 |
Comet
Nucleus: The nucleus of a comet tumbles slowly through space,
shedding debris and gases as its surface is warmed by the sun.
25 seconds |
 |
Super
Nova: At the end of its life, the core of a massive star
implodes causing a supernova. The outer envelope of the old star is
expelled into space, revealing the white-hot stellar core, now a
neutron star. 27 seconds |
 |
KT Impact:
Sixty-five million years ago, a 10-kilometer-wide asteroid struck
what is now the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. This
animation depicts a titanic cloud of smoke and ash rising over the
impact site. 30 seconds |
 |
Earth Ring: A ring of debris circles the young Earth.
Collisions between ring particles begin to occur, the first steps
toward the formation of our moon. 40 seconds |
 |
Ring Moon: The newly-formed moon continues to grow as it
sweeps up particles in the debris ring. 30 seconds |
 |
Earth Ring Moon: This is another view of the previous scene
in which we pull away from Earth and see the young moon carving out
a gap in the debris ring. 97 seconds |
 |
Ancient Mars: This hypothetical depiction shows a young, wet
Mars with oceans of water and active volcanoes. Late in the
animation this view of Mars crossfades with the dry Mars we know
today. 103 seconds |
