Scientists have tested whether a nuclear weapon could one day help protect Earth from a large asteroid heading towards our planet. An asteroid about the size of a football field could be big enough to destroy a city. If one were discovered too late for other methods to work, a nuclear weapon could potentially be used as a last line of defence.
Because they are dark and reflect very little light, some asteroids are also difficult to detect.
To study this, the researchers created three detailed 3D simulations. They based the shape and porous structure of the simulated asteroid on Bennu, the asteroid studied by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. The researchers say the results do not prove that nuclear weapons would definitely stop a dangerous asteroid. Instead, the simulations provide more information about whether nuclear disruption could be used as a last-resort option in planetary defence. The findings provide scientists with another piece of information as they work on ways to protect Earth from potentially dangerous asteroids.
A team led by astrophysicist Isaiah Santistevan from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States used computer simulations to study what would happen if a 1-megaton nuclear weapon were used against a 160-metre-wide asteroid.
