12/14/2023 0 Comments Nasa eyes on astroid![]() ![]() Because there was no prior record of Apophis for the purpose of this exercise, the asteroid was logged as a brand-new detection. In Arizona made the first detection and reported the object's astrometry (its position in the sky) to the Minor Planet Center. 4, 2020, as the asteroid started to brighten, the NASA-funded When the asteroid approached, astronomical surveys had no prior record of Apophis. (MPC) – the internationally recognized clearinghouse for the position measurements of small celestial bodies – pretended that it was an unknown asteroid by preventing the new observations of Apophis from being connected with previous observations of it. But to make the exercise more realistic, the "This real-world scientific input stress-tested the entire planetary defense response chain, from initial detection to orbit determination to measuring the asteroid's physical characteristics and even determining if, and where, it might hit Earth," said Vishnu Reddy, associate professor at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson, who led the campaign.Īstronomers knew Apophis would approach Earth in early December 2020. Scientific observations of Apophis' most recent close approach, which occurred between December 2020 and March 2021, were used by the planetary defense community for this exercise. But based on tracking measurements taken during several close approaches since the asteroid's discovery, astronomers have refined Apophis' orbit and now know that it poses no impact hazard whatsoever for 100 years or more. ![]() For a short while after its discovery in 2004, Apophis was assessed to have a significant chance of impacting Earth in 2029 or later. The exercise focused on the real asteroid Apophis. ![]() Zoom in to travel along with your favorite spacecraft as they explore these fascinating near-Earth objects in beautiful 3D. Published in the Planetary Science Journal on Tuesday, May 31.įully interactive, Eyes on Asteroids uses science data to help visualize asteroid and comet orbits around the Sun. The exercise confirmed that, from initial detection to follow-up characterization, the international planetary defense community can act swiftly to identify and assess the hazard posed by a new near-Earth asteroid discovery. Not only was the object "discovered" during the exercise, its chances of hitting Earth were continually reassessed as it was tracked, and the possibility of impact was ruled out.Ĭoordinated by the International Asteroid Warning NetworkĪnd NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office To that end, more than 100 astronomers from around the world participated in an exercise last year in which a large, known, and potentially hazardous asteroid was essentially removed from the planetary defense-monitoring database to see whether it could be properly detected anew. The lessons learned could limit, or even prevent, global devastation should the scenario play out for real in the future. So, to test their operational readiness, the international planetary defense community will sometimes use a real asteroid's close approach as a mock encounter with a "new" potentially hazardous asteroid. Watching the skies for large asteroids that could pose a hazard to the Earth is a global endeavor. Over 100 participants from 18 countries – including NASA scientists and the agency's NEOWISE mission – took part in the international exercise. Planetary Defense Exercise Uses Apophis as Hazardous Asteroid Stand-In At bottom left is an illustration of the path of Apophis’ close approach in 2029.Ĭredit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona Clockwise from top left are three of the observatories that participated in a 2021 planetary defense exercise: NASA’s Goldstone planetary radar, the Mount Lemmon telescope of the Catalina Sky Survey, and NASA’s NEOWISE mission. ![]()
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