Sunday15 August 20046:58pm MDT2004-08-16 UTC 0058 back top next  

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

Today's issue status: done

yesterdayAugusttomorrowIndex

Cover: The quiet NEO Confirmation Page (NEOCP) came alive August 8th, and AO86297, which was added the next day, was pursued successfully by nine observing facilities overnight, including these two with images: Lower left: From Josep Julia Gomez at Marxuquera Observatory in Spain, a stack of 16 ten-sec. exposures with his 0.25m telescope (motion 24.76"/min.). Top: From Robert Hutsebaut in Belgium, a ten-sec. exposure with a 0.25m Rent-A-Scope in New Mexico (33.55"/min.). The following night, at lower right, Pepe Manteca at Begues Observatory in Spain with a 0.36m telescope caught a meteor with the object, now designated 2004 PZ19 (see more below). He has an animation here with north down and without the meteor (not a Perseid).

Small objects – panel 1/2 Major News for 15 August 2004 back top next  

Small objects
Discovery & follow-up for 9-15 August

The discovery of six small asteroids (defined at right) were announced this past week, with two from LONEOS in Arizona and four from LINEAR in New Mexico. You have to go back two new Moons to meet or beat that count (see 14-20 June report, with eight discoveries). Four other small asteroids were tracked in the last seven days, and 26 observing facilities participated in the week's work. Rarer than discoveries are recoveries of small objects, and it was reported this week that 2000 AE205 had been recovered by David Tholen's team on Mauna Kea.

This week the northern 2m robotic telescope of the educational Faulkes Telescope Project (FTP) first appeared in MPECs with its new F65 MPC code and observations of six objects during 5-6, 19, and 29-30 April, and of small object 54509 2000 PH5 on July 27th. See April news for more about this project.

Last Sunday's report noted that no small objects were predicted to fly by closely in August, but newly discovered 2004 PZ19 flew past at 1.6 lunar distances (LD) on Wednesday and 2004 PU42, which has some low-rated impact solutions, is at 2.1 LD today. Also 2004 PB97 was at 13.0 LD on Monday and 2004 PR92 will be at 11.8 LD next Friday.

<< previous report | skip table | Small objects table >>

What’s so big about “small objects”? If an asteroid’s orbit brings it to within 0.05 astronomical units (AU) of Earth's orbit, it is categorized as “potentially hazardous” unless it has an absolute magnitude H greater than 22.0, which corresponds to a diameter on the order of 135 meters/yards. Larger H means less bright, thus smaller size. And 0.05 AU is about 19.5 times the distance between Earth and Moon (0.00256 AU). To be discovered and tracked, such objects usually must come close (a few are Earth’s nearest neighbors, coming closer than the Moon). They are exposed pieces of distant asteroid populations, and they have within their own population tomorrow’s meteors. And their discovery and follow-up represents today’s best amateur and professional asteroid observing work. Diameter & Earth MOID: In the following observation summary table, the stated diameters are rough best estimates from a standard but very inexact H-to-size formula using H (absolute magnitude, or brightness) from the JPL NEO Orbital Elements page, source also for Earth MOID (minimum orbital intersection distance). Current Minor Planet Center H is also given, along with the original H from each object's discovery MPEC. Other sources: Planetary MOIDs are from Lowell Observatory. Priorities and visibilities are from the European Spaceguard Central Node (SCN). And flyby distances and times are from the JPL Close Approach Table. See also the Sormano Observatory SAEL(H>22.0 and Earth MOID<0.015 AU), and NEODyS listings have yet another H calculation.
Small objects – panel 2/2 (table) Major News for 15 August 2004 back top next  

Small object observation summary for 9-15 August

H = absolute magnitude (brightness), from which size is roughly estimated   —   m/yd = meters/yards   —   [cross index]
All objects had observations reported last week. Those on a light-blue background had observations from only before the week.


