A nuclear blast could save Earth from an asteroid, but there's a catch

A nuclear explosion might save Earth from a deadly asteroid, but new research suggests that hitting the wrong side could make the difference between success and disaster. Scientists found that an asteroid's irregular shape can dramatically affect how it responds to an X-ray blast, with deflection effectiveness varying nearly fivefold depending on the angle.

Edited by the news editor with AI from the original report — please refer to the original source.