Asteroids are rock formations that orbit around the sun in space. These rocks have unique
characteristics that define their composition. Asteroids are known as “genesis rocks”, rocks that
provide clues to the early formation of the Solar System (Chapman, Nature of Asteroids). There
are an abundant amount of asteroids in the current Solar System that have not been
discovered. It is approximated that there are about 1.6 million asteroids in the Solar System with
diameters greater than 0.6 miles. The very existence of asteroids provide scientists clues to the
formation of the Solar System, with data that can revolutionize the study of astronomy. What
comes to attention the most is a specific group of asteroids known as Near-Earth-Asteroids
(NEOs), which are asteroids that have orbits within 121 million miles of Earth. Studying NEOs
and determining whether or not they will collide with Earth is central to our study. Although
asteroid impacts on Earth are very rare, it is estimated that a 1 km asteroid impact may occur
every 500,000 years (Harris, The population of near-Earth asteroids). Our study will focus on a
specific near earth asteroid known as 1656 Suomi.
Detecting near earth asteroids is critical to understanding near earth asteroids. The use
of telescopes and sky surveys allows data collection of a specific asteroid type. IR telescopes
specifically are used to discover and find characteristics of the asteroid (Mainzer, SURVEY
SIMULATIONS OF A NEW NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID DETECTION SYSTEM). NEOs release
their luminosity in the form of Infrared Light which IR telescopes can detect and measure. In
order to discover asteroid orbit predictions, scientists must collect data on asteroid orbital
elements. Orbital elements can ensure that the asteroid can be viewed from earth and studied
at the best times. It may also be practical to study an asteroid from a space stationed telescope,
offering closer insights. An asteroid’s positional pattern must be tracked as it crosses the night
sky. Using the visible pattern and the Guassian method, a reasonable estimate can be made on
the future orbit of the asteroid in interest.
Three separate individuals are essential to getting the best results of asteroid
observation. Having more than one observation spaced out over a substantial time interval
ensures that the collected data is enough to compute the position of the asteroid (Giovanni,
Classical and modern orbit determination for asteroids). NASA launched a mission in 1997 to
orbit an asteroid. By orbiting an asteroid, accurate data can be collected in terms of
composition, surface detail, geology and much more. Data is still being collected from the
mission (Cheng, Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous: Mission overview). What we know about
asteroids so far is that asteroids have stable orbits around the sun. However, some asteroids
are influenced by the gravitational pull of the earth and change their orbital paths to intercept the
earth at a given point.
Our study will be held from the Morehead Observatory at UNC Chapel Hill. From this
observator we will track Suomi over the course of 4 weeks, and make a reasonable conclusion.
We still need to collect data on Suomi to strategically find its trajectory along with its angular
velocity. We face challenges when it comes to observing Suomi in terms of the weather
conditions as well as the technology of the telescope in use. Limited observation windows also
can hinder observational effort.
After data has been collected, we can predict the future trajectory of the astroid by using
python code to simulate the asteroid’s motion. Both the observational stage and post
observational stage are critical to making an accurate orbit estimate for future times. If our
results come out inaccurate, we may make wrong conclusions. Precision is critical in our study.
We hope our study will show whether or not our methods of collecting data and making
conclusions are effective in determining the orbits of near earth asteroids.
A. Mainzer et al 2015 AJ 149 172
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