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Talk5 min

The ginormous collision that tilted our planet

Elise Cutts · TED

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About

4.5 billion years ago, Earth was struck by a rock the size of Mars flying 9 kilometers a second. The force of this collision temporarily turned Earth’s surface into an ocean of molten magma. Today, some scientists call this cosmic crash the Big Whack, and we’re still dealing with the impacts of this impact. Elise Cutts explores the pivotal role Earth’s obliquity plays in our planet's processes. [Directed by Igor Ćorić, Artrake Studio, narrated by Bethany Cutmore Scott, music by Cem Misirlioglu].

The talk

  1. The ginormous collision that tilted our planet 5 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED-Ed
Speaker
Elise Cutts
Year
2025
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Astronomy and space, Teaching and learning
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Tweens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed