On July 18, 2023, the algorithm pinpointed its first PHA: 2022 SF289.ĭespite ATLAS imaging the asteroid as early as September 19, 2022, from a distance of 13 million miles from Earth, conventional methods still failed to detect it. The team initially tested HelioLinc3D using data provided by lead ATLAS astronomers John Tonry and Larry Denneau. The team worked in collaboration with Smithsonian senior astrophysicist Matthew Holman and Siegfried Eggl from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Rubin’s solar system software team at the University of Washington’s DiRAC Institute created HelioLinc3D. However, this revolutionary observing pattern necessitated the development of a new kind of discovery algorithm. Its unique ability to scan the sky twice per night will significantly outpace the four scans per night by current telescopes. It is equipped with a massive 8.4-meter mirror and a 3,200-megapixel camera. Situated in the Chilean Andes, the observatory is funded primarily by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. Rubin Observatory is expected to boost the PHA discovery rate dramatically. Focus of the researchīy early 2025, the Vera C. However, scientists estimate that at least twice that number remain undiscovered. This method has been successful in identifying about 2,350 potentially hazardous asteroids. Scientists use these systems to capture images of certain sky regions at least four times nightly, identifying new asteroids by observing points of light that move unambiguously in a straight line across the image series. ATLAS is administered by a team at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy. Specialized telescope systems like the NASA-funded ATLAS survey commonly track potentially hazardous asteroids. To safeguard against the potential catastrophe of a collision with Earth, scientists meticulously track these “potentially hazardous asteroids” (PHAs). The ones whose trajectories bring them within 20 lunar distances, or about 5 million miles of Earth, are of particular interest to scientists. While many of these bodies remain far from us, we categorize a considerable number as near-Earth objects, or NEOs. These remnants of an era over four billion years ago still orbit the sun today, and their varied paths provide scientists with a wealth of information. These include tiny asteroids only a few feet across to dwarf planets the size of our moon. Tens of millions of rocky bodies populate the solar system. “By demonstrating the real-world effectiveness of the software that Rubin will use to look for thousands of yet-unknown potentially hazardous asteroids, the discovery of 2022 SF289 makes us all safer,” said Heinze. Rubin scientist Ari Heinze, the principal developer of HelioLinc3D, emphasized the significance of the discovery. Nevertheless, this discovery represents an important milestone, as it validates the capability of HelioLinc3D to detect near-Earth asteroids using fewer and more scattered observations than the methods currently in use. The asteroid, although designated as potentially hazardous, poses no immediate risk to Earth. The algorithm’s initial trial run with the ATLAS survey in Hawaii, however, resulted in the detection of a roughly 600-foot-long asteroid, which was named 2022 SF289. This term is used for asteroids that orbit close to Earth, requiring vigilant observation by scientists to monitor any threat they may pose to our planet.Įngineered to discover near-Earth asteroids, HelioLinc3D was intended for use in the upcoming 10-year night sky survey by the Vera C. An algorithm developed by the team – known as HelioLinc3D – has made its first discovery of a “potentially hazardous” asteroid. A new study from the University of Washington represents a major advance in asteroid detection.
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