A new “tool” could reveal the threat posed by meteors as they approach Earth, helping protect human life and satellites.
By measuring 13 properties, including speed, brightness, duration, height, and atmospheric density, the team can determine their origin and physical composition.
This information will help inform how these objects will behave, including when they enter the atmosphere as meteor showers.
The research was now possible because it was the first time in history they’d been able to access detailed datasets that are large enough to train modern AI learning systems.
The Lowell Observatory team in Arizona drew on more than 28,000 meteor events it recorded throughout 2023.
Each object can be assigned to a new classification system, which is informed by a mathematical formula that can be applied to individual meteors or to millions of events.
Tool can help keep humans safe as space travel expands
Lead author of the study, Sam Hemmelgarn, told Yahoo News the “most practical implication” of the work is that it can inform risk assessment for satellites in near-Earth space.
That’s because determining what material the object is made of will help reveal how dangerous it is to assets.
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Co-author Nick Moskovitz added that the research could also help “assess risks to human safety” as commercial space exploration expands.
Particularly in low Earth orbit (altitudes of 160 and 2,000km) and Cislunar space (the volume of space within the Moon’s orbit).
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