Object		Estimated
diameter		JPL
H		MPC
H		Discovery
H in MPEC		 Earth
MOID		European Spaceguard Central Node
priority/visibility/campaign
2004 PU42
Apollo
has VIs		15 m/yd26.7826.727.0 2004-P470.001099 AUnot on SCN Priority List
NEW: 2004 PU42 was discovered on 11 Aug. by LINEAR, was confirmed on 11 Aug. by KLENOT, and on 12 Aug. by Table Mountain Obs., and was announced in MPEC 2004-P47 of 12 Aug. This object was also observed at midnight 11-12 Aug. from Obs. Astronomico de Mallorca (OAM) by the Visnjan School of Astronomy (VSA) NEO group (see report and cover), on 12 Aug. by LINEAR and Marxuquera Obs., on 13 Aug. by Sormano Obs., and on 14 Aug. by Pla D'Arguines Obs., as well as by Great Shefford Obs. on 12-14 Aug. This object was at 2.1 lunar distances (LD) from Earth on 15 Aug.
2004 PR92
Apollo		33 m/yd25.0425.225.2 2004-P510.025885 AU
NEW: 2004 PR92 was discovered on 12 Aug. by LINEAR, was confirmed on 12 Aug. by Consell Obs., on 13 Aug. by La Canada Obs., and on 14 Aug. by Pla D'Arguines Obs., and was announced in MPEC 2004-P51 of 14 Aug. This object will be at 11.8 LD on 20 Aug.
2004 PB97
Amor		37 m/yd24.8025.125.1 2004-P580.027777 AU
NEW: 2004 PB97 was discovered on 11 Aug. by LINEAR, was confirmed on 12 Aug. by LINEAR, and on 15 Aug. by the VSA NEO group via OAM and by Jana Pittichova and Jim Bedient with the Univ. of Hawaii 2.2m Telescope, and was announced in MPEC 2004-P58 of 15 Aug. This object passed by at 13.0 LD on 9 Aug.
2004 PG20
Amor		41 m/yd24.6124.624.6 2004-P370.047823 AUUrgent, visibility ends 19 Sept.
NEW: 2004 PG20 was discovered on 9 Aug. by LONEOS, was confirmed on 9 Aug. by Table Mountain Obs. and KLENOT, and on 10 Aug. by Table Mountain Obs. and Robert Hutsebaut using a Rent-A-Scope telescope, and was announced in MPEC 2004-P37 of 10 Aug. It hasn't been reported since then.
2004 PZ19
Apollo		42 m/yd24.5424.524.5 2004-P330.000252 AUnot on SCN Priority List
NEW: 2004 PZ19 was discovered on 9 Aug. by LINEAR, and was confirmed on 9 Aug. by KLENOT, Tentlingen Obs., the VSA NEO group via OAM (see report and cover), and Marxuquera Obs., and on 10 Aug. by McCarthy Obs., Powell Obs., Table Mountain Obs., Sabino Canyon Obs., and Hutsebaut. It was announced in MPEC 2004-P33 of 10 Aug. This object was also observed on 10 Aug. by Sandlot Obs., LINEAR, Begues Obs., Pla D'Arguines Obs., Marxuquera Obs., and Linhaceira Obs. See the cover above for images of 2004 PZ19, which flew past Earth at 1.6 LD on 11 Aug.
2004 OW10
Apollo		42 m/yd24.5424.524.4 2004-O390.004464 AUNecessary, visibility ends 27 Aug.
2004 OW10 was observed on 6-8 Aug. by La Canada Obs. It has an MOID of 0.008 AU with Mars.
2004 NK8
Apollo		73 m/yd23.3323.523.1 2004-O060.035967 AU
2004 NK8 was reported as a single position from Linz Obs. on 11 Aug. This added 21.023 days to what had been a 6.721-day observation arc. On 9 Aug., when the SCN Priority List last had 2004 NK8, it was put as Urgent with visibility ending on the 13th.
2000 AE205
Apollo		89 m/yd22.8923.023.3 2000-B030.028907 AU
2000 AE205 was reported this past week as observed on 20 and 22 July by Fabrizio Bernardi with David Tholen and the UH 2.2m Telescope, as reported in MPEC 2004-P34 of 10 Aug. This object was previously last reported on 1 March 2000, when it had a 53-day observing arc.
2004 PJ
Amor		96 m/yd22.7323.123.0 2004-P210.060381 AUUseful, visibility ends 19 Sept.
2004 PJ was observed on 7 Aug. by Cordell-Lorenz Obs., on 8 Aug. by KLENOT and Jurassien-Vicques Obs., on 9 Aug. by LINEAR, on 10 Aug. by LINEAR, on 11 Aug. by LINEAR, and on 12 Aug. by LINEAR. It has an MOID of 0.042 AU with Mars.
54509
2000 PH5
Apollo		107 m/yd22.5122.721.9 2000-P320.001726 AU
54509 2000 PH5 was observed on 27 July by the Faulkes Telescope North, on 30 July by Verona Observatory, on 8 Aug. by Wildberg Obs. and Herrenberg Obs., and on 9 Aug. by LINEAR.
2004 PF20
Amor		108 m/yd22.4922.622.5 2004-P360.111107 AUUseful, visibility ends 25 Sept.
NEW: 2004 PF20 was discovered on 9 Aug. by LONEOS, was confirmed on 9 Aug. by LINEAR, Table Mountain Obs., and KLENOT, and on 10 Aug. by Hutsebaut, Sabino Canyon Obs., Francisquito Obs., and Table Mountain Obs., and was announced in MPEC 2004-P36 of 10 Aug. This object was also observed on 11 Aug. by Francisquito Obs. and Consell Obs., on 14 Aug. by Farpoint Obs., and on 15 Aug. by Begues Obs.

