27 Aug '07 Major News

Contents on 27 August '07

Minor-Object News -- six items
Minor-Object Science -- one paper
IAU Minor Planet Center
- NEOCP Activity -- five listings: 3 new, 2 updated
- New MPECs -- three MPECs
- Observers -- nine observing facilities
Impact Risk Monitoring -- nothing to report
Chronology

Resources:

The latest news: framed access (best), RSS news feed (flags updates), or redirection - Note: A/CC has a main Web site and a backup site.

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 through a calendar interface. And use the all-up news archive to access news from any time since A/CC began in early 2002. To keep track of what's new each day, watch the Chronology section.

Minor-Object News on 27 August '07

"Jupiter Doesn't Shield Earth From Killer Impacts," National Geographic 27 Aug. - Quote: "Many astronomers have theorized that the gas giant's gravity deflects possible impactors, making Jupiter one of several factors that made life on Earth able to develop undisturbed. But it turns out that if Jupiter didn't exist, some of those cometary invaders wouldn't approach Earth in the first place." - Note: See also Friday's Europlanet news release. {permalink}
"For Asteroids, Size Does Matter," Wired News 27 Aug. - Quote: "Last week, researchers said they had turned the [Akari] observatory on a well-studied asteroid named Itokawa, getting infrared data that will help them develop models improving the estimates of other asteroids' sizes." - Note: See also Thursday's ESA news release. {permalink}
"Small solar system denizen gets big chance to shine," Roanoke Times 27 Aug. - Quote: "[4 Vesta] can still easily be seen through binoculars as an inconspicuous 'star' slowly drifting eastward just above Jupiter." {permalink}
"Seeing stars is simple as turning down the lights," Sacramento Bee 27 Aug. - Quote: "[Jack Sales] simply wants less lighting, smarter lighting and, most of all, he wants more people to start thinking about lighting... For one thing, wasted light is wasted energy... [Kris] Koenig believes light pollution has played a role in the dwindling numbers of American students graduating with science degrees. Looking at the stars and wondering about the world beyond our own is one of the main things that triggers a child's interest in science, he says." {permalink}
"Exploding Lunar Eclipse," Science@NASA 27 Aug. - Quote: "On Tuesday morning, Aug. 28th, Earth's shadow will settle across the Moon for a 90-minute total eclipse [when Bill] Cooke hopes to record some flashes of light -- explosions caused by meteoroids crashing into the Moon... [His] team has been monitoring the Moon since late 2005 and they've recorded 62 impacts so far... During the eclipse, they hope to catch an elusive variety of meteor called Helions. 'Helion meteoroids come from the direction of the sun,' Cooke says, [streaking] across the sky most often around local noon when the sun's glare is too intense for meteor watching... 'We believe Helion meteoroids come from ancient sungrazing comets that laid down trails of dusty debris in the vicinity of the sun.'" - Observer alert: "Bill Cooke encourages amateur astronomers to monitor the Moon during the eclipse and report any flashes they record to the Meteoroid Environment Office [MEO]. Typical flashes are 6th to 7th magnitude, easy targets for mid-sized backyard telescopes equipped with digital video cameras." - Note: The MEO observer FAQ (30Kb PDF) explains how to participate in lunar impact monitoring. {permalink}
Planetary Exploration N/L: The August 26th edition of the Planetary Exploration Newsletter (PEN) includes a call for papers on "any topic related to impact cratering (terrestrial and planetary)" for the AGU Fall meeting in San Francisco in December where there will be a session on "all aspects of the cratering process, its signature in the geologic record, and its influence on the environment." {permalink}

Minor-Object Science on 27 August '07

"Inner disk regions revealed by infrared interferometry" by Malbet, Fabien, abstract & PDF at arXiv.org 27 Aug. - Quote: "I review the results obtained by long-baseline interferometry at infrared wavelengths on the innermost regions around young stars. These observations directly probe the location of the dust and gas in the disks. The characteristic sizes of these regions found are larger than previously thought." {permalink}

NEOCP Activity on 27 August '07

The MPC's NEO Confirmation Page has 5 listings: 3 new, 2 updated

When last checked at 2354 UTC today, the Minor Planet Center's NEO discovery Confirmation Page (NEOCP) had three new and two updated listings. Of these, three were "one nighters."

To learn how observers use the NEOCP, see the Practical guide on how to observe NEOCP object by Birtwhistle et al. at Suno Observatory.

New MPECs on 27 August '07

Minor Planet Electronic Circulars

As of last check at 2354 UTC, there have been three MPECs issued today from the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

MPEC 2007-Q29 time-stamped "06:09 UT" - Daily Orbit Update - see below
MPEC 2007-Q30 time-stamped "16:22 UT" - 2003 QZ29 - see below
MPEC 2007-Q31 time-stamped "16:36 UT" - 2004 SD26

MPEC 2007-Q31 - "16:36 UT" - 2004 SD26

K04S26D 2004 SD26 (H=18.7 ~616m) from Jim Young via Table Mtn. Obs. (Aug. 25.39-42p4 & 27.38-45p4)

MPEC 2007-Q30 - "16:22 UT" - 2003 QZ29

K03Q29Z 2003 QZ29 (H=19.1 ~513m) from Young/Table Mtn. (Aug. 25.45-48p4 & 27.45-49p4)

