On 31 October 2015 TB145 asteroid will pass at a distance of about 525,000 kilometers of our planet, equivalent to 1.3 times the average distance from Earth to the Moon, so tuned instruments for INAOE observe.
If the weather permits, will be closely monitored by a team of astrophysicists INAOE located in Tonantzintla, Puebla, said researcher Jose Ramon Valdes.
This, as part of a monitoring program asteroid that initiated the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE), public research center of the National Center for Science and Technology (CONACYT).
INAOE renewed, for this and other projects, the Schmidt House, the historic telescope with which thousands of astronomical discoveries in the decades of the forties and nineties of the twentieth century were made.
José Ramón Valdés, INAOE researcher said that the size of this asteroid has been estimated between 280 and 620 meters and is the closer of a large asteroid from July 3, 2006, when the asteroid 2004 XP14 spent 1.1 times distance to the moon.
“Although the approach of a large asteroid is not very common, asteroids middle step is much more common, it is estimated that the number of asteroids between one hundred meters and one kilometer near-Earth is about 19 000 500 and most of these cosmic rocks they have not yet been discovered.
He noted that the number of small asteroids, under a hundred meters, is much higher, hence the scientific importance and from the point of view of security of the planet, with search systems and monitoring of asteroids, in particular those They are known as Near Earth Objects and even more so-called potentially hazardous asteroids.
“The latter can it have a minimum distance of orbital intersection with Earth less than 750 000 kilometers. An asteroid medium definitely has the ability to destroy a metropolitan area should it fall in the right place,” he said.
The asteroid was discovered TB145 2015 barely 10 October by the Pan-STARRS1 telescope, operated by the Institute of Astronomy, University of Hawaii, one of the systems in the world dedicated to the search for new asteroids.
“To date just over 13 thousand near-Earth and in the year 215 thousand have been discovered new objects of this type asteroids are known. As important is to discover an asteroid to develop systematic monitoring campaigns once they are discovered.
Having a greater number of observations of a particular asteroid to calculate more precise orbital elements and determine with greater certainty the possible danger to impact on the surface of the Earth, “said the researcher.
With the aim of increasing the number of observations of asteroids near the Earth has created an international monitoring network in more than 40 countries.
“In order to insert Mexico in this important task, coordinating Astrophysics INAOE we took on the task of renovating the historic Schmidt Chamber of Tonantzintla was inaugurated in February 1942″, notified astrophysicist.
The reactivation of the Schmidt camera consisted of placing about 77.4 cm mirror telescope a new aluminum layer as reflective surface.
It also called cleaning the 66.04 correcting lens used to correct spherical aberration produced by the mirror.
They put together new telescope control systems and imaging, as light pollution conditions in Tonantzintla prevented still use astronomical plates operating in the Chamber since its inauguration Schmidt said.
Once the trial period ended renewed Schmidt Chamber have found that improvements have resulted in a substantial increase of the benefits of this historic telescope.
“On the one hand, it allows us to overcome light pollution, since the integration times of our images are substantially lower and, secondly, have allowed us to obtain images of very faint asteroids whose flows could not be detected before the restoration process .
Under current conditions we can observe asteroids that are 32 times weaker than previously discovered, “Valdes said.
The researcher added that for INAOE is a great satisfaction that the Schmidt camera is reinserted in modern astronomical observations.
He said he can be dedicated full time permanent observation campaigns of near-Earth asteroids, potentially hazardous asteroids and those who, in the not too distant future, could be targets for future NASA missions.
“The comments we will also allow us to know some important physical parameters of asteroids such as its period of rotation, shape and size, and the tilt of its axis of rotation,” he said.
Knowing these physical parameters is very important because if they find that any of these objects can collide with Earth in the future will depend on how much damage, if it is larger, more massive and faster is potentially more dangerous one smaller, less massive and slower.
Source Notimex / fcf Photo: Notimex
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