Displaying the hydrostatic equilibrium that separates dwarf planets from other large minor objects, its roundness is just about all that can be discerned about 1 Ceres in this image made during December 2003 and January 2004 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope. The Dawn spacecraft is to launch Saturday to begin a journey that will get an up-close view in 2015. See news below. Credit: NASA, ESA & J. Parker.
Contents on 2 July '07
- Minor-Object News -- six items
- Minor-Object Science -- one paper
- IAU Minor Planet Center
- NEOCP Activity
- New MPECs -- one MPEC
- Observers -- three observing facilities
- Impact Risk Monitoring -- nothing to report
- Chronology
Resources:
- Consolidated Risk Tables - CRT page
- Ephemerides for risk-rated objects
- Ephemerides for small asteroids
Navigation tips: Use the << and >> arrows on the menus for each regular section (Observers, Risks, etc.) to move to the previous and next day's news for that section. Use the Index menu item to access specific days this year with a calendar interface. And use the all-up news archive to access news anytime since A/CC began in early 2002. To watch for what's new each day, watch the Chronology section.
Minor-Object News on 2 July '07
- "A New Dawn for Interplanetary Exploration," Planetary Soc. 2 July - Quote: "Dawn Discovery Mission Project System Engineer Marc Rayman joins us to talk about this revolutionary spacecraft's journey to the two largest objects in the asteroid belt, Vesta and Ceres." - Note: "Planetary Radio" audio program.
- "Dawn Spacecraft Ready To Turn Science Fiction into Reality," Aviation Week 1 July - Quote: "With 935 lb. of xenon fuel, the 2,696-lb. Dawn spacecraft has far more propulsion capability than any previous real spacecraft. Dawn's solar electric propulsion system has the ability to accelerate the spacecraft by nearly 7 mi. per sec. over the course of its mission. This is as much velocity change in deep space as it will receive from its entire Delta launch vehicle to reach space, then depart Earth orbit."
- "Dawn mission prepares for launch," The Daily Bruin 2 July - Quote: "Dawn is scheduled to fly by Mars in April 2009, arrive at Vesta in September of 2011, and orbit the asteroid for seven months. The spacecraft will then arrive at Ceres in February 2015 and spend five months there, at which point its primary mission will conclude."
- "Review: Space Invaders," The Space Review 2 July - Quote: "In [the book] Space Invaders, Michel van Pelt, a cost and systems engineer with ESA, walks the reader through the steps needed to design, develop, and launch a planetary mission. He covers everything from the various phases of project management ... to the key subsystems of a spacecraft to the various types of instruments such spacecraft carry and the types of scientific data they can provide."
- "Girls set to Cruise on their own stage," CyclingNews.co.za 2 July - Quote: "Women will have their dedicated place in the spotlight as part of the jam-packed cycling package in the 2007 Colorpress Crater Cruise, South Africa's largest and most acclaimed mountain-bike race ... an off-road biking experience through the largest meteorite impact crater in the world. The Vredefort Dome, which was recently proclaimed as a world heritage site, plays host to a largely non-technical route, following gravel roads along the scenic banks of the Vaal River, which are rich in indigenous African wildlife and fauna and flora."
- "Dazzling border lights worrying astronomers," Tucson Citizen 2 July - Quote: "If we have those lights all across the border, you can kiss astronomy in southern Arizona goodbye."
Minor-Object Science on 2 July '07
- " Molecular Outflows and a Mid-Infrared Census of the Massive Star-Formation Region Associated with IRAS 18507+0121" by Shepherd, D.S. with M.S. Povich, B.A. Whitney & 7 others, abstract & PDF at arXiv.org 2 July - Quote: "We have observed the central region of the IR-dark cloud associated with IRAS 18507+0121 ... with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory... We also used archived Spitzer data from the GLIMPSE survey to gain an understanding of the stellar content of the cluster and the entire IR-dark filament... [A] dual population suggests that stars in the IRAS 18507 cloud may have formed in two stages: first lower mass stars [a few solar masses or less] formed and then, a few Myrs later, the more massive, early B stars began to form."
NEOCP Activity on 2 July '07
The MPC's NEO Confirmation Page is currently empty
The NEOCP is currently empty and hasn't been noted by Major News as active yet today (last checked at 2354 UTC).
New MPECs on 2 July '07
Minor Planet Electronic Circulars
As of last check at 2354 UTC, there has been one MPEC issued today from the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
<< DOU on 2 July '07 >> MPEC 2007-N02 - "06:07 UT" - Daily Orbit Update
- K07M24B 2007 MB24 (i=47.6°, arc=8 days, H=18.5 ~676m) from Great Shefford Obs. (July 2.03-06p3)
- K07F01E 2007 FE1 (arc=106 days, H=18.9 ~562m) from the Siding Spring Survey (SSS) (July 1.39p2)
- K07E00X 2007 EX (arc=113 days, H=17.0 ~1.35 km) from SSS (July 1.40p2)
- K07C19A 2007 CA19 (Q=5.089 AU, arc=66 days, H=17.6 ~1.02 km) from New Millennium Obs. (March 13.90-05p12)
- K07B50B 2007 BB50 (Q=4.885 AU, arc=85 days, H=18.5 ~676m) from New Millennium Obs. (March 13.93-96p5 & 14.04-05p2)
- K02T60D 2002 TD60 (arc=2 opp, H=19.3 ~467m) from New Millennium Obs. (March 13.91-02p11)
- F2895 152895 2000 CQ101 from New Millennium Obs. (March 13.92-04p10)
- 53435 53435 1999 VM40 from New Millennium Obs. (March 13.92-07p12)
- 31221 31221 1998 BP26 from New Millennium Obs. (March 13.91-06p12)
- 22771 22771 1999 CU3 from New Millennium Obs. (March 13.91-06p11)
- 05626 5626 1991 FE from New Millennium Obs. (March 13.90-06p13)
- 03103 3103 Eger (1982 BB) from New Millennium Obs. (March 13.91-07p13)
Observers on 2 July '07
Three observing facilities appear in today's MPECs.
| J95 | Great Shefford Obs. in England, 1 in MPEC 2007-N02 -- 2007 MB24 |
| A24 | New Millennium Obs. in Italy, 9 in MPEC 2007-N02 -- 2007 CA19, 2007 BB50, 2002 TD60, 152895, 53435, 31221, 22771, 5626, 3103 |
| E12 | Siding Spring Survey in New South Wales, 2 in MPEC 2007-N02 -- 2007 FE1, 2007 EX |
Impact Risk Monitoring on 2 July '07
At last check (NEODyS and JPL at 2354 UTC) there was no risk monitoring news to report yet today.
Chronology on 2 July '07
Times are UTC for when the items were noted by Major News.
| 1929 | Added MOS paper, " Molecular Outflows and a Mid-Infrared Census of the Massive Star-Formation Region Associated with IRAS 18507+0121" - see above Added link to news story, "A New Dawn for Interplanetary Exploration" |
| 1458 | Added link to news story, "Dawn Spacecraft Ready To Turn Science Fiction into Reality" Added link to news story, "Girls set to Cruise on their own stage" Added link to news story, "Dawn mission prepares for launch" Added link to news story, "Review: Space Invaders" |
| 1329 | Grabbed MPEC 2007-N02 - Daily Orbit Update - see above Added link to news story, "Dazzling border lights worrying astronomers" |
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