But when it comes to saving the world from asteroid strikes, lines of code may prove to be our savior.
Telescopes surveying the skies for errant space rocks are overseen by astronomers, but their systematic movements are driven by ones and zeros.
With so much inky sky to peruse, scientists rely on algorithms to spot suspicious and speedy objects, including asteroids that may threaten Earth.
Conventional algorithms need four images, taken during a single night, of a moving object to confirm whether it’s a genuine space rock.
And the program, named HelioLinc3D, has already found a near-Earth asteroid that older surveys had missed.
Organizations:
University of Washington, NASA