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Asteroid deflection technologies

Asteroid deflection technologies are methods and strategies developed to prevent potential impacts of asteroids with Earth. These technologies aim to alter the trajectory of an asteroid to ensure it does not collide with our planet Following the success of NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, discussions about planetary defense and asteroid deflection strategies are increasingly prominent. Here are some principal methods and how they work: 1. Kinetic Impactor:    - How It Works: This method involves sending a spacecraft to collide with an asteroid at high speed. The impact changes the asteroid's velocity and trajectory, ideally enough to avoid a collision with Earth.    - Example: NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission successfully demonstrated this technique by impacting the moonlet Dimorphos in 2022. 2. Gravity Tractor:    - How It Works: A spacecraft positioned near an asteroid uses its gravitational pull to...

Astronomers describe a violent black hole outburst that provides new insight into galaxy cluster evolution

Billions of years ago, in the center of a galaxy cluster far, far away (15 billion light-years, to be exact), a black hole spewed out jets of plasma. As the plasma rushed out of the black hole, it pushed away material, creating two large cavities 180 degrees from each other. In the same way you can calculate the energy of an asteroid impact by the size of its crater, Michael Calzadilla, a graduate student at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research (MKI), used the size of these cavities to figure out the power of the black hole's outburst.

from Astronomy News - Space News, Exploration News, Earth Science News, Earth Science https://ift.tt/2SlvOCk

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