Submitted by VloeibaarHout t3_11wwmdp in askscience
Theleachan t1_jd20tbc wrote
Advanced telescopes and radars detect and track celestial bodies and determine their trajectory. We pretty much perfectly mapped the gravitational effects of all the large bodies in our solar system so a computer calculates future trajectory with the data observatories gather. Calculations are relatively simple even a phone app can do it with right data inputs.
But problem is the ones we cant see. Radar is useful in close range. And optical telescopes require astroids to pass in front of a light source ie sun
mfb- t1_jd21nrk wrote
> And optical telescopes require astroids to pass in front of a light source ie sun
No they do not. Asteroids close to the Sun (as seen from Earth) are the worst possible observation condition. They are much easier to see if they are farther away from the Sun and we can measure their reflected sunlight at night (at the telescope site).
[deleted] t1_jd22cx1 wrote
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