  Small object observation cross index   [table top]
ObjectObserved by MPC code
2000 AE205568
2004 NK8540
2004 OW10J87
2004 PB97568, 620 & 704
2004 PF20170, 176, 246, 673, 699, 704, 734, 854, G70 & H06
2004 PG20699
2004 PJ185, 246, 704 & 850
2004 PR92176, 704, 941 & J87
2004 PU42246, 587, 620, 673, 704, 941, 952 & J95
2004 PZ19170, 246, 620, 649, 673, 704, 854, 932, 938, 941, 952, A16, H06 & H36
54509 2000 PH5198, 240, 704, A48 & F65
CodeObservatoryObjects observed (days)
170Begues Obs.2004 PF20 & 2004 PZ19
176Consell Obs.2004 PF20 & 2004 PR92
185Jurassien-Vicques Obs.2004 PJ
198Wildberg Obs.54509 2000 PH5
240Herrenberg Obs.54509 2000 PH5
246KLENOT2004 PF20, 2004 PJ, 2004 PU42 & 2004 PZ19
540Linz Obs.2004 NK8
568Univ. of Hawaii 2.2m Telescope2000 AE205(2) & 2004 PB97
587Sormano Obs.2004 PU42
620Visnjan School of Astronomy NEO group/Obs. Astron. de Mallorca2004 PB97, 2004 PU42(2) & 2004 PZ19
649Powell Obs.2004 PZ19
673Table Mountain Obs.2004 PF20(2), 2004 PU42 & 2004 PZ19
699LONEOS2004 PF20 & 2004 PG20
704LINEAR2004 PB97(2), 2004 PF20, 2004 PJ(4), 2004 PR92, 2004 PU42(2), 2004 PZ19(2) & 54509 2000 PH5
734Farpoint Obs.2004 PF20
850Cordell-Lorenz Obs.2004 PJ
854Sabino Canyon Obs.2004 PF20 & 2004 PZ19
932McCarthy Obs.2004 PZ19
938Linhaceira Obs.2004 PZ19
941Pla D'Arguines Obs.2004 PR92, 2004 PU42 & 2004 PZ19
952Marxuquera Obs.2004 PU42 & 2004 PZ19(2)
A16Tentlingen Obs.2004 PZ19
A48Verona Observatory54509 2000 PH5
F65Faulkes Telescope North54509 2000 PH5
G70Francisquito Obs.2004 PF20(2)
H06Robert Hutsebaut/New Mexico Skies2004 PF20 & 2004 PZ19
H36Sandlot Obs.2004 PZ19
J87La Canada Obs.2004 OW10(3) & 2004 PR92
J95Great Shefford Obs.2004 PU42(3)
Risk monitoring - panel 1/1 Major News for 15 August 2004 back top next  
Risk monitoring 15 August

Observation of 2004 PU42 was reported in the Sunday Daily Orbit Update MPEC from LINEAR in New Mexico from early Thursday, and from late last night at Great Shefford Observatory in England. Today NEODyS very slightly raised its low risk assessment for this small object. JPL hasn't updated its risk assessment with yesterday and today's new observational data.

Learn more about the pursuit of 2004 PU42 above.

Summary Risk Table - sources checked at 0010 UTC, 16 Aug

Object
Assessment
Years
VI		PS
cum		 PS
max		T
S		Arc 
days
 2004 PU42 NEODyS 8/152071-20776-6.23-6.5203.772
JPL 8/132053-210327-5.55-6.4901.826
 2004 ME6JPL 6/282017-209943-5.64-6.3500.873
 NEODyS 6/272044-20637-7.29-7.7600.873
VI = count of "virtual impactors" (impact solutions)
See A/CC's Consolidated Risk Tables for more and maybe
  newer details, and check the monitors' links for latest info.
Note that only objects recently in view are shown here.
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