Deep Impact: Watch A Real-Life Space Explosion On The Internet

The movie Deep Impact is well known for two things. It starred Morgan Freeman as the cuddliest President America never had, and it’s also the film where millions of people died when a massive chunk of rock smashed into Earth.

So when NASA decided they would crash a huge probe into a comet, what name did they decide to pick to call it? That’s right, Deep Impact. So everyone can associate the event with the end of the world. It’s a little like if the scientists who clone human embryos chose to call their company Zombie Bloodbath 2: Rage Of The Undead.

The very least NASA could do is name the mission after the comet movie that came out at a similar time to Deep Impact, but ended with the world being saved - Armageddon.

Anyway, what we’re getting at is that this weekend, NASA will land a probe on a comet. A big, 820-pound probe onto comet Tempal 1, so they can have a peek inside it. The crash is expected to take place at 5.52am GMT (1.52am EDT) on July 4th. Independence Day - coincidentally, the name of another film where Earth gets battered by things from space. What are they trying to tell us?

Here’s the best bit. The space explosion will be recorded not only by Earth-based telescopes, but the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes and a flyby mothership.

You can see it all as it happens via a number of different webcasts. Our friends at Space.com can give you the Deep Impact space crash details.

Watch and enjoy, space explosion fans.