Spacewatch

The Spacewatch Project is an astronomical survey that specializes in the study of minor planets, including various types of asteroids and comets at University of Arizona telescopes on Kitt Peak near Tucson, Arizona. The Spacewatch Project has been active longer than any other similar currently active programs.[1]

Spacewatch was founded in 1980 by Tom Gehrels and Robert S. McMillan, and is currently led by astronomer Melissa Brucker at the University of Arizona. Spacewatch uses three telescopes of apertures 0.9-m, 1.8-m, and 2.3-m. These telescopes are located on Kitt Peak, with the first two dedicated to the purpose of locating Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).[2][3]

The 36 inch (0.9 meter) telescope on Kitt Peak has been in use by Spacewatch since 1984, and since 2000 the 72 inch (1.8 meter) Spacewatch telescope.[4] Spacewatch's 1.8-meter telescope is the largest in the world that is used exclusively for asteroids and comets.[5] It can find asteroids and comets anywhere from the space near Earth to regions beyond the orbit of Neptune and to do astrometry on the fainter of objects that are already known. The telescope uses a CCD camera at folded prime focus.[6]

The 0.9-meter telescope complements these deep observations using an array of four CCDs to cover a much larger field of view, 2.9 square degrees compared to the ~ 0.1 square degrees of the 1.8-meter.[6]

Each year, Spacewatch observes approximately 35 radar targets, 50 near-Earth objects, and 100 potential spacecraft rendezvous destinations. From 2013 to 2016, Spacewatch observed half of all NEOs and potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) observed by anyone in that time.[3] As of 2022[update], Spacewatch had discovered over 179,000 minor planets numbered by the Minor Planet Center.[7]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Spacewatch in action
* 3 Notable discoveries
* 4 See also
* 5 References

## History

The 1.8 meter Spacewatch telescope and its building on Kitt Peak were dedicated on June 7, 1997 for the purpose of finding previously unknown asteroids and comets.[8] Since January 1 2003, Spacewatch has made ~2400 separate-night detections of Near-Earth Objects.[5]

There was an upgrade to the 0.9 meter which was funded by NASA and the Kirsch Foundation.

The Spacewatch Project is the longest-running of all present programs of astrometry of solar system objects, and was the first to use CCDs to survey the sky for comets and asteroids.[3]

## Spacewatch in action

Spacewatch conducted a survey that was proposed May 12, 2006, and accepted on November 13, 2006. This survey used data taken over 34 months by the University of Arizona’s Spacewatch Project based at Steward Observatory, Kitt Peak. Spacewatch revisited the same sky area every three to seven nights in order to track cohorts of main-belt asteroids. This survey discovered one new large Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) and detected six others. This proved that new sweeps of the sky are productive even if they have been previously examined simply due to the complexities of running large surveys over many nights and variable conditions.[9]

## Notable discoveries

Number of NEOs detected by various projects:  LINEAR
NEAT
Spacewatch
LONEOS |  CSS
Pan-STARRS
NEOWISE
All others

|

* Callirrhoe[10]
* 5145 Pholus[11]
* 9965 GNU[12][13]
* 9885 Linux[14]
* 9882 Stallman[15]
* 9793 Torvalds[16]
* 20000 Varuna[17]
* 60558 Echeclus[18]
* 1998 KY26,[19] target of JAXA's Hayabusa2 extended mission.
* 65803 Didymos,[20] target of the DART mission
* (35396) 1997 XF11[21]
* (48639) 1995 TL8[22]
* (136617) 1994 CC[23]
* C/1992 J1[24]
* C/2011 KP36[25]
* 125P/Spacewatch[26]
* 174567 Varda[27]
* 2013 BS45[28]
* The project rediscovered 719 Albert, a long-lost asteroid.[29]

## See also

* Planetary Data System (PDS)
* Spaceguard
* List of near-Earth object observation projects

