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Dec.
2004
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10 December 2004 - Friday
Comet news: MPEC 2004-X35 today announces the discovery of comet C/2004 X2 (LINEAR), found yesterday morning by LINEAR in New Mexico and linked with observations from LONEOS in Arizona November 19th. It was confirmed yesterday morning with the Catalina Station 1.54m telescope in Arizona and this morning from KLENOT in the Czech Republic and Sabino Canyon Observatory in Arizona. The first preliminary calculation has this object on a very inclined path (i=72.2°), and now well past an August 25th perihelion at a distant 3.799 AU. (For comparison, Mars and Jupiter orbit at about 1.52 and 5.20 AU from the Sun.)
Also today, MPEC 2004-X36 shows that another asteroidal object with a suspicious orbit has been caught exhibiting cometary activity. It has been redesignated P/2004 VR8 (LONEOS), and new observations are reported from Kuma Kogen Observatory in Japan on the 8th and yesterday, and from the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona yesterday. P/2004 VR8 lives between Mars and Saturn and is predicted to be at perihelion on September 2nd next year.
Risk monitoring: Today's Daily Orbit Update (DOU) MPEC reports observation of 2004 VD17 and 2004 XK3. Today NEODyS and JPL both raised their risk assessments for both objects.
Also reported in today's DOU is that the Spacewatch 1.8m telescope in Arizona picked up 2004 MX2 yesterday morning, and today it was posted by NEODyS with a single low-rated impact solution. This is the first that the half-kilometer object has been listed since late June.
Dec.
2004
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9 December 2004 - Thursday
Comet news: MPEC 2004-X31 today announces the discovery of C/2004 X1 (LINEAR), shown as found early Tuesday by LINEAR in New Mexico and confirmed this morning by the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona and tonight by KLENOT in the Czech Republic. The first preliminary calculation has this object coming away from perihelion at 0.81 AU on the 7th of last month, just outside the orbit of Venus. Its distance from Earth is increasing and it is predicted to become only dimmer.
MPEC 2004-X29 yesterday reported that Maik Meyer located comet P/2004 V4 (NEAT) in Digitized Sky Survey scans of photographic plates from 24 and 26 October 1990 and 9 February 1991 from the Mt. Palomar 1.2m Schmidt telescope in southern California, and, in the SkyMorph archive from 26 November 1997 from NEAT's then telescope on Haleakala in Hawaii. The MPEC's author, Brian Marsden, supplies three sets of orbital parameters, from the epochs of 24 January 1991, 22 January 1998, and 31 January 2005.
Risk monitoring: Today's Daily Orbit Update reports observation of both 2004 VD17 and 2004 XK3. After very slightly lowering their overall risk ratings for 2004 VD17 yesterday, NEODyS and JPL today lowered them further, and they no longer have an impact solution rated at Torino Scale 1 in the year 2095.
Today's JPL 2004 XK3 risk assessment is very similar to that from two days ago, on the 7th, with ratings that are low but higher than yesterday's. And today NEODyS again very slightly raised its low risk assessment for this small object.
Dec.
2004
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8 December 2004 - Wednesday
Distant objects: Tomorrow's edition of the journal Nature has an article (abstract) by David Jewitt and Jane Luu about detecting crystalline water ice and ammonia hydrate on the surface of the large Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt object, 50000 Quaoar [alternate link]. Nature has a news report today telling that the "discovery suggests that Quaoar and many similar objects could be much warmer and more geologically active than had been thought." Space.com also has a report today.
HST news: The U.S. National Research Council reported today that its Committee on the Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope has concluded that "NASA should send a space shuttle mission, not a robotic one," and "as early as possible after the space shuttle is deemed safe to fly again." Space.com has a report, as does Reuters.
Comet news: A LINEAR discovery added to the Minor Planet Center's NEO Confirmation Page (NEOCP) at December 2.94 UT was announced today in MPEC 2004-X28 as P/2004 WR9 (LINEAR). Missing are the November discovery observations, but confirmation observations are reported from LINEAR and 15 other observing facilities from December 3rd through this morning. Perihelion is preliminarily predicted for January 11th out past Mars at 1.917 AU.
