The Asteroid/Comet Connection's
daily news journal about
asteroids, comets, and meteors

Today's issue status: done & updated

• News briefs – the week of weeks & meteor news
• Risk monitoring – JPL has posted 2004 HW & NEODyS has removed 2004 GA1

Cover: Seven 30-second frames from Rafael Ferrando's participation early yesterday in the confirmation of 2004 HM at Pla D'Arguines Observatory in Spain. See more about 2004 HM in A/CC's small objects report yesterday, and it has impact solutions, about which see more below

The week of weeks:  Today begins both International Astronomy Week (ahead of International Astronomy Day next Saturday) and U.S. National Dark-Sky Week. Check your local newspaper, community calendar, astronomy club, or observatory for activities.

Meteor news:  National Geographic has an item today, "Sky Show This Week: Lyrids Kick Off Meteor Season" (overnight 21-22 April, maximum just before dawn). See also the Gary Kronk Lyrids, Sky & Telescoope April's Lyrid Meteor Shower, and SpaceWeather.com Spring Shower pages.

Space.com has an article today, "When Meteors Explode: Full Account of a Wild Chicago Night." See also an April 14th news release from the University of Chicago about the March 2003 event.

A bright meteor this morning has been posted from the Sandia all-sky camera in Albuquerque, New Mexico (838Kb Quicktime movie, temporary link).

Risk monitoring 19 April

The Monday Daily Orbit Update MPEC carries observation of 2004 GA1 from KLENOT in the Czech Republic last night. Today NEODyS removed its impact solutions for this kilometer-size object, and JPL cut from eleven solutions to just one in the year 2083, and lowered its overall risk ratings.

Wykrota Observatory in Brazil caught 2004 HM yesterday morning, and today JPL slightly lowered its risk ratings for this object, with now two impact solutions — one in 2101 and another in 2104. See the "cover" above for an animation of this small object.

The DOU reports observation of 2004 GE2 from Petit Jean Mountain Observatory in Arkansas yesterday morning and from KLENOT last night. Today JPL slightly raised the low risk ratings for a single impact solution for this object in the year 2100.

In some housekeeping, NEODyS today moved 2004 BG121 from "Objects currently observable" to its "Lost objects" category. It was not reported seen after its 22.4-hour discovery arc. NEODyS also moved 2001 AV43 from "lost" to "currently observable" in

anticipation of a possible but difficult recovery. Francesco Manca at Sormano Observatory tells A/CC that "the recovery of 2001 AV43 will be possible only with a large telescope. The problem is not the uncertainty in the position, thanks to a single radar observation from Arecibo in January 2001, but the magnitude, about 24 V."

Late update:  After midnight UT but still the 19th in Pasadena, JPL has posted kilometer-size 2004 HW, which was announced today in MPEC 2004-H32 as discovered yesterday and confirmed today by the Siding Spring Survey is Australia.