Given how massive space is, how do astronomers find and track asteroids at all?

Question

Space is really big, even just in our own solar system. So how can astronomers be sure they’re looking in the right place at the right time to catch an asteroid, even when they don’t know it will be there? Is it just luck? Or is there some kind of educated guesswork going on?

In: Other

Answer 1

Excuse me, but I feel on a sub like eli5 somebody needs to point out that space is not, in fact, massive … it is the exact opposite.