Artist's rendering of Dawn in flight, courtesy of the spacecraft's fabricator, Orbital Sciences Corp. The mission launch has now been rescheduled for September -- see news below.
Contents on 8 July '07
- Minor-Object News -- eight items
- Minor-Object Science -- none yet today
- IAU Minor Planet Center
- NEOCP Activity
- New MPECs -- one MPEC
- Observers -- ten 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 keep track of what's new each day, watch the Chronology section.
Minor-Object News on 8 July '07
- "Technology helps astronomers track the night sky," Canadian Press at CTV.ca 8 July - Quote: "The computer program is in its testing phase and helps people identify what they're looking at when they look up at a star-filled sky... People simply upload star-filled photos to the program's website and the program matches the photos to images in its star database within seconds."
- "His eyes on the stars," Winnepeg Free Press 8 July - Quote: "Usually about once a week someone comes in here saying, 'I found this rock. I think it's from outer space -- am I a millionaire?'"
- "Lemmon hilltop fires are contained," Arizona Daily Star 8 July - Quote: "While two lightning-caused fires were contained on Mount Lemmon Saturday evening, another was sparked near Kitt Peak National Observatory. The Alhambre Fire, which is burning south of Kitt Peak in the Baboquivari Mountains ... had burned about 250 acres [by Saturday evening] but no structures were threatened and the blaze was burning away from the observatory." - Note: Spacewatch is on Kitt Peak south of Tucson, and, to the north, the Mt. Lemmon and Catalina sky surveys are on Mt. Lemmon and adjacent Mt. Bigelow.
- "NASA's Oft-Delayed Asteroid Mission Pushed to September," Space.com 8 July - Quote: "The new delay for Dawn ... clears the spacecraft's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch site for the August flight of NASA's Mars Phoenix lander."
- "Dawn asteroid probe won't launch until September," SpaceflightNow.com 7 July - Quote: "Dawn's current launch opportunity closes July 19, giving just a few days left to get the spacecraft on the required trajectory to fly past Mars for a sling-shot maneuver and then into the asteroid belt for its rendezvous with Vesta and Ceres over the next eight years. Missing this launch period forces a wait until the next window, which opens in September and extends through late October."
- "NASA Mission to Asteroid Belt Rescheduled for September Launch," NASA JPL 7 July - Quote: "The decision was made today to move the launch to September after careful review by NASA's Science Mission Directorate officials, working with Dawn mission managers, the Dawn principal investigator, and with the concurrence of the NASA Administrator. Primary reasons for the move were a combination of highly limited launch opportunities for Dawn in July and the potential impact to launch preparations for the upcoming Phoenix Mars Lander mission, set for early August. A September launch for Dawn maintains all of the science mission goals a July launch would have provided."
- Minor Planet Bulletin: The July-September edition (5.61Mb PDF) was posted June 6th full of asteroid photometric studies. A print version is also available to paid subscribers, and a request is made for readers of the electronic version to also make a financial contribution. See the ALPO Minor Planets Section MPB page for earlier editions and for asteroid and article indices.
- "Manager of Monastery quarters keeps visitors fed, happy," San Diego Union-Tribune 6 July - Quote: "While most of San Diego County sleeps, astronomers on the mountain work up a galactic appetite. That's why Dipali Crosse, who heads the observatory's kitchen and lodgings building called the Monastery, is one of its brightest stars... At Palomar, what would be lunch to most people is actually breakfast, and dinner is really a midday meal. Most astronomers wake up about 1 p.m. (depending on the season and duration of darkness)."
NEOCP Activity on 8 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 2355 UTC).
