KILLER ASTEROID PROJECT

Asteroid research is available through the

International Astronomical Search Collaboration

Minor Planet Observations

Student Minor Planet Discovery Table

H. Chun, Cranston H.S. East, Cranston, RI discovers Minor Planet K07T00W on 2007 10 04

Asteroid moving in a science image

Asteroid discovery made by J. Stockton Dallas, TX at the IASC (International Asteroid Search Campaign) region 14 workshop on January 28, 2007.  The two elongated objects to the left in the image above are also asteroids.

Asteroid discovery made by K. Glidewell, Dallas, TX Ranger High School at the IASC (International Asteroid Search Campaign) region 14 workshop.

The Astronomical Research Institute has made 6 new asteroid discoveries during the 3rd week of August 2006 with one of the latest being an object discovered by Patrick Miller.  

TNO 2005 RN43 Observations  -  Discovered by Andy Puckett 

using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)

This is an asteroid discovered by student L. Steffen of Fayetteville NC in December 2004

The Asteroid Research Project allows student researchers the opportunity to make exciting discoveries in the classroom.  Students will learn how to visually identify asteroids by blinking star images that are downloadable from an Internet FTP site.  Stars and galaxies in our images are so far away that they don't  appear to move.  Asteroids however are relatively close to Earth in comparison to the stars so these asteroids appear to move quickly across the image in a matter of minutes.  You will use this movement to visually observe asteroid movement in the science images we will provide you.  You will study and make real measurements of asteroids using your computer.

Asteroid Discovery -  Astronomical Research Staff

Statistical Data for ARO Minor Planet Observations

The 2004 school year marked the first year that the Astronomical Research Institute developed an asteroid search program in cooperation with Cape Fear High School astronomy teacher Harlan Devore.   This program will allow teachers and students the opportunity to conduct real science in their own classroom using extremely current data.  With this data students will be able to:

• Report positions of asteroids to the MPC

• Discover new asteroids

Over the past year the Astronomical Research Institute has imaged hundreds of asteroids.  Most of our target fields contain at least one asteroid,  but we have seen as many as 7 asteroids in a single image set!   Most of the asteroids are moderately bright and have already been discovered.   These dim asteroids are the targets of your potential discoveries, and it will take a sharp eye to spot them.  Everyone will find some asteroids in their images, but a skilled and careful observer will be able to make a new discovery of an asteroid which has never been measured before.  

In the past few years the Astronomical Research Institute has made over 160 asteroid discoveries.  Today very few amateurs are involved in the discovery of new asteroids and reporting their positions because the cost of equipment needed to image them is beyond the means of the average amateur astronomer.  

Asteroid discovered by an astronomy class in Paducah, KY October 2004

Project Evaluation

This project will allow your students to understand that:

• The motion of asteroids is the key to seeing them relative to the more distant stars

• The CCD camera of an Astro-Research Telescope takes 3 separate images.  When aligned and blinked, these images will reveal the motion of  asteroids in a straight line.  The time between images taken of the same field is typically 30 minutes.  These images contain information which will allow students to measure the motion of these asteroids which will be used to make real contributions to the field of astronomy.

• Fast moving asteroids, or objects which move a greater distance in an image set will be relativity close or Near Earth Objects (NEO's.)  Slower moving asteroids seen in the image sets are typically Main Belt Objects or MBO's.  The slowest moving objects that are extremely dim and takes hours to move only a few arc seconds are call Trans-Neptunian objects or TNO's. 

Astronomical Research Institute 

Astronomical Research Observatory - Minor Planet Center observatory code H55

How Do I Get Started?

Our archives contain images that will teach you the basics of asteroid detection.    Your  software will allow you to make astrometric measurements of NEO's and asteroids in your images.  These are precision measurements of the stars and asteroids in your images.  You can also take brightness measurements using a technique called photometry.   Both of these measurements are especially important to the Minor Planet Center.   You will also learn how to send astrometric measurements of asteroids that have already been discovered to the Minor Planet Center.  These reports are extremely important to professional astronomers because it enhances orbital elements of asteroids.  By providing this data, you will be making important contributions to science.