektites are hardened chunks of lava found around meteor impacts on Earth, and obsidian is volcanic glass. Vaporized rocks can form silicon monoxide gas. You don t get this kind of material by just smashing a couple of asteroids together. The evidence suggests something much more... cataclysmic. Imagine what would happen if our moon slammed, at high velocity, into a Mercury-sized planet. The resulting impact would eject a massive amount of molten material into space. As it cooled it would likely form tektite, obsidian, and silicon monoxide gas, explaining the features seen in the HD 172555 spectrum. It s amazing to think Spitzer may have caught the aftermath of such an incredible collision. But, it s not the first time astronomers have speculated about world-shattering events. In fact, similar things may have happened right here in our own back yard. Mercury is a strangely dense planet compared to the other worlds in the solar system. Now if it formed from the same stuff as Venus and Earth, why would it be any different? A world-shattering impact could be the answer. When planets form the lighter materials rise and denser ones sink to the core. Remove the outer, lighter layers and you re left with a denser planet, once what s left cools off. Looking to our neighbor Mars we see a massive impact scar in its Southern hemisphere. This area, known as the Hellas Basin, must have formed from an asteroid impact long ago. The resulting plume of molten material would have been blasted into space, some of it eventually reaching the ancient Earth. Even closer to home, most astronomers believe that our own moon was formed in a similar cataclysm. The theory is that a Mars-sized body grazed the still- forming Earth, generating a massive amount of molten debris. The orbiting rubble would clump together over time, forming the moon. The tektite and obsidian debris from such massive impacts would not last long around our sun, or others. Solar winds and gravitational interactions tend to sweep away the dust over time, and in a few tens of thousands of years the evidence would be erased. In the long history of our solar system, that s hardly the blink of any eye. The evidence may be long gone here, but seeing what may happen when worlds collide around a nearby star shows us it s not just science fiction after all.

This ESOCast video shows how astronomers, for the first time, were able to directly follow the motion of an exoplanet as it moved from one side of its host star to the other. The planet has the smallest orbit so far of all directly imaged exoplanets, lying almost as close to its parent star as Saturn is to the Sun. Scientists believe that it may have formed in a similar way to the giant planets in the Solar System. Because the star is so young, this discovery proves that gas giant planets can form within discs in only a few million years, a short time in cosmic terms. Only 12 million years old, or less than three-thousandths of the age of the Sun, Beta Pictoris is 75% more massive than our parent star. It is located about 60 light-years away towards the constellation of Pictor (the Painter) and is one of the best-known examples of a star surrounded by a dusty debris disc [1]. Earlier observations showed a warp of the disc, a secondary inclined disc and comets falling onto the star. "Those were indirect, but tell-tale signs that strongly suggested the presence of a massive planet, and our new observations now definitively prove this," says team leader Anne-Marie Lagrange. "Because the star is so young, our results prove that giant planets can form in discs in time-spans as short as a few million years." Recent observations have shown that discs around young stars disperse within a few million years, and that giant planet formation must occur faster than previously thought. Beta Pictoris is now clear proof that this is indeed possible. The team used the NAOS-CONICA instrument (or NACO [2]), mounted on one of the 8.2-meter Unit Telescopes of ESO s Very Large Telescope (VLT), to study the immediate surroundings of Beta Pictoris in 2003, 2008 and 2009. In 2003 a faint source inside the disc was seen (eso0842), but it was not possible to exclude the remote possibility that it was a background star. In new images taken in 2008 and spring 2009 the source had disappeared! The most recent observations, taken during autumn 2009, revealed the object on the other side of the disc after a period of hiding either behind or in front of the star (in which case it is hidden in the glare of the star). This confirmed that the source indeed was an exoplanet and that it was orbiting its host star. It also provided insights into the size of its orbit around the star. The planet has a mass of about nine Jupiter masses and the right mass and location to explain the observed warp in the inner parts of the disc. "Together with the planets found around the young, massive stars Fomalhaut and HR8799, the existence of Beta Pictoris b suggests that super-Jupiters could be frequent byproducts of planet formation around more massive stars," explains Gael Chauvin, a member of the team.

Could hanging up save our health? Available on FMTV: http://fmtv.go2cloud.org/SHFg Or atch the Full film on Journeyman: http://jman.tv/film/4096/Full+Signal For downloads and more information: http://www.journeyman.tv/?lid=60533 As our obsession with mobile technology has grown, an army of antenna have cropped up: behind houses, hidden in church bell towers, even disguised as trees. This crafted documentary cracks open the debate surrounding the global health risk they pose.

The historic eruption of Hawaii s Kilauea volcano in 1959. Here s Nature red in tooth and claw, a most violent and beautiful sight to behold. Music by Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com.

This ESOCast briefly describes the planetary mother lode detected around the red dwarf star Gliese 581. This star may be tiny, but it could harbor something big.

Hey Everyone, You can find our 4K UHD content and more great space and science shows on: https://www.magellantv.com/genres/space The Cassini spacecraft has been detecting intense radio emissions from the planet Saturn. They come from the planet s aurorae, where magnetic field lines thread the polar regions. These signals have been shifted into the range of human hearing and compressed in time. For more information about how NASA produced this track, go to... http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07966.html

Pluto was kicked off the list of major planets. It seems to have responded by turning a mysterious red color, according to scientists working with the Hubble Space Telescope. They re now trying to find out what makes its surface so dynamic. From the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Tribute to the Hubble Space Telescope on its 20th anniversary in space. This beautiful video surveys the incredible accomplishments of this revolutionary instrument: everybody s favorite telescope.

