Under a dark, star-streaked sky, scientists at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico are deploying an unconventional tool for planetary defense: heliostats.
"A heliostat is a very large — several meters on edge — motorized mirror that concentrates sunlight on a tower, like a giant magnifying glass," Sandia scientist John Sandusky told Space.com. "As the sun moves across the sky, the heliostat changes orientation to hold the sun's reflection fixed.
