The MIT group uses two telescopes and advanced computer technology, he said. The computer takes a snapshot every half hour of what is viewed through a telescope. Then it processes the positions of the stars, and if a star is found to be moving from frame to frame, it is a near-earth object. The paths of these objects can be determined over time. After the object is discovered, amateurs with good telescopes can track the objects, Morrison said.
Amateurs can get details of the object on the Internet.
Morrison said that an event capable of destroying lots of life occurs only once every 100 billion years. We saw it happen in 1994 when about 20 objects hit Jupiter. There were giant black clouds that erupted on the surface. He also noted that because Earth is a smaller target, it is less likely to be hit than Jupiter. In the event that a near earth object were found along a collision course with earth, the most likely course of action would be to knock it off course, Dickel said.