The famous Dr. J. stages an awards ceremony for the Hubble Space Telescope. He summarizes Hubble s major achievements and its central role in a revolution in our understanding of the universe.

Saturn Cassini mission team members from NASA s Jet Propulsion Lab recount their observations of lightning bolts flashing in the outer regions of Saturn s atmosphere.

Turning a Blind Eye (2010): The shocking story behind a brutal attack on the freedom of the press. Subscribe to journeyman for daily uploads: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=journeymanpictures For similar stories, see: Filipino Journalists Told To Take Bribes Or Die https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiRVZ6M1_bA The Rising Middle Class Transforming Filipino Society https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=136VjAjcbqY Meet the Men Literally Putting Their Lives on the Line in Manila https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5IpO0CKBlo The massacre of 34 journalists in the Philippines last November shocked the world. As elections approach, this report investigates what happened that day; why has so little light been shed on the killings? Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/journeymanpictures Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JourneymanVOD https://twitter.com/JourneymanNews Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/journeymanpictures For downloads and more information visit: http://www.journeyman.tv/film/4790 ABC Australia – Ref. 4790 Journeyman Pictures is your independent source for the world s most powerful films, exploring the burning issues of today. We represent stories from the world s top producers, with brand new content coming in all the time. On our channel you ll find outstanding and controversial journalism covering any global subject you can imagine wanting to know about.

The last decade has been measured as the hottest on record all around the globe. This overall result is derived from a patchwork of readings with widely varying effects on local climates. Scientists agree that the change is being spurred by rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This clip was produced by NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center.

This is a flight down into a data visualization of the undersea mountains and trenches of the Pacific Ocean, ending up in the deepest part of the ocean, the Marianas Trench. The "Challenger Deep" is measured at 35,813 feet below the surface, or 10,915 meters. Courtesy of NOAA s Marine Geology and Geophysics Division.

There is the same amount of water on Earth today as there was when the dinosaurs roamed. And just less than one percent of the planet s water is available to meet the daily drinking water, sanitation and food needs of nearly 7 billion people and millions of other species. Learn more about water in all its forms and how you can make a difference. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world s premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what s possible. Get More National Geographic: Official Site: http://bit.ly/NatGeoOfficialSite Facebook: http://bit.ly/FBNatGeo Twitter: http://bit.ly/NatGeoTwitter Instagram: http://bit.ly/NatGeoInsta Why Care About Water? | National Geographic https://youtu.be/Fvkzjt3b-dU National Geographic https://www.youtube.com/natgeo

Fascinating account of how technicians remove a giant telescope mirror at the Very Large Telescope Array in Chile and then clean and refinish it.

NASA scientists used radar data to reconstruct surface features on Titan, Saturn s largest moon. They found that this frigid methane world has some striking similarities to places on Earth. From NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Strange and beautiful are these new images from the HIRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Courtesy NASA/JPL/University of Arizona.

Khajuraho is known for the Hindu and Jain temples with exquisite erotic sculptures, built 950 - 1150. Orchha is a small town, 180 kilometers away from Khajuraho, known for several palaces and temples from the 16th and 17th centuries. Recorded in January 2010 in HD with Canon HV30. Music: Fluidscape by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100393 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ -------------------------------------- Immerse yourself in Amazing Places on Our Planet without the distraction of words. New 4K video every Friday or every second Friday. Filmed and Edited by Milosh Kitchovitch YouTube: https://youtube.com/milosh9k Website: https://milosh9k.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/milosh9k Instagram: https://instagram.com/milosh9k Twitter: https://twitter.com/milosh9k More Amazing Places in 4K: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwJH-XOKXh0g2FJ-6J5JuAowQd7R9M1lP

A new laser system can kill mosquitoes without harming other insects, as shown in slowmotion video. It s all part of the effort to combat malaria. ➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe #NationalGeographic #Mosquitoes #Lasers About National Geographic: National Geographic is the world s premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what s possible. Get More National Geographic: Official Site: http://bit.ly/NatGeoOfficialSite Facebook: http://bit.ly/FBNatGeo Twitter: http://bit.ly/NatGeoTwitter Instagram: http://bit.ly/NatGeoInsta New Laser Zaps Mosquitoes in SlowMotion | National Geographic https://youtu.be/BKm8FolQ7jw National Geographic https://www.youtube.com/natgeo

For more 4K space, and more great History and Science than you ll ever watch, check out our sister network... https://www.magellantv.com/featured Earth s landmasses were not always what they are today. Continents formed as Earth s crustal plates shifted and collided over long periods of time. This video shows how today s continents are thought to have evolved over the last 600 million years, and where they ll end up in the next 100 million years. ABOUT US Here at SpaceRip, we value the exploration of the unknown. We surpass boundaries for the sake of uncovering the mysteries of the cosmos and what they may tell us about our origin and our future. With our videos, we hope to educate our viewers on how we fit into the universe, and more so how we can do our part to better it. We believe there is no better time to inform ourselves about the world around us. Our partnership with MagellanTV is aimed to educate viewers on our complex world to prepare for our rapidly changing future. Through our videos we hope to capture a variety of important topics with the overall goal of promoting positive discussion and action. Paleogeographic Views of Earth s History provided by Ron Blakey, Professor of Geology, Northern Arizona University.