Asteroids can devastate the planet in an instant – just ask the dinosaurs. Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories have now demonstrated a proof of concept method to deflect a potential Earthbound asteroid using a blast of X-rays.

Could nuclear explosions help protect Earth from destructive asteroids? That is what physicist Nathan Moore and a team of scientists are researching at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.

The Earth will be hit by a tiny asteroid today, astronomers have said. But the tiny asteroid – which is roughly one metre in size – will burn up in the atmosphere as it arrives. That means it should pose no risk to anyone on the ground. But it should provide them with a show: the asteroid may be visible as a fireball as it burns up in the sky.

Experts warn that several asteroids are at risk of smashing into Earth, Live Science reported. Bennu is a near-Earth asteroid that is being explored by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. OSIRIS-REx arrived on Bennu in Dec.

Scientists have found nuclear weapons could actually help deflect an incoming cosmic impact — not by blowing an asteroid up, but by showering it with X-ray radiation.

Researchers theorize X-rays from a nuclear explosion could be used to vaporize an asteroid's surface, altering its trajectory.