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Showing posts with label Near Earth Object. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Near Earth Object. Show all posts

Oct 27, 2016

15 000 space rocks and counting

The international effort to find, confirm and catalogue the multitude of asteroids that pose a threat to our planet has reached a milestone: 15,000 discovered – with many more to go. For Infomation see 15 000 space rocks and counting,Catalog of Known Near-Earth Asteroids Tops 15,000

Oct 20, 2016

A Confirmation Image of The NEO 2016 UE On 2016-10-20

A confirmation image of the Near-Earth Object 2016 UE
on 2016-10-20 from Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
 a stack of 4 - 60 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's
(TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 reflector + CCD) (C) Steven M. Tilley

See:

Oct 10, 2016

Confirmation of the Near-Earth Object 2016 TJ17

Confirmation image of the Near-Earth Object 2016 TJ17 (absolute magnitude =25.4 ~28m) 
on 2016-10-08 a stack of 9-60 second luminance BIN2 taken 
with iTelescope.net's (T17 TEL 0.43-m f/6.8 reflector + CCD) 
at Observatory: Siding Spring - Australia (MPC code Q62)
By Steven M. Tilley

 


 Background

(as of 2016-10-09)
    Other links:

Sep 26, 2016

Asteroid 2009 ES Fact Sheet

 Background
(as of 2016-09-25)
 
The NEO 2009 ES on 2016-09-20 (Astrometrica) a stack of 4 - 60 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T11 0.50-m f/6.8 reflector + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer) at (MPC Code H06) Mayhill, New Mexico (New Mexico Skies) By Steven M. Tilley
 Other links:

Sep 25, 2016

An Asteroid as Entered the Blogosphere… Should I Be Worried?

A commentary by Steven M. Tilley

The Asteroid to Earth "Say out my Way!!!!"
Earth to the Asteroid "Watch where you're going ... fool!!!"
 Image edited by Steven M. Tilley
(Disclaimer --  Earth and
asteroids CAN NOT talk)
 see the original (public domain) image
Planetoid crashing into primordial Earth  at
 Donald Davis' official site
About every few month or so an asteroid makes waves online.  This lead some people to panic. Before anyone panics and does something dumb. One should remember one of the secrets to life, breathe, in and out. Then remember anyone can post anything online. Some sources are better than others when it comes to asteroid information. Sources range from very useful to worse than useless.

First check for reliable information from some of the reliable sources such as the Minor Planet Center, NASA NEO Program Office at JPL, ESA's NEODyS (Near Earth Objects Dynamic Site), or The Tracking News.  The writer of this blog post is aware that are many people in the blogosphere who distrusts one or more of the name reliable sources.  The author suggests that they reexamine their stand. A significant number of individuals and organizations from around the world observe asteroids; these observations serve as a cross check. If someone or a group makes an error, the error would soon come to light with more observations. If there is nothing about the asteroid  from the name from reliable sources most likely, the story probably is wrong. 

Another thing to remember as a story moves through the blogosphere it changes like the "telephone game." The original story is misread, poorly translated, misunderstood, etc. then rewritten by other writers with the wrong information.  Then other writers then use the revised story as a source for new stories adding to the madness. One should seek out the original story(and see if it is reliable).

When reading up ( and writing) about asteroids one should know the limits of one's knowledge base.  Some of bloggers and youtbers out there go way outside of their knowledge base; they think they "know" when they don't  "know."  The problem is many people mistakenly repost "wrong" blog posts(and videos) adding to the madness. Just because something has been shared, many times does not make it true.

It should be stated that no post is complete without a "good" headline and an image to hook readers. Many times the picture is wrong, and the headline is highly misleading.  It takes lots of time to find a picture of the asteroid or use a telescope to image the asteroid in question.  This requirement of time will lead many writers to find any old image of any old asteroid. Many times if the author used a real picture of the asteroid internet users would not click.

Finally one should keep studying about asteroid there so much to know. One should not be afraid seeking good answers to questions. Just look for good sources of information. 

Jan 29, 2016

The Asteroid 2016 BE on 2016-01-29

 Background
(as of 2016-01-29 14:50 UTC)
(Note this post was mabe before the Daily Orbit Update  therefor  some of the infomation here may quickly become out dated) 
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(1 of 3) stack of 13- 15 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T11 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer) at (MPC Code H06) Mayhill, New Mexico (New Mexico Skies)
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(2 of 3) stack of 13- 15 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T11 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer) at (MPC Code H06) Mayhill, New Mexico (New Mexico Skies)
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(3 of 3) stack of 13- 15 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T11 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer) at (MPC Code H06) Mayhill, New Mexico (New Mexico Skies)
 Other links:


Jan 25, 2016

The Asteroid 2016 BE on 2016-01-25

 Background
(as of 2016-01-25 06:30 UTC)
(Some of the infomation here may quickly become out dated) 
 Astrometrica object verification windows with a(1 of 4) stack of 22 - 15 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T7 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD) at (MPC Code I89) AstroCamp Observatory. Nerpio, Spain
 Astrometrica object verification windows with a(2 of 4) stack of 22 - 15 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T7 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD) at (MPC Code I89) AstroCamp Observatory. Nerpio, Spain
 Astrometrica object verification windows with a(3 of 4) stack of 22 - 15 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T7 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD) at (MPC Code I89) AstroCamp Observatory. Nerpio, Spain
 Astrometrica object verification windows with a(1 of 4) stack of 22 - 15 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T7 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD) at (MPC Code I89) AstroCamp Observatory. Nerpio, Spain
Other links:

Jan 24, 2016

The NEO 2015 TY178 on 2016-01-23

 Background
(as of 2016-01-23) 
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(1 of 3) stack of 15- 20 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at (MPC Code Q62) Siding Spring NSW Australia

 Astrometrica object verification window with a(2 of 3) stack of 15- 20 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at (MPC Code Q62) Siding Spring NSW Australia
Astrometrica object verification window with a(3 of 3) stack of 15- 20 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at (MPC Code Q62) Siding Spring NSW Australia

Other Links:

 

Jan 21, 2016

The Asteroid 2016 BE on 2016-01-20

 Background
(as of 2016-01-21  14:40 UTC)
(Some of the infomation here may quickly become out dated) 
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(1 of 3) stack of 12- 60 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T11 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer) at (MPC Code H06) Mayhill, New Mexico (New Mexico Skies)(2016-01-20)
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(2 of 3) stack of 12- 60 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T11 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer) at (MPC Code H06) Mayhill, New Mexico (New Mexico Skies)(2016-01-20)
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(3 of 3) stack of 12- 60 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T11 0.50-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD + f/4.5 focal reducer) at (MPC Code H06) Mayhill, New Mexico (New Mexico Skies)(2016-01-20)
Other links:

Jan 18, 2016

The NEO 2015 TY178 on 2016-01-18

 Background
(as of 2016-01-18) 
 Astrometrica object verification windows with a(1 of 4) stack of 8- 30 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (T17 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD)  at MPC Code Q62 Siding Spring NSW Australia
 
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(2 of 4) stack of 8- 30 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (T17 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD)  at MPC Code Q62 Siding Spring NSW Australia
 
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(3 of 4) stack of 8- 30 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (T17 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD)  at MPC Code Q62 Siding Spring NSW Australia
 
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(4 of 4) stack of 8- 30 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (T17 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD)  at MPC Code Q62 Siding Spring NSW Australia

The NEO 2015 TY178 on 2016-01-17

 Background
(as of 2016-01-17) 
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(1 of 3) stack of 10- 30 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (T17 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD)  at MPC Code Q62 Siding Spring NSW Australia
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(2 of 3) stack of 10- 30 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (T17 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD)  at MPC Code Q62 Siding Spring NSW Australia
 Astrometrica object verification window with a(3 of 3) stack of 10- 30 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with iTelescope.net's (T17 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD)  at MPC Code Q62 Siding Spring NSW Australia
Other Links:

Oct 27, 2015

The Asteroid 2015 TB145


 Background
(as of 2015-10-26) 
A 120 Second Luminance BIN2 image of the asteroid 2015 TB145 taken on 2015-10-22 from AstroCamp Observatory. Nerpio, Spain - (MPC Code - I89) itelescope.net's (TEL T7 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + CCD)
(C) Steven M. Tilley
.
The asteroid 2015 TB145 45 x 60 Sec Stacked @ 0.371 "/min P.A. 28.6 MPC Code Q62 using itelescope.net's
(TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD) 2015-10-24 14:12:09 UTC
(c) Steven M. Tilley

The Asteroid 2015 TB145 on 2015-10-24

 Part 1:
40 Second(typo) 40-60 Second Luminance BIN2 Images taken with itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD) at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62) 0n 2015-10-24 from 13:44 to 14:37 UTC
Part 2:
Astrometrica object verification window moving object detection 4-60 Second Luminance BIN2 Images Taken with iTelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD) at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62) 0n 2015-10-24 from 13:38 to 14:42 UTC
Part 3
A 45x60 Sec Stacked @ 0.371 "/min P.A. 28.6 MPC Code Q62 on (T27) 2015-10-24 (C) Steven M. Tilley

Other links:

Oct 2, 2015

The Recovery on 2nd Opposition of the Asteroid 2011 YS62 From 2015-09-26 To 2015-09-28