Update: Great Shefford Observatory has posted a P/2004 WR9 page with December 7th imagery showing a tail, and noting that this object was discovered on November 22nd. Although it was posted to the NEOCP with LINEAR's temporary designation, AR66070, it had already been issued an asteroid-style designation.
Meteor news: About yesterday's Astronomy Picture of the Day (see below) showing an alleged meteor strike on a lamp post, Chris Peterson has posted an exhaustive analysis which, in noting that the camera's flash was fired in the photographic series, concludes that "the most likely explanation is that this is the image of a bug passing right in front of the lens."
The Tasmanian Advocate has an article tomorrow about "Search on for outer space object" that fell Monday night (see below).
Jim Gamble has posted to his Latest El Paso, Texas Event page a bright meteor from yesterday morning at 5:45am MST (JPEG). In a message received at A/CC, he comments that the visual magnitude of -12.2 "is suspect. Heavy dew was on the camera dome at the time so mag may be too high."
Risk monitoring: Today's Daily Orbit Update MPEC reports observation of 2004 VD17 and 2004 XK3 from last night from KLENOT in the Czech Republic and Sormano Observatory in Italy, and also the night before from Linhaceira Observatory in Portugal for VD17 and from KLENOT for XK3. Today NEODyS and JPL very slightly lowered their overall risk ratings for 2004 VD17, and JPL lowered its ratings for 2004 XK3, while NEODyS, without impact solutions after 2080, raised its XK3 assessment very slightly.
Dec.
2004
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7 December 2004 - Tuesday
Tasmanian event: The Tasmania Advocate has an opinion piece about what was likely a meteor "seen in Northern and North Western skies" Monday night at 9:30pm. It brought "reports from Launceston, Devonport, Burnie and Queenstown."
New South Wales event: There are more reports about Monday morning's fireball seen over Australia's eastern coast, first reported yesterday. :
- "Meteorite passes over," 8 Dec. Port Macquarie News
- "As small as a cricket ball," 8 Dec. Manning River Times
- "A curious find," 8 Dec. Manning River Times (pieces found?)
- "Resident says he knows where it is," 8 Dec. Manning River Times
Meteor news: Herb Raab brings to our attention that NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for today is the clearest yet presentation on the Web of the claimed meteor strike on a wharf lamp post in Darwin on Australia's northern coast (see news thread). Not believed to be an actual meteor, "one purpose of posting this image is to mine the eclectic brain trust of APOD's readers." New is information that "The light pole near the flash has been inspected and does not show any damage."
Comet news: Space.com reports today that "New Comet Now Visible to Naked Eye," about C/2004 Q2 (Machholz).
Risk monitoring: Today's Daily Orbit Update (DOU) MPEC reports observation of two objects currently in view that have impact solutions, and also two such objects that aren't currently in view. The oldest of the latter is 2002 TX55, which was found in LINEAR observations from 3 November 2002, within the exisiting observation arc. Today JPL very slightly lowered its its low overall ratings for this small object. (See a thread from last month with other recent news.)
Additional observations for 2004 VZ14 were reported from the Spacewatch 0.9m telescope, also within this small object's observation arc, on November 11th, and NEODyS and JPL today slightly raised their risk estimates.
2004 VD17 observations are reported from three observatories on Saturday and yesterday, and today NEODyS and JPL slightly raised their overall risk ratings for this object, and both re-elevated a 2093 impact solution to Torino Scale 1 (a routine alert that an object "merits special monitoring"), so each monitor now has a total of three TS-1 ratings for 2004 VD17 in the years 2091-95.
And the DOU also shows that Great Shefford Observatory caught 2004 XK3 last night, and today JPL slightly, and NEODyS very slightly, raised their overall risk ratings for this small object.
Dec.
