2 min listen
112E-124-Great Shefford Observatory
ratings:
Length:
2 minutes
Released:
Jan 19, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
On the first night an Earth approaching asteroid candidate is discovered, one is lucky to obtain observations for a few hours along its path in the sky. Since a typical near Earth asteroid takes from a few hundred days to several years to complete a trip around the Sun, it takes more than a few hours of data to be able to predict where it will go. Peter Birtwhistle of the Great Shefford Observatory in England is one of unsung heroes of the asteroid hunting community. On a recent observing run he helped to determine the orbits of several objects which I discovered with the NASA funded, Catalina Sky Survey, 60 inch telescope on Mt. Lemmon. Without his efforts they would have likely been lost. These are only the most recent results of his work. Over the years, his data have helped to establish the orbits of more than 4000 Earth approaching objects
Released:
Jan 19, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
80-Rocks From Space Tell A Tale: The small asteroid which entered the Earth's atmosphere and injured nearly 1500 people in February of 2013 had a history which can be traced back to the Moon forming event. by Travelers In The Night