NASA's newest computer app's opening statement reads: "Protecting the Earth from the threat of asteroid impacts means knowing first where they are. For astronomy enthusiasts and amateur astronomers, you can download this newest app to hunt for the next flying space rock hurtling its way to Earth".

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This app was announced March 15 during the SXSW (South by Southwest) music and tech festival at Austin, Texas. It encourages everyone to take part in the hunt for next asteroid that could blow up our planet.

The app works on the back of an algorithm developed for NASA's Asteroid Grand Challenge competition tht was launched at last year's SXSW. This unique algorithm captures images of space and homes that are likely to be the target of dangerous asteroids.

This app just seems like an updated version of a system astronomers use to locate asteroids as early as the 1930s. The basic concept is to take photos of the same place in the sky above and observe cosmic objects that move from another frame to the next.

To date, there is an overwhelming amount of data from telescopes for humans to handle, especially when it involves scanning the night sky for flying objects. This nifty algorithm enables the program to narrow it down and choose the most likely candidate for an asteroid sighting.

Users can now acquire these telescope images from the night sky online from specific places such as the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts or the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona.

The app can be accessed via desktop and laptop. The algorithm deciphers and sifts through a specific bright spot in the night sky that seems to have movement.

Anyone who has installed the app can even upload their own images from their telescopes to confirm if there's an actual asteroid.

According to Chris Lewicki, president and chief engineer at the Planetary Resources, this increase in knowledge by expanding the database of sky images from all over the world can help NASA hunt for more asteroids that are potential threats, a possible human destination or even a new energy resource.

This app is available for free download on Windows and Apple.

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