Azerbaijan National Academy of Science

Earth is not in danger of colliding with asteroids. At least, not a single object threatening us has yet been seen in the sky. But in 2029 alone should fly past our planet, and it’s better to prepare for its appearance anyway.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a system that will help determine the best possible way to avoid an asteroid collision - long before the situation gets out of hand.

The team of MIT scientists, led by former graduate student Sung Vuk Pek, describes in a recently published study a certain “decision map” that takes into account the mass and speed of an approaching asteroid, and also calculates the time that is left before the object enters the Earth’s gravitational field: if an asteroid enters it, then a collision will be inevitable.

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