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Contents  on 26 January '12

• Traffic Report -- five objects
• IAU Minor Planet Center
  • NEOCP Activity -- 75 listings
  • New MPECs -- four MPECs
• Observers -- nine observers
• Impact Risk Monitoring -- nothing to report
• Chronology

Note: These A/CC news pages will update less often and less regularly than usual through Sunday, January 29th, possibly later.

Resources:

• Consolidated Risk Tables - the CRT page (archive)
    Of 431 risk-listed objects, 23 have had news in the last 31 days. Updated at 1331 UTC on 26 Jan.
  
• Earth's Busy Neighborhood close passer EBN Traffic Report
    Four objects are known to be within ten LD of Earth today. Updated at 1341 UTC on 26 Jan.
• Ephemerides for risk-rated & nearby objects + potential mission destinations
• News image catalog
• News old archive & Small Objects Archive
• Object Links - mainly for radar targets & close passers - updated 22 Jan.
• Observing Campaigns

The latest A/CC news is available via framed access,  RSS news feed, or redirection. - Note: A/CC has a main Web site and also a backup site with its own duplicate RSS news feed.

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 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.

<<   Top | Contents | Traffic | NEOCP | MPECs | Observers | Risks | Chronology | Index   >>

Traffic Report  on 26 January '12

Five objects reported inside ten LD

Five asteroids are reported moving within ten lunar distances (LD) of Earth today. Within Earth's Hill sphere, intruder 2012 BX34 comes in from 3.49 to 1.38 LD and risk-listed 2012 BW13 comes its closest to Earth on this passage--1.73 LD at 0602 UTC, and its closest to the Moon--2.55 LD at 0933 UTC. Further away, 2012 BS1 is departing, traveling from 5.21 to 6.90 LD, risk-listed 2012 BY1 leaves ten LD, passing from 7.07 to 11.10 LD, and 2012 BD14 travels from 9.83 to 8.57 LD.

On approach, radar target 2011 CP4 arrives inside ten LD on February 22nd.

This report was updated at 1851 UTC with new discovery 2012 BX34 (MPEC). This report was previously updated at 1328 UTC.

Notes: Ten LD has no astronomical significance but is a useful reporting boundary. Earth's Hill sphere (of gravitational influence) has a radius estimated at about 3.89 LD. Distances are interpreted by A/CC from JPL Horizons data. See also today's timeline plus current additional details, sky chart, and ephemerides.

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NEOCP Activity  on 26 January '12

The MPC's NEO Confirmation Page has 75 listings

When last checked at 2337 UTC today, the Minor Planet Center's Near Earth Object discovery Confirmation Page (NEOCP) had 75 objects listed. Of these, 46 were "one nighters." So far The Tracking News has counted a total of 91 listings on the NEOCP today.

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

<<   Top | Contents | Traffic | NEOCP | MPECs | Observers | Risks | Chronology | Index   >>

New MPECs  on 26 January '12

Minor Planet Electronic Circulars

As of last check at 2359 UTC, there have been four MPECs posted today from the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. No Daily Orbit Update DOU MPEC has been posted yet, so visit the MPC Status Page for possible explanation.

• MPEC 2012-B61 time-stamped "02:11 UT" - 2002 XQ40 - see below
• MPEC 2012-B62 time-stamped "15:27 UT" - 2012 BX34 - see below
• MPEC 2012-B63 time-stamped "19:20 UT" - 2012 BZ34 - see below
• MPEC 2012-B64 time-stamped "19:23 UT" - 2012 BA35

MPEC 2012-B64 - "19:23 UT" - 2012 BA35

• K12B35A   2012 BA35 (small asteroid, Earth MOID=7.1 LD, H=23.8 ~59m) from Pan-STARRS 1 (PS1) (Jan. 25.41-44p3), Schiaparelli Obs. (Jan. 25.98-00p2), Robert Holmes via Cerro Tololo Inter-American Obs. (CTIO) (Jan. 26.15-19p4), Magdalena Ridge Obs. (MRO) (Jan. 26.31-34p4), and Tim Lister via Faulkes Telescope North (Jan. 26.63p4)

MPEC 2012-B63 - "19:20 UT" - 2012 BZ34

• K12B34Z   2012 BZ34 (small asteroid, H=22.5 ~107m) from PS1 (Jan. 24.37-40p3), the Spacewatch 1.8m telescope (Jan. 25.48-49p3), Schiaparelli Obs. (Jan. 25.87-90p2), MRO (Jan. 26.19-21p4), and Lister/Faulkes North (Jan. 26.31p9)

MPEC 2012-B62 - "15:27 UT" - 2012 BX34

• K12B34X   2012 BX34 (Earth MOID=0.2 LD, H=27.5 ~11m, close passer) from the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) (Jan. 25.43-46p4 & 26.54-57p5), the Mt. Lemmon Survey (MLS) (Jan. 26.50-55p8), and MRO (Jan. 26.53-55p4)

MPEC 2012-B61 - "02:11 UT" - 2002 XQ40

• K02X40Q   2002 XQ40 (small asteroid, Earth MOID=2.6 LD, i=2.2°, H=22.5 ~107m) from PS1 (Jan. 19.47-52p4 at w=22.9-23.4), Lister/Faulkes North (Jan. 24.35-36p3 at R=22.3-5), and David Tholen's team on Mauna Kea (Jan. 24.38p3)

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Observers  on 26 January '12

Nine observers appear in today's MPECs.

<<   Top | Contents | Traffic | NEOCP | MPECs | Observers | Risks | Chronology | Index   >>

Impact Risk Monitoring  on 26 January '12

At last check (NEODyS and JPL at 2359 UTC) there was no risk monitoring news to report yet today. Visit the CRT to view activity in the last four weeks and our ephemerides page for a complete list of risk-rated objects under current observation or having recent news.

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Chronology  on 26 January '12

Times are UTC for when items were noted or added by The Tracking News.