The image above shows an artist's rendition of lasers blasting space debris.

(NASA/Fulvio314)

At a Glance

Researchers in China have suggested lasers to combat the issue of space debris.Hundreds of thousands of pieces of space junk are clogging outer space.Scientists say the lasers could work if they have the right angle.

Junk-blasting lasers could be the solution to the hundreds of thousands of pieces of debris circling our planet, a recent study suggested.

Researchers from China’s Air Force Engineering University’s Information and Navigation College determined that if they could be shot at the same angle as the space junk is traveling.

This angle is referred to as the Right Ascension of the Ascending Node (RAAN). while moving between the Northern and Southern hemispheres, according to the Rutgers University Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences. Because the Earth rotates, astronomers use the constellation Aries as a fixed object when determining the angle.

(MORE: )

Space debris consists of scraps such as broken pieces of old satellites, which , according to a previous report. When these particles crash into each other, they explode into even more tiny pieces.

, according to a 2013 report from NASA. At least 20,000 particles are bigger than a softball, but smaller debris the size of paint flecks pose a threat. Moving at high speeds, they could still cause damage to spacecraft.

Since the Space Age began in 1957, and 7,500 satellites have been placed in Earth’s orbit, according to the European Space Agency. About 4,300 of these remain in space, but only 1,200 are still functioning.

China is considered among the worst of the space debris offenders. In 2007, a Chinese anti-satellite testused a missile to destroy an old satellite, creating more than 3,000 bits of junk, according to NASA.

The resulting debris cloud was the largest ever tracked, and it , Phys.Org reported.

In the past, researchers have suggested using giant magnets,ultra-thin space nets andharpoons to try , according to Live Science.