Scientists, including NASA researchers, are considering using nuclear devices to blow up the asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a very low chance of hitting Earth but a higher chance of impacting the Moon, as a method of planetary defense. The plan involves launching nuclear disruption missions within the next few years, though budget constraints and the asteroid's uncertain mass pose challenges.
Asteroid 2024 YR4 poses a potential threat to the Moon in 2032, with options to deflect or destroy it. Deflection requires precise mass estimates, which are challenging, while destruction could involve kinetic impact or nuclear explosions. Early intervention is crucial, but plans depend on further observations and international decisions.
Eighty years after the first nuclear test, scientists discovered a rare quasicrystal in trinitite, formed under extreme conditions of a nuclear explosion, which could provide new insights into nuclear forensics and the formation of quasicrystals in nature.
Research from the University of Nicosia shows that even inside reinforced buildings, high-speed air currents from a nuclear blast can cause severe injuries or fatalities, especially near windows, doors, and hallways. The study emphasizes the importance of knowing safe shelter locations within buildings to improve survival chances during a nuclear attack.
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a modeling tool that simulates the effects of a nuclear explosion on an asteroid. While nuking a larger asteroid would only break it into pieces, the tool explores the technique of nuclear ablation, where the blast's radiation vaporizes part of the asteroid's surface, generating an explosive thrust and a change in velocity. This could potentially be used as a deflection device to redirect or disrupt an asteroid heading towards Earth. The model considers a wide range of asteroid properties and could provide valuable insights for future planetary defense strategies.
Christopher Nolan cast his daughter, Flora, in a small role as a young woman who suffers facial damage from a nuclear explosion in his upcoming film "Oppenheimer." Nolan explained that the casting was spontaneous and not premeditated, but it serves to illustrate the theme of the destructive power of creating the atomic bomb. "Oppenheimer" explores the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II and features a star-studded cast. The film is set to be released on July 21.
