Create an Asteroid Impact!
Make a tabletop asteroid impact model by dropping different sized balls onto flour and sand targets to create craters and observe how impact variables change.
About this activity
Make a tabletop asteroid impact model by dropping different sized balls onto flour and sand targets to create craters and observe how impact variables change.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Spread the newspaper or plastic over your table to protect it from mess.
- 2
Step 2
Place two shallow trays on the covered table side by side.
- 3
Step 3
Pour flour into one tray until the layer is about 2 cm deep.
- 4
Step 4
Use the spatula or card to smooth the flour into a flat even surface.
- 5
Step 5
Pour sand into the second tray until the layer is about 2 cm deep.
- 6
Step 6
Use the spatula or card to smooth the sand into a flat even surface.
- 7
Step 7
Pick three balls of different sizes and put them next to the trays.
- 8
Step 8
Write in your notebook which ball is Ball A which is Ball B and which is Ball C.
- 9
Step 9
Measure 30 cm with your ruler and stack books or use the stool to make a drop platform at about that height.
- 10
Step 10
Hold Ball A at the 30 cm height and drop it straight down into the center of the flour without pushing.
- 11
Step 11
Measure the crater diameter with the ruler and write the measurement in your notebook.
- 12
Step 12
Measure the crater depth with the ruler and write the measurement in your notebook.
- 13
Step 13
Repeat Steps 10 to 12 for each ball and then repeat all drops for the sand tray and for a higher drop height such as about 60 cm.
- 14
Step 14
Fold up the newspaper and carefully empty the trays into the trash or back into storage and tidy your workspace.
- 15
Step 15
Share your finished asteroid impact experiment and pictures of your craters on DIY.org.
Fun facts
How do you make a tabletop asteroid impact model?
To create a tabletop asteroid impact model, set shallow trays with flat layers of flour and a separate tray of sand. Mark a center point, then drop balls of different sizes and masses from measured heights (use a ruler or stacked books). Try varying drop angle and height, measure crater diameter and depth with a ruler after each drop, record results, smooth the surface, and repeat to compare how variables change crater shape.
What materials do I need for a tabletop asteroid impact experiment?
You’ll need shallow trays or baking pans, flour and fine dry sand, balls of varying sizes and masses (marbles, ping-pong balls, rubber balls, steel bearings), a ruler and measuring stick, kitchen scale, tape measure or marked drop height, protractor (optional), spoon or spatula to level targets, camera or phone to record, table cover, goggles and aprons, and adult supervision. Avoid using very heavy projectiles indoors.
What ages is the asteroid impact activity suitable for?
This activity fits many ages: children 5 to 7 can join with close adult help for measuring and safety, ages 8 to 12 can run trials and record basic data with moderate supervision, and teens can design experiments, analyze measurements, and vary variables quantitatively. Simplify tasks for younger kids (demonstration, observing) and remove small parts or heavy balls for preschoolers to prevent choking or injury.
What are the safety tips and learning benefits of making tabletop craters?
Safety first: work over trays, wear goggles, keep bystanders back, use soft or small projectiles indoors, and supervise children closely. Clean up spills promptly. Educational benefits include hands-on lessons about kinetic energy, momentum, variables, hypothesis testing, measurement, and data recording. The experiment builds observation skills, math practice (measuring and graphing), and scientific thinking while being a fun, visual way to explore planetary science.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can we use if we don't have shallow trays, flour, or sand?
Use baking pans or shallow cardboard boxes as the two trays, substitute cornstarch or powdered sugar for the flour, and use playground or craft sand instead of beach sand while keeping the spatula or an old card to smooth the surfaces as instructed.
My ball keeps bouncing or rolling off—how do I get a straight drop and a clear crater?
Hold the ball steady with two fingers and release it without pushing from the 30 cm or 60 cm stacked-books/stool platform directly over the smoothed center of the flour or sand, and if it still bounces, lower the drop height or make the surface slightly firmer by smoothing less.
How can I change the activity for younger or older kids?
For younger children use a lower drop height (around 15 cm), help with pouring and measuring, and for older kids use taller drops like 60 cm, test more ball sizes, and record all crater diameters and depths in the notebook to compare results.
How can we make the craters more interesting or extend the experiment?
Color the flour with a few drops of food coloring, try different tray fillings (rice or cocoa powder), vary impact angles or ball masses, photograph each crater and measurements, and then share the results and pictures on DIY.org as suggested.