{
  "id": 17989376,
  "title": "An asteroid's shape influences where a nuclear blast must be aimed to deflect it",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/03/an-asteroids-shape-influences-where-a-nuclear-blast-must-be-aimed-to",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-03T16:20:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-11-asteroid-nuclear-blast-aimed-deflect.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "If a dangerous asteroid were headed toward Earth, one defense could be a nuclear detonation to blast one side with X-rays and nudge it off course. But new simulations suggest that for a lumpy, irregular asteroid, exactly where those X-rays hit could make a huge difference.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}