65 Million Years Ago

A nine-mile-wide meteorite strikes Mexico's east coast, covering much of Earth with rocks, fire and toxic gases. The theory today is that dinosaurs and most other species were extinguished and that burrowing mammals—our ancestors—survived. The Chicxulub Crater remains to this day.

March 16, 2880

The half-mile-wide asteroid 1950 DA has a 1-in-300 chance of impact, the highest current probability for any known object. But a lot can change in 873 years. Stay tuned.

A blurry image of the asteroid made with radar is one of our few pieces of knowledge about the NEO.