## References

1. ↑ McMillan, Robert (2001). "The Spacewatch Project". https://space.nss.org/wp-content/uploads/Space-Manufacturing-conference-13-239-The-Spacewatch-Project.pdf.
2. ↑ "The Spacewatch Project". University of Arizona. 2010. http://spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu/.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 McMillan, Robert S.; Larsen, Jeffrey A.; Bressi, Terrence H.; Scotti, James V.; Mastaler, Ronald A.; Tubbiolo, Andrew F. (August 2015). "Spacewatch Astrometry and Photometry of Near-Earth Objects". Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union 10 (S318): 317–318. doi:10.1017/S1743921315006766.
4. ↑ "Spacewatch telescope detects its first asteroids" (in en). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/10/001010072508.htm.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 McMillan, Robert S. (2007). "Spacewatch preparations for the era of deep all-sky surveys". Symposium S236: Near Earth Objects, our Celestial Neighbors: Opportunity and Risk, August 2006. 2. Cambridge University Press. p. 329. doi:10.1017/S1743921307003407. ISBN 978-0-521-86345-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=QQx8r1_TPQEC&pg=PA329.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Home SPACEWATCH®". The University of Arizona. https://spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu/telescopes.
7. ↑ "IAU Minor Planet Center". https://minorplanetcenter.net/data.
8. ↑ Perry, Marcus L.; Bressi, Terrence; McMillan, Robert S.; Tubbiolo, Andrew; Barr, Lawrence D. (26 May 1998). "1.8-m Spacewatch telescope motion control system". Telescope Control Systems III 3351: 450–465. doi:10.1117/12.308809. Bibcode: 1998SPIE.3351..450P.
9. ↑ Larsen, Jeffrey A.; Roe, Eric S.; Albert, C. Elise; Descour, Anne S.; McMillan, Robert S.; Gleason, Arianna E.; Jedicke, Robert; Block, Miwa et al. (1 April 2007). "The Search for Distant Objects in the Solar System Using Spacewatch". The Astronomical Journal 133 (4): 1247–1270. doi:10.1086/511155. Bibcode: 2007AJ....133.1247L.
10. ↑ Cowing, Keith. "17th moon of Jupiter discovered". http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=189.
11. ↑ "5145 Pholus (1992 AD)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=Pholus.
12. ↑ "9965 GNU". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=9965;orb=0;cov=0;log=0#elem.
13. ↑ "SDSS/SMASS asteroid taxonomy". http://people.roma2.infn.it/~masi/sdss_smass/.
14. ↑ "9885 Linux". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=9885 Linux#content.
15. ↑ "9882 Stallman". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=9882 Stallman#discovery.
16. ↑ "9793 Torvalds". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=9793 Torvalds#discovery.
17. ↑ "20000 Varuna". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=20000.
18. ↑ "coms06". http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds/coms06.htm.
19. ↑ "1998 KY26". JPL Small-Body Database Browser. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=1998 KY26.
20. ↑ "65803 Didymos". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=65803.
21. ↑ "MPEC 1997-Y11: 1997 XF11". Minor Planet Center. http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/mpec/J97/J97Y11.html.
22. ↑ "MPEC 1999-L24: 1995 SM55, 1995 TL8, 1996 GQ21". Minor Planet Center. http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/mpec/J99/J99L24.html.
23. ↑ "(136617) 1994 CC, "Beta", and "Gamma"". http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/astro/astmoons/am-136617.html.
24. ↑ "Spacewatch Outer Solar System Discoveries". University of Arizona. http://spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu/outerss_text.html.
25. ↑ T. H. Bressi; R. Holmes; T. Vorobjov; L. Buzzi; S. Foglia et al. (17 May 2012). "Comet C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams 3109 (1). Bibcode: 2012CBET.3109....1B. http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iau/cbet/003100/CBET003109.txt.C/2011+KP36+(Spacewatch)&rft.jtitle=Central+Bureau+for+Astronomical+Telegrams&rft.aulast=T.+H.+Bressi&rft.au=T.+H.+Bressi&rft.au=R.+Holmes&rft.au=T.+Vorobjov&rft.au=L.+Buzzi&rft.au=S.+Foglia&rft.au=P.+Miller&rft.au=P.+Roche&rft.au=A.+Tripp&rft.au=R.+Miles&rft.date=17+May+2012&rft.volume=3109&rft.issue=1&rft_id=info:bibcode/2012CBET.3109....1B&rft_id=http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iau/cbet/003100/CBET003109.txt&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikibooks.org:Astronomy:Spacewatch">
26. ↑ "125P/Spacewatch". http://cometography.com/pcomets/125p.html.
27. ↑ "174567 Varda". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=174567.
28. ↑ "2013 BS45". IAU Minor Planet Center. http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=2013 BS45.
29. ↑ "Spacewatch Recovery of Long-Lost Asteroid (719) Albert". The University of Arizona. https://spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu/news/spacewatch-recovery-long-lost-asteroid-719-albert.

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Planetary defense

Main topics|

* Asteroid
* Bolide
* Earth-grazing fireball
* Impact event
* List of meteor air bursts
* Meteor procession
* Meteor shower
* Meteorite
* Meteoroid
* Near-Earth object
* Potentially hazardous object

Defense|

* Asteroid impact avoidance
* Asteroid laser ablation
* Gravity tractor
* Ion-beam shepherd
* Asteroid close approaches
* Earth-crossing minor planets
* Damage scales
* Palermo scale
* Torino scale

Space probes|

* Dawn
* Deep Impact
* AIDA
* Hera
* DART
* Halley Armada
* Hayabusa
* Hayabusa2
* MASCOT
* NEAR Shoemaker
* NEA Scout
* New Horizons
* OSIRIS-REx
* PROCYON
* Rosetta
* Philae
* Stardust

NEO tracking|

* ATLAS
* Catalina Sky Survey
* LINEAR
* LONEOS
* NEAT
* NEOSSat
* NEOCam
* NEODyS
* OGS Telescope
* Orbit@home
* Pan-STARRS
* SCAP
* Sentinel Space Telescope
* Sentry
* Spacewatch
* WISE

Organizations|

* B612 Foundation
* Japan Spaceguard Association
* Meteoritical Society
* NEOShield
* Spaceguard
* The Spaceguard Foundation
* Space Situational Awareness Programme
* Planetary Defense Coordination Office

Potential threats|

* 1950 DA
* 1994 WR12
* 101955 Bennu
* 2002 MN
* (410777) 2009 FD
* 2010 RF12
* 99942 Apophis

Films / video|

* The End of the World (1916)
* When Worlds Collide (1951)
* Gorath (1962)
* The Green Slime (1968)
* The Paradise Syndrome (1968)
* A Fire in the Sky (1978)
* Meteor (1979)
* NOVA: Doomsday Asteroid (1995)
* Asteroid (1997)
* Deep Impact (1998)
* Armageddon (1998)
* Judgment Day (1999)
* Post Impact (2004)
* Deadly Skies (2006)
* Super Comet: After the Impact (2007)
* Impact (2009)
* NOVA: Last Extinction (2009)
* Meteor Storm (2010)
* HORIZON: Asteroids–The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (2010)
* Melancholia (2011)
* NOVA: Meteor Strike (2013)
* NOVA: Asteroid: Doomsday or Payday? (2013)
* Impact Earth (2015)
* Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

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