The video explores the strangest (and most dangerous) junk orbiting the Earth

There are many other things around our planet besides satellites and space stations. A new TED Ed video takes a deep dive into the bizarre and dangerous world of orbital debris, showing how space has quietly turned into a cosmic garbage dump.

Believe it or not, there are over 131 million pieces of space junk hurtling around Earth at speeds of nearly 10 kilometers per second. Some of them are as small as dust, while other pieces are much stranger, like a lost astronaut’s tool bag and even a Tesla Roadster.

The video explores how we ended up with so much garbage floating above our heads and what could happen if we let it continue to pile up.

As the video explains: “There are over 131 million pieces of debris currently circling the planet. Their sizes range from a grain of sand to the size of an entire bus. This orbital debris poses a serious threat to the thousands of satellites that underpin Earth’s vital technologies.

“So how can we save ourselves and our satellites from all this junk? Jim Bentley and Imogen Ellen Napper investigate.”

The stakes are higher than most people realize. If too much debris collides, it could set off a chain reaction known as Kessler syndrome, in which one collision triggers countless others, potentially making space travel impossible for generations.

It’s a fascinating and sobering look at how humanity’s ambition to reach the stars has left us with an orbit full of disorder.