2004
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6 December 2004 - Monday
New South Wales event: Various news outlets are reporting that a fireball lit up the eastern coast of Australia a bit after 4am AEDT this morning, followed by a tremendous boom. A trail was observed at sunrise. Siding Spring Survey's Rob McNaught is widely quoted, although he didn't witness the event.
- "Meteorite boom shakes Manning," Manning River Times, 7 Dec.
- "Australia mystified by mysterious bumps in the night," AFP story at SpaceDaily, 6 Dec.
- "Meteorite caused flashes: expert," News.com.au, 6 Dec.
- "NSW coast awakes to mystery lights, rumbling," ABC Australia, 6 Dec.
Comet news: Space.com has a fresh report today, "Solar Storms Smack a Comet," about last week's news (see below) of comet research results from Geraint Jones and John Brandt:
“ "Without the amateur astronomers, this research would not have been possible," Jones said. "It's a great example of how amateur astronomers and professionals can work together." ... "They have more telescope time to themselves then [sic] we have sometimes as professional astronomers," said [Douglas Biesecker, NOAA Space Environment Center physicist] of amateur skywatchers. ”
Risk monitoring: Today's Daily Orbit Update MPEC reports observation of 2004 VD17 this morning from McCarthy Observatory in Connecticut, and today NEODyS and JPL both very slightly raised their overall risk assessments for this object. (JPL actually updated twice today UTC, with the first time to incorporate yesterday's newly reported observations.)
Dec.
2004
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5 December 2004 - Sunday
NEO news: At mid-day UT on December 1st, the Minor Planet Center's NEO Confirmation Page (NEOCP) began to come alive again after being quiet since November 24th. This down time included the full Moon on the 26th, the biggest U.S. travel holiday of the year, from the 25th to 28th, and wintery weather across the U.S. southwest, from where most near-Earth objects are discovered. One wonders what was missed, and a good idea of that comes from what was caught — the seven near-Earth object discoveries announced yesterday and Thursday, the first such announcements since November 22nd. One, 2004 XO, was briefly listed with a single impact solution, and another, 2004 XK3, is presently listed with many preliminary solutions. Four of the objects were discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey, located north of Tucson, Arizona, two by LINEAR near Socorro, New Mexico, and one by LONEOS outside Flagstaff, Arizona. Of the seven, five are small objects, including 2004 XK3. Using a standard but rough brightness-to-size formula, their diameters are estimated to be from 20 to 60 meters/yards. The largest of the seven is 2004 XJ3, estimated at 0.93 km. (0.57 mile) wide.
Despite the bright Moon and other circumstances that interrupted the discovery process, observers in the U.S. and around the world maintained a continuous watch on known hazardous object 2004 VD17 right through the quiet time.
Meteor news: Sri Lanka's Sunday Observer has a report today that a "47.015 kg" meteorite that fell near "Polonnaruwa on November 27 around 1.20 p.m." has been identified at the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies (ACCIMT) as "a rare type of iron meteorite." Update: The Sri Lanka Daily News has a similar report December 7th.
Bits & pieces: The Mesa, Arizona East Valley Tribune tells today some of the history of Meteor Crater, also known as Barringer Crater.
ABC Australia reports today that, "at the Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, north-west of Sydney, which sits within a national park, $750,000 has been spent over the past year on fire protection."
Risk monitoring: Today NEODyS posted 2004 XK3, for which today's Daily Orbit Update (DOU) MPEC carries further observation, and JPL updated its risk assessment. The DOU also has new observations of 2004 VD17 and NEODyS today slightly raised its risk assessment. (JPL didn't update until after midnight UTC.)
Dec.
2004
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4 December 2004 - Saturday
Risk monitoring: JPL today posted small object 2004 XK3 with a large number of impact solutions, but not an unusually large count for a first and very preliminary risk assessment. Its discovery early yesterday by LONEOS in Arizona was announced today in MPEC 2004-X12, which shows confirmation yesterday morning from two U.S. observatories that also closed out the confirmation process this morning along with a third and LONEOS.