New MPECs on 8 July '07
Minor Planet Electronic Circulars
As of last check at 2355 UTC, there has been one MPEC issued today from the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
<< DOU on 8 July '07 >> MPEC 2007-N21 - "06:07 UT" - Daily Orbit Update
- Observations of small asteroids (H>22.0)
- K07M04B 2007 MB4 (arc=23 days, H=22.6 ~102m) from Great Shefford Obs. (July 8.06-10p2)
- Observations of other objects
- K07M24B 2007 MB24 (i=47.7°, arc=13 days, H=18.5 ~676m) from Lumezzane Obs. (July 5.00p2)
- K07M20T 2007 MT20 (arc=13 days, H=18.6 ~645m) from Petit Jean Mtn. South Obs. (PJMSO) (July 7.28-30p7)
- K07M13M 2007 MM13 (i=38.2°, arc=14 days, H=17.6 ~1.02 km) from Lumezzane Obs. (July 5.87p4) and PJMSO (July 7.19-20p6)
- K07L32R 2007 LR32 (arc=44 days, H=17.2 ~1.23 km) from Castelmartini Obs. (July 6.96-97p6), Greiner Research Obs. (July 7.20-22p9), and Naef Obs. (July 7.95-98p3)
- K07L19V 2007 LV19 (arc=22 days, H=19.9 ~355m) from Alter Satzberg Obs. (July 7.85-86p4)
- K07L15A 2007 LA15 (arc=24 days, H=19.4 ~446m) from Lumezzane Obs. (July 6.01-02p3) and PJMSO (July 7.22-23p6)
- K07L08V 2007 LV8 (arc=25 days, H=20.1 ~323m) from PJMSO (July 7.25-26p6)
- K07J20Z 2007 JZ20 (i=40.5°, arc=58 days, H=18.4 ~708m) from Great Shefford Obs. (July 7.96-97p4)
- K07H82X 2007 HX82 (Q=4.096 AU, arc=72 days, H=20.4 ~282m) from PJMSO (July 7.26-27p7)
- K07D41A 2007 DA41 (arc=3 opp, H=17.5 ~1.07 km) from Great Shefford Obs. (July 8.01-02p3)
- K06S06C 2006 SC6 (arc=3 opp, H=18.0 ~851m) from Astronomical Research Obs. (ARO) (July 6.31-33p3)
- K04S09T 2004 ST9 (arc=2 opp, H=18.0 ~851m) from Castelmartini Obs. (July 6.94-95p3)
- K03H02F 2003 HF2 (q=0.361 AU, arc=4 opp, H=19.6 ~407m) from Balzaretto Obs. (July 6.91-93p4), Castelmartini Obs. (July 6.93-94p6), and Greiner Research Obs. (July 8.18-19p6)
- K03F05C 2003 FC5 (arc=4 opp, H=18.2 ~776m) from ARO (July 6.23p1 at V=22.4 & 7.26-29p3 at V=22.2-4)
- J99D07B 1999 DB7 (arc=3 opp, H=19.9 ~355m) from ARO (July 6.34-35p3)
- F3002 153002 2000 JG5 from ARO (July 6.19-20p3)
- E5656 145656 4788 P-L from PJMSO (July 7.20-21p5)
- D6818 136818 1997 MW1 from New Millennium Obs. (July 5.95-99p5)
- A8519 108519 2001 LF from PJMSO (July 7.21-22p4)
- 86878 86878 2000 HD24 from Naef Obs. (July 7.89-93p3)
- 85275 85275 1994 LY from New Millennium Obs. (July 5.90-96p8), Castelmartini Obs. (July 6.91-92p6), and PJMSO (July 7.30p4)
- 24443 24443 2000 OG from Lumezzane Obs. (July 5.99p4)
- 05332 5332 1990 DA from ARO (July 6.21-22p5)
Observers on 8 July '07
Ten observing facilities appear in today's MPECs.
| B03 | Alter Satzberg Obs. in Austria, 1 in MPEC 2007-N21 -- 2007 LV19 |
| H55 | Astronomical Research Obs. in Illinois, 5 in MPEC 2007-N21 -- 2006 SC6, 2003 FC5, 1999 DB7, 153002, 5332 |
| A81 | Balzaretto Obs. in Italy, 1 in MPEC 2007-N21 -- 2003 HF2 |
| 160 | Castelmartini Obs. in Italy, 4 in MPEC 2007-N21 -- 2007 LR32, 2004 ST9, 2003 HF2, 85275 |
| J95 | Great Shefford Obs. in England, 3 in MPEC 2007-N21 -- 2007 MB4, 2007 JZ20, 2007 DA41 |
| H51 | Greiner Research Obs. in Wisconsin, 2 in MPEC 2007-N21 -- 2007 LR32, 2003 HF2 |
| 130 | Lumezzane Obs. in Italy, 4 in MPEC 2007-N21 -- 2007 MB24, 2007 MM13, 2007 LA15, 24443 |
| A13 | Naef Obs. in Switzerland, 2 in MPEC 2007-N21 -- 2007 LR32, 86878 |
| A24 | New Millennium Obs. in Italy, 2 in MPEC 2007-N21 -- 136818, 85275 |
| H45 | Petit Jean Mtn. South Obs. in Arkansas, 8 in MPEC 2007-N21 -- 2007 MT20, 2007 MM13, 2007 LA15, 2007 LV8, 2007 HX82, 145656, 108519, 85275 |
Impact Risk Monitoring on 8 July '07
At last check (NEODyS and JPL at 2355 UTC) there was no risk monitoring news to report yet today.
Chronology on 8 July '07
Times are UTC for when the items were noted by Major News.
| 2146 | Added link to news story, "Lemmon hilltop fires are contained" Added link to news story, "Technology helps astronomers track the night sky" Added link to news story, "His eyes on the stars" |
| 1653 | Added link to news story, "NASA's Oft-Delayed Asteroid Mission Pushed to September" |
| 1436 | Grabbed MPEC 2007-N21 - Daily Orbit Update - see above |
| 1435 | The NEOCP has become empty |
| 0517 | Added news report, "Minor Planet Bulletin" Added link to news story, "NASA Mission to Asteroid Belt Rescheduled for September Launch" Added link to news story, "Manager of Monastery quarters keeps visitors fed, happy" Added link to news story, "Dawn asteroid probe won't launch until September" |
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