<<   Top | Contents | News | Science | NEOCP | MPECs | Observers | Risks | Chronology | Index   >>

Photo of smoke from the Alambre Fire as seen looking over the southern edge of Kitt Peak, with the McMath-Pierce and SOLIS solar observatories in the foreground. See below for fire news updates. Credit Coronado National Forest/Dyan Bone.

Contents  on 10 July '07

• Minor-Object News -- five items
• Minor-Object Science -- four papers
• IAU Minor Planet Center
  • NEOCP Activity -- one listing: 1 updated
  • New MPECs -- four MPECs
  • Observers -- sixteen 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.

<<   Top | Contents | News | Science | NEOCP | MPECs | Observers | Risks | Chronology | Index   >>

Minor-Object News  on 10 July '07

• Kitt Peak update: Kitt Peak National Observatory remains closed. The KPNO Web site yesterday afternoon stated that "Limited access to the observatory is being provided to staff members (including those from the tenant observatories) who need to perform any critical maintenance of facilities or science instruments." And this morning it reported that "Winds blew some smoke over the mountain early Tuesday morning, so the observatories will remain closed tonight as a precaution against smoke or ash damage." For official details about the fire, see the Southwest Coordination Center's "Alambre Fire Update" news releases from yesterday (544Kb PDF) and this morning (544Kb PDF).
  • "Fire near Kitt Peak still burning; observatory and sacred peak untouched," Arizona Daily Star 10 July - Quote: "The blaze, about 45 miles southwest of Tucson, grew Monday to 5,755 acres, but firefighting crews pushed it two miles southwest of the observatory... [Officials] say the observatory ... isn't free of danger yet... Some crews spent Monday taking precautions by cutting brush and tree limbs around the observatory to diminish fire hazards. A few hundred feet down the peak, other crews spent the day digging a fire line that will connect with a dirt road in the valley below the peak and form a boundary line so the fire can't move north toward Kitt Peak." - Note: The article at this URL later updated to a new headline and different text.
• "Deep Impact Spacecraft Chosen for NASA's EPOXI Mission," Ball Aerospace 10 July - Quote: "This is an extremely efficient use of the already proven Deep Impact spacecraft that will return additional scientific discoveries for a fraction of the cost of a new mission." - Note: Acronym alert: EPOCh (Extrasolar Planet Observations and Characterization) + DIXI (Deep Impact Extended Investigation) = EPOXI.
• Comet in view: SpaceWeather.com reports that "Pretty green Comet Linear VZ13" -- C/2006 VZ13 (LINEAR) -- "lies just a few star hops from Polaris," viewable with binoculars tonight, and provides a sky chart showing where to look.
• "NASA aims for Sept. 7 launch of Dawn probe," Florida Today 10 July - Quote: "The next window of opportunity -- Sept. 7 through about Oct. 17 -- also sets NASA up for a morning liftoff, avoiding the seasonal afternoon thunderstorms that hampered efforts to launch this month... Thunderstorms and problems with a tracking ship and aircraft forced NASA to skip afternoon launch opportunities last Saturday, Sunday and Monday."

<<   Top | Contents | News | Science | NEOCP | MPECs | Observers | Risks | Chronology | Index   >>

