PHY2100 Laboratory 1

ASTEROIDS Are they a threat to Mankind?

June 30, 2008, was the 100th anniversary of that ferocious impact near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in remote i!eria that "eft a region of scorched trees a!out #0 ki"ometres $30 mi% across& 'fter 100 years, scientists are sti"" ta"king a!out it, sti"" uncertain what e(act"y happened&

*n Ju"y 1+th 200+ an amateur astronomer in ,urrum!ateman near -an!erra discovered a dark spot in the atmosphere of Jupiter& .mages taken !y the /u!!"e pace Te"escope confirmed the presence what appears to !e an asteroid or cometary impact reminiscent of the hoemaker0 1evy + impact that occurred in Ju"y, 1++)&

INTRODUCTION
Over )00,000 asteroids have been discovered since the irst !steroid Ceres "#rono$nced %sear&rees'( )as o$nd by *i$se##e Pia++i on ,an$ary the 1 st 1-01. !/tho$0h 1ost asteroids orbit the 2$n bet)een 3ars and ,$#iter4 so1e c/assi ied as Near 5arth Ob6ects "N5Os( #ass c/ose to or even cross 5arth7s orbita/ #ath aro$nd the 2$n. The ca#abi/ity o 5arth based te/esco#es to detect these aint 1ovin0 ob6ects in the ni0ht s8y has increased dra1atica//y in the #ast co$#/e o decades "see chart be/o)(. Occasiona//y ne)/y discovered asteroids are o$nd 6$st be ore4 or 1ost o ten a ter c/osest a##roach to 5arth. 2$bse9$ent ca/c$/ations enab/e $t$re enco$nters to be #redicted )e// into the $t$re.

2o ar on/y one 5arth threatenin0 candidate has been deter1ined. Ca//ed !#o#his4 it )i// 1iss 5arth in 202: by on/y ;204000 81. b$t the ne<t enco$nter )ith 5arth in 20=> is not #redicted )ith 0ood acc$racy since the 5arth )i// have #ert$rb the orbit si0ni icant/y in the 202: enco$nter. This /ab de1onstrates the techni9$es that #ro essiona/ astrono1ers $se to detect asteroids and deter1ine there orbits. 5<tensions to this so t)are are avai/ab/e that enab/e or a1ate$r astrono1ers to ana/yse there o)n te/esco#ic i1a0es.

Ho1e)or8
?ind de initions or the o//o)in0 astrono1ica/ ter1s and )rite a short s$11ary "one or t)o /ines(. Universa/ Ti1e Is ti1e 1eas$red at *reen)ich in 5n0/and. It is a ti1e sca/e that is based $#on the rotation o the earth co1#ared to distant ce/estia/ ob6ects. !rc second Is the an0$/ar 1eas$re1ent that is 1@=>0 o a de0ree. It is $sed in astrono1y to 1eas$re dec/ination4 or the an0$/ar distance north or so$th o the ce/estia/ e9$ator. Ri0ht !scension

Is the ce/estia/ e9$iva/ent o /on0it$de. It is co11on/y e<#ressed in both de0rees 4 ho$rs4 1in$tes and seconds o ti1e. I.e. 1A de0rees o s8y rotation is e9$iva/ent to one ho$r o R!. Dec/ination Is the ce/estia/ s#here7s e9$iva/ent o /atit$de and it is e<#ressed in de0rees4 as is /atit$de. ?or D5C B and re er to the north and so$th4 res#ective/y. I.e. North #o/e is B:0 de0rees and so$th #o/e is &:0 de0rees D5C. Para//a< Is the chan0e in dis#/ace1ent o an ob6ect )hen vie)ed a/on0 t)o di erent /ines o si0ht. It is 1eas$red by the an0/e or se1i&an0/e o inc/ination bet)een those t)o /ines. !/bedo Is the raction o so/ar ener0y "short)ave radiation( re /ected ro1 an ob6ect bac8 into s#ace. It is $sed as a 1eas$re o an ob6ects re /ectivity. 3a0nit$de 5ccentricity Inc/ination Peri0ee !#o0ee Perihe/ion !#he/ion 2e1i&1a6or !<is !#o//o !steroids

LAB WORK
The co1#$ter si1$/ation so t)are needed to #er or1 these tas8s and the instr$ctions or o#eratin0 it )i// be #rovided in the /ab.

P!RT !
In this section )e )i// 1. Identi y an asteroid on severa/ CCD ra1es 2. Per or1 a Red$ction o Coordinates =. Deter1ine Orbita/ #ara1eters C. Con ir1ation the res$/ts )ith N!2!s N5O site

P!RT D
In this section )e )i// $se Para//a< to 1eas$re the distance to an asteroid