After further observations were reported in today's Daily Orbit Update (DOU) MPEC, JPL today removed 2004 XO, which it had posted yesterday with a single low-rated impact solution after this object's discovery announcement.
Today's DOU carries observations of 2004 VD17 from yesterday. NEODyS today cut back to from three to two Torino Scale-1 ratings, but it and JPL slightly raised their overall risk ratings for this half-kilometer object.
Dec.
2004
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3 December 2004 - Friday
Namings: CBC Canada tells today about Main Belter 4143 Huziak (1981 QN1) being named after amateur variable star observer and astronomy activist Richard Huziak. This naming was announced in last January's batch (report).
In November A/CC noted a Xinhua government news agency item about the naming of Main Belter 29552 Chern for famed mathematician Shiing-shen Chern (Chen Xingshen). Xinhua today and China Daily today report his death from illness at age 93. Update: See also a University of California at Berkeley 6 December news release.
Meteor news: The saga of the "Hodges" meteorite, involved in "the only verified instance of a meteorite hitting a person in recorded history," is told at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer today, coming from the Tuscaloosa, Alabama News. See a news thread starting below.
Observatory news: The Parkes Champion-Post tells today that, due to threatening wildfires, staff had been evacuated from "The Dish," Australia's venerable radio telescope and auxilliary member of NASA's Deep Sky Network (more info). Sky & Telescope from yesterday has a report and photo.
The New Zealand Herald, in reporting today about wild weather (and wildfires) in that country, takes note of high winds at an important NEO observing site:
“ "Walking around outside at the Mt John Observatory was "a bit of a chore" in the 110 knot winds, observatory superintendent Alan Gilmore said yesterday. He classed the wind as medium to strong, with staff at the observatory not getting too excited about wind conditions until they hit 140 knots." ”
Risk monitoring: JPL has posted 2004 XO, the discovery of which was announced today in MPEC 2004-X08, found early yesterday by the Catalina Sky Survey and confirmed overnight from five other observing facilities.
Today's Daily Orbit Update MPEC reports observation of 2004 VD17 from early yesterday through early today from six facilities in the U.S. and Europe. Update: Just after lunch in Pasadena, JPL joined NEODyS, which had updated much earlier, in further raising its overall risk ratings for 2004 VD17. And JPL lowered one of its three impact solutions rated at Torino Scale 1 back to TS-0 ("no likely consequences").
Dec.
2004
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2 December 2004 - Thursday
Earth impact: ABC Australia has an item today about the discovery of "shocked quartz in layers of the rock also containing melt spherules and high iridium levels" in the Pilbara Craton area from a long suspected "massive meteorite impact that occurred 2.63 billion years ago ... in northwestern Australia's Pilbara region." This comes from an article (abstract) by Birger Rasmussen and Christian Koeberl in the December journal Geology. While this is "among the largest yet documented impacts in the Precambrian rock record," and "likely" happened on land, a crater hasn't been located yet.
Stellar influences: For more on yesterday's news (see below) about a theoretical stellar flyby and planetary material exchange early in the Solar System's history, there are articles at Astronomy.com today, the Utah Deseret News today, and from the New York Times News Service at various news outlets including at the International Herald Tribune today, headlined "Sun may have captured asteroids from afar."
Comet news: The Auburn, California Journal has an article from yesterday about Don Machholz and comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz). It tells that "the fiery ball of ice and rock ... has now become bright enough to be seen with the unaided eye from dark-sky sites [and] will continue to brighten over the next few weeks." Machholz's locator chart shows a path through prominent constellations as the comet heads toward perihelion. That will come January 24th at 1.2 AU from the Sun, when it will be 0.428 AU from Earth, according to the Minor Planet Center. On 5-6 January it will be closest, at 0.347 AU, when observers will find it passing near the Pleiades.