Minor-Object Science  on 10 July '07

• "Report of the IAU/IAG Working Group on cartographic coordinates and rotational elements: 2006" by Seidelmann, P. Kenneth with B.A. Archinal, M.F. A'hearn & 12 others, abstract & PDF from Celestial Mechanics & Dynamical Astronomy 3 July - Quote: "Every three years the IAU/IAG Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements revises tables giving the directions of the poles of rotation and the prime meridians of the planets, satellites, minor planets, and comets. This report introduces improved values for the pole and rotation rate of Pluto, Charon, and Phoebe, the pole of Jupiter, the sizes and shapes of Saturn satellites and Charon, and the poles, rotation rates, and sizes of some minor planets and comets."
• "Dynamics of Exozodiacal Clouds" by Kuchner, M. with C. Stark, O. Absil & 2 others, abstract & PDF at arXiv.org 10 July - Quote: "The inner Solar System contains a cloud of small (1-100 micron) dust grains created when small bodies -- asteroids, comets, and Kuiper belt objects -- collide and outgas. This dust cloud, the zodiacal cloud, probably has extrasolar analogs, exozodiacal clouds. Exozodiacal clouds are related to debris disks, clouds of rocks and dust orbiting main sequence stars thought to represent the debris left over from planet formation. Some debris disks appear to contain distinct inner clouds that could be considered massive exozodiacal clouds."
• "A Low-Mass H2 Component to the AU Microscopii Circumstellar Disk" by France, Kevin with Aki Roberge, Roxana E. Lupu & 2 others, abstract & PDF at arXiv.org 10 July - Quote: "We present a determination of the molecular gas mass in the AU Microscopii circumstellar disk. Direct detection of a gas component to the AU Mic disk has proven elusive... Fluorescent emission lines of H2 ... detected by the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer ... are used to derive the H2 column density associated with the AU Mic system."
• "Circumbinary Molecular Rings Around Young Stars in Orion" by Zapata, Luis A. with Paul T.P. Ho, Luis F. Rodriguez & 2 others, abstract & PDF at arXiv.org 10 July - Quote: "We find two flattened and rotating molecular structures with sizes of a few hundred astronomical units suggestive of circumbinary molecular rings produced by the presence of two stars with very compact circumstellar disks with sizes and separations of about 50 AU, associated with the young stellar objects 139-409 and 134-411. Furthermore, these two circumbinary rotating rings are related to two compact and bright hot molecular cores."

<<   Top | Contents | News | Science | NEOCP | MPECs | Observers | Risks | Chronology | Index   >>

NEOCP Activity  on 10 July '07

The MPC's NEO Confirmation Page has 1 listing: 1 updated

When last checked at 2356 UTC today, the Minor Planet Center's NEO discovery Confirmation Page (NEOCP) had one updated listing. This was a "one nighter." So far Major News has counted a total of two objects listed on the NEOCP at some point today.

<<   Top | Contents | News | Science | NEOCP | MPECs | Observers | Risks | Chronology | Index   >>

New MPECs  on 10 July '07

Minor Planet Electronic Circulars

As of last check at 2356 UTC, there have been four MPECs issued today from the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

• MPEC 2007-N23 time-stamped "01:39 UT" - 2006 WH1 - see below
• MPEC 2007-N24 time-stamped "06:06 UT" - Daily Orbit Update - see below
• MPEC 2007-N25 time-stamped "22:44 UT" - 2007 NQ - see below
• MPEC 2007-N26 time-stamped "23:02 UT" - 2001 RV17

MPEC 2007-N26 - "23:02 UT" - 2001 RV17

• K01R17V   2001 RV17 (H=20.1 ~323m) from Great Shefford Obs. (July 7.92-95p5 & 10.94p3)

MPEC 2007-N25 - "22:44 UT" - 2007 NQ

• K07N00Q   2007 NQ (H=19.5 ~426m) was discovered at 1055 UT 10 July by the Siding Spring Survey (SSS), which observed it at July 10.46-47p3, 10.52p1, 10.56p1, and 10.65p1. The discovery was confirmed by the Lulin Sky Survey (LUSS) (July 10.58p3), Vallemare di Borbona Obs. (July 10.89-92p5), and La Canada Obs. (July 10.91-92p3).