<< DOU on 27 Aug. '07 >> MPEC 2007-Q29 - "06:09 UT" - Daily Orbit Update

K07Q03E 2007 QE3 (arc=4 days, H=19.8 ~371m) from Astronomical Research Obs. (ARO) (Aug. 26.27-28p3)
K07P28F 2007 PF28 (arc=12 days, H=19.3 ~467m) from Petit Jean Mtn. South Obs. (PJMSO) (Aug. 26.29-30p12), Hamamatsu-Yuto Obs. (Aug. 26.52-53p3), and Greiner Research Obs. (Aug. 27.14-16p23)
K07P11U 2007 PU11 (Q=4.384 AU, arc=3 opp, H=16.3 ~1.86 km) from Tentlingen Obs. (Aug. 25.95-97p3) and Wildberg Obs. (Aug. 26.94-95p6)
K07P09P 2007 PP9 (arc=16 days, H=21.3 ~186m) from Wildberg Obs. (Aug. 26.96-97p5)
K07P08E 2007 PE8 (arc=15 days, H=19.5 ~426m) from PJMSO (Aug. 26.30-31p7)
K07P08B 2007 PB8 (arc=2 opp, H=20.8 ~234m) from NEAT's Mt. Palomar telescope (2002 Aug. 11.38-42p3)
K07L32R 2007 LR32 (arc=93 days, H=17.2 ~1.23 km) from PJMSO (Aug. 26.31-32p5)
K07L15A 2007 LA15 (arc=74 days, H=19.5 ~426m) from Schiaparelli Obs. (Aug. 25.88-89p2)
K07D08K 2007 DK8 (arc=190 days, H=19.0 ~537m) from Schiaparelli Obs. (Aug. 26.02-03p2)
K04F32C 2004 FC32 (arc=4 opp, H=18.8 ~589m) from ARO (Aug. 26.29-31p3)
K02N04N 2002 NN4 (arc=4 opp, H=20.0 ~339m) from Tentlingen Obs. (Aug. 25.91-93p3), Schiaparelli Obs. (Aug. 26.01-02p3), and PJMSO (Aug. 26.32-33p5)
K01X01E 2001 XE1 (arc=4 opp, H=19.2 ~490m) from ARO (Aug. 26.38-41p3 at V=22.6-7)
K00E26L 2000 EL26 (arc=4 opp, H=18.7 ~616m) from ARO (Aug. 26.42-43p3 at V=22.1)
J98S27T 1998 ST27 (q=0.385 AU, arc=3 opp, H=19.5 ~426m) from ARO (Aug. 26.41-42p3)
E5656 145656 4788 P-L from PJMSO (Aug. 26.25p5)
86324 86324 1999 WA2 from PJMSO (Aug. 26.24p5)
00433 433 Eros (1898 DQ) from Schiaparelli Obs. (Aug. 25.90-92p2)

Observers on 27 August '07

Nine observing facilities appear in today's MPECs.

Code	Observer / observatory
`H55`	Astronomical Research Obs. in Illinois, 5 in MPEC 2007-Q29 -- 2007 QE3, 2004 FC32, 2001 XE1, 2000 EL26, 1998 ST27
`H51`	Greiner Research Obs. in Wisconsin, 1 in MPEC 2007-Q29 -- 2007 PF28
`379`	Hamamatsu-Yuto Obs. in Japan, 1 in MPEC 2007-Q29 -- 2007 PF28
`644`	NEAT's Mt. Palomar telescope in southern California, 1 in MPEC 2007-Q29 -- 2007 PB8
`H45`	Petit Jean Mtn. South Obs. in Arkansas, 6 in MPEC 2007-Q29 -- 2007 PF28, 2007 PE8, 2007 LR32, 2002 NN4, 86324, 145656
`204`	Schiaparelli Obs. in Italy, 4 in MPEC 2007-Q29 -- 2007 LA15, 2007 DK8, 2002 NN4, 433
`6735`	Jim Young via Table Mtn. Obs. in southern California, 2 in MPECs 2007-Q30 & 2007-Q31 -- 2004 SD26, 2003 QZ29
`A16`	Tentlingen Obs. in Switzerland, 2 in MPEC 2007-Q29 -- 2007 PU11, 2002 NN4
`198`	Wildberg Obs. in Germany, 2 in MPEC 2007-Q29 -- 2007 PU11, 2007 PP9

Impact Risk Monitoring on 27 August '07

At last check (NEODyS and JPL at 2354 UTC) there was no risk monitoring news to report yet today. See the CRT for activity in the last month.

Chronology on 27 August '07

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

2023	Added link to news story, "For Asteroids, Size Does Matter" - see above Added link to news story, "Jupiter Doesn't Shield Earth From Killer Impacts" - see above Added link to news story, "Small solar system denizen gets big chance to shine" - see above Added link to news story, "Seeing stars is simple as turning down the lights" - see above
1719	Grabbed MPEC 2007-Q30 - 2003 QZ29 - see above Grabbed MPEC 2007-Q31 - 2004 SD26 - see above
1523	Added A/CC news report, "Planetary Exploration N/L" Added link to news story, "Exploding Lunar Eclipse" - see above
1423	Added MOS paper, "Inner disk regions revealed by infrared interferometry" - see above
1421	Grabbed MPEC 2007-Q29 - Daily Orbit Update - see above

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