NASA works with organizations like IAWN to find and track potentially hazardous asteroids through observations from telescopes.
An asteroid is considered potentially hazardous if it is over 460 feet wide and comes within 0.5 astronomical units of Earth’s orbit.
If an asteroid was determined to pose an impact threat to Earth, NASA would notify government agencies like the White House based on procedures.
For an international threat, NASA would notify the UN. They would aim to inform the public through official statements.
NASA needs 5-10 years notice to try deflecting an asteroid through methods like kinetic impactor or gravity tractor techniques.
They are currently working on techniques like laser ablation to deflect asteroids with less advance notice.
If notification was only months away, there may be no options to prevent impact and save Earth from catastrophe.
NASA’s goal is to find asteroids decades in advance to have time for planetary defense measures like deflection to avoid disaster.
Source: businessinsider
