Asteroid collisions with Earth are common, with NASA estimating 48.5 tonnes of meteoric material entering our atmosphere daily, mostly burning up as shooting stars. While devastating impacts are rare, the lesson from the dinosaur-extinction event 66 million years ago underscores the threat. Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico are developing a method to deflect asteroids using X-ray blasts from nuclear explosions. This technique vaporizes the asteroid’s surface, creating gas that nudges it off course. This nuclear option is considered for larger asteroids, especially when time is short.