Risk monitoring: Today's Daily Orbit Update MPEC reports observation of 2004 VD17 last night at Great Shefford Observatory in England. Today NEODyS and JPL have slightly raised their risk assessments for this object, and JPL has joined NEODyS in now having a third Torino Scale-1 rating, as reported yesterday below.
Dec.
2004
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1 December 2004 - Wednesday
Meteor news: Birmingham, Alabama WVTM-TV has a news item and photo today about yesterday's 50th anniversary of the Sylacauga roof- and human-bashing meteorite (see links yesterday). There is also a new claim of a house-hitting meteorite, this one much smaller. The Coshocton, Ohio Tribune reports today that a tiny rock was found lodged in a screen door "During the last meteor shower on the nights of Nov. 15 and 16." Its identification as a meteorite hasn't been properly authenticated yet, and neither apparently is the claim that the same homeowner, as a youngster with her mother, "saw a shooting star fall to the ground right in front of us" in Coshocton.
Stellar influences: Space.com has an article today about a theoretical stellar encounter early in the Solar System's history, close enough to shape the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt and possibly exchange planetary materials, as proposed by Scott Kenyon and Benjamin Bromley in a 2 December Nature article. This concept was also explored by Allesandro Morbidelli and Hal Levison earlier this year (report) and by others (see Melita, Larwood, and Williams in the November edition of Distant EKOs). A big reason for interest in stellar encounter scenarios is to explain the exotic orbit of 90377 Sedna, which some think may have been captured from a passing star, but Alan Stern has shown how Sedna might have formed so far from the Sun.
More info: See news releases from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics today and University of Utah today. And KSL-TV in Salt Lake City has this lost-in-space headline today: "Milky Way May Have Stolen Other System's Planet."
Comet news: American Geophysical Union journal highlights posted at EurekAlert yesterday tells of an article by Geraint Jones and Jack Brandt on "The interaction of comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang with interplanetary coronal mass ejections: Identification of fast ICME [interplanetary coronal mass ejection] signatures" (abstract). This highlight merits quoting in full here:
Bringing the heliosphere to amateur astronomers – The first identification of the impact between a comet and a fast-moving coronal mass ejection may allow researchers and amateur astronomers to identify such interplanetary solar ejections throughout the solar system. Jones and Brandt present the first evidence for a direct connection between coronal mass ejections and the large-scale disruption of a comet's tail. The authors correlated the appearance, speed, and direction of solar eruptions observed by a powerful satellite instrument with observations by amateur astronomers of scalloping and the subsequent disruption of charged gases in the comet's tail. They suggest that the changes in the tail's shape were caused by coronal mass ejection material wrapping around the charged particles behind the comet. The researchers show that comets can be used to monitor heliospheric conditions and that amateurs and professional astronomers can create a network to track solar ejections.
Jones and Brandt have appealed several times for comet observations to use in conjunction with their work with the Ulysses spacecraft, such as on 19 and 25 February this year, and for comet C/2002 X5 (Kudo-Fujikawa) last December. See also the August 6th "cover" for more about Ulysses and comet tails.
Risk monitoring: Today's Daily Orbit Update (DOU) MPEC carries observation of 2004 WG1 from Linz Observatory in Austria last night. This was the first this object had been reported since Sormano Observatory in Italy caught it on the night of November 21st, and today both NEODyS and JPL removed all of the impact solutions they had had for it.
There are 2004 VD17 observations in today's DOU from yesterday morning from Robert Hutsebaut with Rent-A-Scope at New Mexico Skies and early today from Great Shefford Observatory in England. Today both risk monitors again raised their overall risk ratings for this object, and NEODyS has raised a third solution to Torino Scale 1 (a routine alert that an object "merits special monitoring"), this one for 3 May 2093. See yesterday about the other TS-1 solutions.
Please note that A/CC's CRT page has a running tabulation of risk monitoring details, and you can use the news frame to switch easily between A/CC general news and the CRT, which may update earlier and more frequently than this news page. And A/CC's RSS feed (see above or below) now flags important CRT updates.