Scientists in China say a nuclear explosion could be the most effective way to stop a large asteroid\u2014and they may have identified the best strategy for making it work.<\/p>\n
A recent study published<\/a> in Space: Science & Technology proposes a new approach for planetary defense. In response to the threat of an asteroid impact, the researchers, led by Wang Xiaowei from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, suggest carving a crater into the asteroid and placing a nuclear warhead inside it before detonation.<\/p>\n This approach could destroy or deflect asteroids roughly 330 feet (100 meters) wide, which would otherwise wreak havoc on our planet.<\/p>\n Incoming threat <\/p>\n Asteroids are the leftover material from the formation of the solar system around 4.6 billion years ago. These rocky remnants orbit the Sun on an elliptical path, traveling through our solar system.<\/p>\n There are around 16,000 known near-Earth asteroids, and 1,784 of them are potentially hazardous, according to NASA<\/a>. A potentially hazardous asteroid is one with an orbit that comes within 0.05 AU (about 4,650,000 miles or 7,480,000 kilometers) of Earth\u2019s orbit and is typically larger than about 500 feet (140 meters) across. That doesn\u2019t mean the object is necessarily a threat to Earth but simply one that scientists should keep an eye on.<\/p>\n NASA and other agencies keep a close watch on these space rocks to get a heads-up should one be on a collision course with Earth. Last year, asteroid 2024 YR4 caught the attention of astronomers as it initially had a 3.1% chance of hitting Earth<\/a> in 2032. Fortunately, those odds later dropped to near zero<\/a>, leaving Earth in the clear\u2014for now.<\/p>\n If an asteroid were headed for Earth, however, we\u2019d need a plan.<\/p>\n Nuke them all <\/p>\n