<< DOU on 10 July '07 >>  MPEC 2007-N24 - "06:06 UT" - Daily Orbit Update

• K07M24B   2007 MB24 (i=47.7°, arc=15 days, H=18.5 ~676m) from New Millennium Obs. (July 8.05-07p6), Stia Obs. (July 8.88-89p3), and Castelmartini Obs. (July 8.89-90p3)
• K07M20T   2007 MT20 (arc=15 days, H=18.6 ~645m) from Peschiera del Garda Obs. (July 5.95-97p3), New Millennium Obs. (July 7.93-02p12), Stia Obs. (July 8.86-87p3), and Castelmartini Obs. (July 8.88p4)
• K07M00H   2007 MH (arc=21 days, H=21.0 ~214m) from Castelmartini Obs. (July 8.94p3)
• K07L32R   2007 LR32 (arc=44 days, H=17.2 ~1.23 km) from Peschiera del Garda Obs. (July 7.99-01p3)
• K07L15A   2007 LA15 (arc=27 days, H=19.4 ~446m) from Santa Mama Obs. (July 8.92-95p4) and Wildberg Obs. (July 9.87-88p5)
• K07L08V   2007 LV8 (arc=26 days, H=20.1 ~323m) from Peschiera del Garda Obs. (July 7.89-91p3)
• K07L00F   2007 LF (arc=32 days, H=20.5 ~269m) from Castelmartini Obs. (July 8.95-96p3)
• K07F42V   2007 FV42 (arc=111 days, H=17.9 ~891m) from CEAMIG-REA (July 9.19p3)
• K07F01K   2007 FK1 (arc=114 days, H=20.2 ~309m) from Castelmartini Obs. (July 9.02-03p5)
• K06Y02Y   2006 YY2 (arc=198 days, H=17.9 ~891m) from Astronomical Research Obs. (ARO) (July 8.10-11p4)
• K06C00G   2006 CG (arc=3 opp, H=19.1 ~513m) from ARO (July 9.13-14p3)
• K05N44W   2005 NW44 (arc=2 opp, H=20.4 ~282m) from New Millennium Obs. (July 7.91-97p9)
• K05L03R   2005 LR3 (arc=3 opp, H=17.2 ~1.23 km) from ARO (July 9.11-12p2)
• K04S09T   2004 ST9 (arc=2 opp, H=18.0 ~851m) from New Millennium Obs. (July 7.96-98p2)
• K04M06F   2004 MF6 (arc=3 opp, H=20.0 ~339m) from ARO (July 8.12-13p3)
• K04J20W   2004 JW20 (arc=4 opp, H=20.7 ~245m) from ARO (July 9.17p3)
• K04F31X   2004 FX31 (arc=4 opp, H=17.5 ~1.07 km) from Wildberg Obs. (July 9.91-93p5)
• K03H02F   2003 HF2 (q=0.361 AU, arc=4 opp, H=19.6 ~407m) from Santa Mama Obs. (July 8.91-92p2)
• J95L00G   1995 LG (i=43.6°, q=0.223 AU, arc=4 opp, H=18.7 ~616m) from Remanzacco Obs. (July 8.87p1)
• E5656   145656 4788 P-L from New Millennium Obs. (July 7.89-93p7)
• E2781   142781 2002 UM11 from ARO (July 9.19-20p3)
• E0158   140158 2001 SX169 from LUSS (July 8.64-66p3)
• D6818   136818 1997 MW1 from New Millennium Obs. (July 7.95-01p10)
• 85275   85275 1994 LY from New Millennium Obs. (July 7.91-98p10) and Mill Creek Obs. (July 9.22-24p10)
• 24443   24443 2000 OG from Santa Mama Obs. (July 8.86-88p4)
• 00433   433 Eros (1898 DQ) from Reedy Creek Obs. (July 6.60-63p2)

MPEC 2007-N23 - "01:39 UT" - 2006 WH1

• K06W01H   2006 WH1 (Earth MOID=9.1 LD, H=20.2 ~309m) from LUSS (July 8.64-65p2 at R=22.3 & 9.64p2 at R=22.1)

<<   Top | Contents | News | Science | NEOCP | MPECs | Observers | Risks | Chronology | Index   >>

Observers  on 10 July '07

Sixteen observing facilities appear in today's MPECs.

<<   Top | Contents | News | Science | NEOCP | MPECs | Observers | Risks | Chronology | Index   >>

Impact Risk Monitoring  on 10 July '07

At last check (NEODyS and JPL at 2356 UTC) there was no risk monitoring news to report yet today.

<<   Top | Contents | News | Science | NEOCP | MPECs | Observers | Risks | Chronology | Index   >>

Chronology  on 10 July '07

Times are UTC for when the items were noted by Major News.