Podcaster: Dr. Al Grauer
Title: Travelers in the Night Eps. 539 & 540: Close Approaches & Loneliest Asteroid
Organization: Travelers in The Night
Link : Travelers in the Night ; @Nmcanopus
Description: Today’s 2 topics:
- Brian Africano discovered 107′ diameter 2019 FC1 in Virgo.
- Greg Leonard discovered 2018 ND1 which is inclined 65 degrees off the ecliptic.
Bio: Dr. Al Grauer is currently an observing member of the Catalina Sky Survey Team at the University of Arizona. This group has discovered nearly half of the Earth approaching objects known to exist. He received a PhD in Physics in 1971 and has been an observational Astronomer for 43 years. He retired as a University Professor after 39 years of interacting with students. He has conducted research projects using telescopes in Arizona, Chile, Australia, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Georgia with funding from NSF and NASA.
He is noted as Co-discoverer of comet P/2010 TO20 Linear-Grauer, Discoverer of comet C/2009 U5 Grauer and has asteroid 18871 Grauer named for him.
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Transcript:
539 – Close Approaches
During a recent 30 day period, 11 small space rocks passed closer to us than the Moon. The largest of these tiny asteroids was discovered by my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Brian Africano using our 60 inch telescope on Mt. Lemmon, Arizona as it streaked through the constellation of Virgo at 16 miles per second.
After Brian posted his discovery observations on the Minor Planet Center’s Near Earth Object Confirmation Page this previously unknown space rock was tracked for 47 hours by observers at 32 different observatories around the world. Scientists used these data to calculate the new object’s path about the Sun, estimate its size to be 107 feet in diameter, and give it the name of 2019 FC1. Turns out that 23 and a half hours before Brian spotted it this tiny asteroid had passed less than 1/3 of the Earth-Moon distance from humanity.
2019 FC1 was able to sneak on planet Earth as it approached from the direction of the Sun with its tiny full moon face pointing away from us. According to the Perdue University and Imperial College of London’s impact calculator an object the size of Brian’s discovery strikes the Earth once every 200 to 300 years and enters our atmosphere with an energy of 3 or 4 megatons of TNT.
If you were directly under such an impact you would hear a loud noise as this tiny object exploded 40 to 60,000 feet above you. The blast could break a few windows and would be likely to create objects for meteorite hunters to discover.
540 – Loneliest Asteroid
Being a near Earth asteroid is already a lonely existence since the paths of these small space rocks seldom bring them near any other material objects as they travel about the Sun. Even so, more than 80 % of those discovered in 2018 have paths which are tipped by less than 20 degrees to that of the orbital plane of the planets and the vast majority of other objects orbiting our star.
My Catalina Sky Survey teammate Greg Leonard gets the prize for discovering the loneliest asteroid of 2018 in the asteroid hunter’s catch. Greg’s discovery, 2018 ND1 orbits our Sun on a path which is inclined by a whopping 65 degrees to the plane of all of the planet’s orbits. Amazingly, its 3.92 year orbit about the Sun takes it to a point 4 times our distance from the Sun above the plane of the solar system.
From this lofty position an observer would certainly have a bird’s eye view of the other members of the Solar system. Equally remarkable is the fact that at 3,500 feet in diameter, making it the second largest of the 1,839 Earth approaching asteroids discovered in 2018, Greg’s discovery, 2018 ND1 must have been created in a catastrophic collision long ago which flung it onto its lonely path.
Astronomers have found that objects like 2018 ND1 whose paths are highly tipped relative to the plane of the solar system tend to be made of strong materials. If these results apply to Greg’s discovery then 2018 ND1 could be of interest to asteroid miners when it makes one of its rare visits to our neighborhood.
For Travelers in the Night this is Dr. Al Grauer.
End of podcast:
365 Days of Astronomy
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