BLUF
Heliostats, which normally reflect sunlight to generate electricity, are being repurposed to detect faint light reflected off near-Earth objects, helping spot potential threats before they strike; turning solar-powered mirrors into night-time surveillance tools.Learning Outcomes
- Learn about the novel way scientists are turning solar-power mirrors into night-time surveillance tools to detect asteroids.
- Explore how the mirrors can detect femtowatts—a millionth of a billionth of a watt of light reflected from asteroids.
- Understand that beyond asteroid detection, there is potential applications in defence, including helping the U.S. Space Force to find spacecraft.
