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Date Published: 27/11/2024

A Murcia University professor has told the world how to save Earth from asteroid collision

The chance of a deadly asteroid hitting earth stands at 1 in 300,000 according to NASA

A professor from the University of Murcia has come up with an equation to spot killer asteroids heading for our planet. Professor Óscar del Barco Novillo has come up with an equation based on the gravitational bending of light which will help scientists to pinpoint the precise positions of minor objects in the solar system.

This theory would allow for planetary defence networks to spot and prepare for any asteroids which could then come into contact with earth. This equation could be what is needed to have time to deflect the asteroid onto a safe path and away from Earth.

When a beam of light passes through a strong gravitational field like the one around our sun it leaves its straight path and follows a curved trajectory. This makes it difficult for scientists to know exactly where an object is in distant space.

According to Professor Novillo, “When the sunlight is reflected on the minor objects in the solar system, such as asteroids, the light beams we receive on Earth are deflected due to the Sun and major planets such as Jupiter. In this sense, the actual positions of these minor bodies are shifted, so this effect should be taken into account in the equations of motion of these minor bodies.”

The professor says that the most important consequence of this discovery is to enable “a better calculation of the orbits of minor objects in the solar system, which could be potentially hazardous to the Earth”.

Though the equation will not detect asteroids in the first place it will determine a more precise location for these objects.

Space agencies such as NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are currently investigating ways that humanity might be able to avoid colliding with an asteroid.

It has been discussed that a way by which to stop an asteroid could be to send a satellite that would deflect the path of the asteroid and avoid the collision with the earth.

However, doing this would require years of prior warning to give space agencies time to plan the mission and for the asteroid to drift out of Earth’s path. That is why it is so critical for space agencies to have an accurate way of assessing the locations and orbits of asteroids drifting through the solar system.

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