 Observing Runs Looking for 2011 YS62 from 2015-08-26 to 2015-08-28


When it comes to target selection there two criteria I use first is would additional observations be useful, the second is the target in range of the telescope's capability. To find targets I check one or all of the lists (see below) and see if the target is range of the telescope's capability (if it is important I will push the limit of the range) Then I will plan an observing run.  Recently I checked the Arecibo Asteroid Schedule and I saw they had requested optical astrometry for 2011 YS62.  At the time this asteroid had a data-arc span of 89 days and had been unobserved for 1314 days (3.597 years)

First Night 
I first did run of 15 - 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27), with no luck,. Next I used  Find_Orb to generate new orbital elements with Epoch  2015 Sep 26.0  and did a another run 15. I also used  Find_Orb's Monte Carlo function to generate a lot of clones(virtual asteroids) orbital elements and then manually add them to Astrometrica's MPCOrb.dat file. Then  I created 3 stacks of  5 images and found a moving object near the known object box of one of the clones. I assigned  a temporary designation to the object and  submitted night one's observations to the Minor Planet Center. 

Astrometrica object verification window a stack (1 of  3 First Night )  a  stacks 5 - 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
Astrometrica object verification window a stack (2 of  3 First Night )  a  stacks 5 - 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
Astrometrica object verification window a stack (1 of  3 First Night )  a  stacks 5 - 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
Second Night
Using Find_Orb I generated two orbits one was with just night one’s observations, the other with 2011 YS62 and night one's observations (“updated orbit”) and manually replaced the "clones" orbital elements.  Next I  ran a series of 6-120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on  itelescope.net's (TEL T27) and  created a stacks of  5 images and found an object at the  known object  box for  the "updated orbit".  Then I ran a second run of 6 images and created a stack of 5 and saw that the object was moving.  Later on I ran another run of 15 images and created a 3 more stacks of 5 images. I assigned a (new) temporary designation to the object and submitted the second night’s observations to the Minor Planet Center.  Shortly thereafter the object was listed on the NEO Confirmation Page.              
Astrometrica object verification window a stack (1 of  5 Second Night )  a  stacks 5 - 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
Astrometrica object verification window a stack (2 of  5 Second Night )  a  stacks 5- 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
Astrometrica object verification window a stack (3 of  5 Second Night )  a  stacks 5- 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
Astrometrica object verification window a stack (4 of  5 Second Night )  a  stacks 5- 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
Astrometrica object verification window a stack (3 of  5 Second Night )  a  stacks 5- 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
Third Night
I did the same orbit  update has I did the night before then, I obtain 32--120 Second Luminance BIN2 images with itelescope.net's (TEL T27) and created 3 stacks of  10  image and  submitted  the third night observations to the Minor Planet Center using the designation that was on the NEO Confirmation Page.
Astrometrica object verification window a stack (1 of  3 First Night )  a  stacks 10 - 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
Astrometrica object verification window a stack (2 of  3 First Night )  a  stacks 10 - 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
Astrometrica object verification window a stack (3 of  3 First Night )  a  stacks 10 - 120 Second Luminance BIN2 Images on itelescope.net's (TEL T27 0.70-m f/6.6 CDK astrograph + CCD)  at Siding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia. (MPC Q62)
On 2015 Sept. 28 the Minor Planet Center issued MPEC 2015-S102: 2011 YS62  with the observations from the three nights of and updated orbital elements.

 Background
(as of 2015-09-30)
  •  Object: 2011 YS62
  • Approximate Diameter: 310 m - 680 m (1017.06 feet to 2230.97 feet) ( Absolute Magnitude:  H=  19.7 )
  •  Orbit Type: Amor
  • First Observed was made  on: 2011 12 29.15398
  • First Observed  By: Pan-STARRS 1 (MPC Code F51) 
  •  Assignment of asterisk: Catalina Sky Survey (MPC Code 703) For infomation on how discoverer is defined read MPEC 2010-U20 : EDITORIAL NOTICE
  •  Last Observed: 2015 09 28.58389
  •  Data-Arc Span: 1405 days (3.85 yr) 
  •  Number Oppositions :2
  •  Number of Observations Made:  85
  • Next Close-Approach:  Will safely pass Earth on  2015-Nov-2 at Nominal Distance of 0.0914513682160852 AU (35.59(LD)) or 8,500,935.758 miles or ( 13,680,929.957 KM)
  • On the Goldstone Asteroid Schedule: NO
  • On the Arecibo Asteroid Schedule:  YES,  Dates: 2015 Nov 29 (Request Optical Astrometry: No(It was request before recovery was made), Request Optical  Lightcurve:NO, Request Optical Characterization NO)
  Target lists
   
  Other Links