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NASA, the space agency of the United States, is always on the lookout for any nearby asteroids and comets that could potentially hit the Earth. For this reason, astronomers at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory have launched a new program that is open to anyone who wants to become an asteroid hunter. The program is part of the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey and it enables the general public to participate in the discovery and identification of space rocks that regularly visit the Earth’s vicinity.
Most of the space objects like asteroids and comets cannot be seen from the naked eye as they are just unfathomable lumps of rocks that are tumbling through space. However, because of their origin, these space objects might hold clues and provide more information about the formation of the sun and the various planets in the solar system.
According to a graph provided by NASA, the current total of near-Earth asteroids that have been discovered in the past few years has doubled or even tripled compared to ten years ago. The Catalina Sky Survey is responsible for the discovery of 14,400 near-Earth asteroids, including 1,200 new ones in the last year alone.
The new program provides access to the public to the Catalina Sky Survey’s telescopes and requires its participants to create an account on Zooniverse, an online platform known for people-powered research. The volunteers do not need any specialized training, and to begin asteroid hunting, the participants must go through a basic tutorial that will have them picking out moving asteroids from the sky like a professional astronomer.
The participants will look through sets of images of the night sky taken by one of the Catalina Sky Survey telescopes. Each image set comprises four exposures taken six or seven minutes apart. The images show a moving speck of light from one picture to the next, which could represent the light reflected from a faraway comet or asteroid. Participants will have to determine if the identified light in the images seems like a genuine celestial body or is a false detection resulting from other causes.
With enough people participating in the program, a general consensus can be established, and there is less margin of error for identifying actual space objects from moving specks of light. The Catalina Sky Survey uses five powerful telescopes each night to track over a million lumps of flying rock with different diameters, ranging from the length of a school bus to the width of Arizona.
The process of identifying and reporting a newly detected NEO is time-sensitive, and sometimes astronomers can lose track of them if not followed up immediately on their discovery. This is because NEOs have erratic orbits that only bring them close to Earth every three or four years, and some smaller NEOs can only be detected if they are near the Earth’s orbit.
In the testing phase of the new program, three citizen scientists found 64 possible candidates for unknown asteroids, which they submitted to the Minor Planet Center as potential new discoveries. The aim of the Catalina Sky Survey astronomers is to release new data into the interface every day once their scheduled nighttime viewing session is complete.
In conclusion, the new program launched by the astronomers at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in astronomy to become an asteroid hunter. Participants can offer their support to the discovery and identification of space rocks that visit Earth’s vicinity regularly and network with fellow astronomy enthusiasts while doing so.
FAQ:
1) What is the new program launched by astronomers at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory?
Answer: The program is called the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey, and it enables the general public to participate in the discovery and identification of space rocks that regularly visit the Earth’s vicinity.
2) Do participants in the program require any specialized training or knowledge?
Answer: No, participants do not need any specialized training or knowledge. The program provides a basic tutorial that helps participants identify moving asteroids in the sky.
3) What is the aim of the program?
Answer: The program’s primary goal is to keep track of and discover any nearby asteroids and comets that could potentially hit the Earth.
4) Why is the discovery of near-Earth objects important?
Answer: Near-Earth objects like asteroids and comets might hold clues that provide more information about the formation of the sun, the various planets in the solar system, and provide more insight into the workings of the universe.
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