Amateur astronomers make ‘major breakthrough’ in saving Earth from asteroids

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Dozens of amateur astronomers using consumer-grade telescopes have been credited for a “major scientific breakthrough” after collectively observing the aftermath of a Nasa mission to redirect an asteroid. Users of the smart telescope brand Unistellar were able to combine their observations from locations around the world in order to assist in confirming the success of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, which saw the US space agency slam a spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos in order to test whether it was possible to alter its orbit. Unistellar co-founder Laurent Marfisi said advances in consumer telescopes in recent years meant the convergence of recreational astronomy and scientific discoveries was becoming increasingly common. It is the eighth time Unistellar users have been credited in a peer-reviewed scientific journal for their findings, though Mr Marfisi said the latest was the most “major scientific breakthrough” so far.