Astronomers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a new method using the James Webb Space Telescope to discover asteroids with a diameter of only 10 meters in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This is the smallest main belt asteroid detected by scientists so far, opening up new avenues for studying the origin of meteorites and planetary defense mechanisms. The relevant paper was published in the journal Nature on the 9th. According to scientists' estimates, the asteroid that caused the extinction of dinosaurs had a diameter of about 10 kilometers. The frequency of such a massive celestial body colliding with Earth is extremely low, occurring approximately once every 100 to 500 million years. Asteroids the size of buses collide with Earth relatively frequently, occurring every few years. These "ten meter sized" asteroids are more likely to escape the main asteroid belt and become near Earth objects, posing a threat to Earth. Previously, the smallest asteroid diameter that scientists could detect was about 1 kilometer. In the latest study, MIT astronomers used a new method to detect 138 "ten meter sized" asteroids within the main asteroid belt. These space rocks vary in size, ranging from a bus to several sports fields, with the smallest diameter being only 10 meters, making them the smallest asteroids detected by scientists so far. The main asteroid belt is a gravel field located between Mars and Jupiter, with millions of asteroids orbiting within it. The new method can be used to identify and track asteroids that may be close to Earth, allowing people to discover them when they are still far away from Earth and accurately track their orbits. This is crucial for planetary defense work. (New Society)