Latest news with #RichardBinzel
Gizmodo
28-06-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
Rubin Observatory's Stunning Result Proves It's a ‘Game Changer' for Spotting Dangerous Asteroids
Astronomers usually keep their eyes on the sky, but on Monday, June 23, the community turned its attention toward Washington, D.C., as scientists from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory unveiled the telescope's first images. Many have waited more than 20 years to see Rubin in action, and its initial findings did not disappoint. Rubin, a joint initiative of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science, recently conducted its first 10 hours of test observations. In just that short period, the observatory produced dazzling images and discovered more than 2,000 previously unknown asteroids, including seven near-Earth asteroids. None of them pose a threat to our planet, but through this wealth of new data, the observatory has already proved to be a game changer for asteroid hunters working on planetary defense. By conducting unprecedentedly fast and detailed surveys of the entire southern sky, Rubin will allow scientists to find and track more space rocks than ever before. 'As this camera system was being designed, we all knew it was going to be breathtaking in what it delivered, but this has exceeded all our expectations,' Richard Binzel, a professor of planetary sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and inventor of the Torino Scale—a tool for categorizing potential Earth impact events—told Gizmodo. Data on those 2,000 new asteroids went directly to the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center (MPC), the globally recognized organization responsible for cataloging and disseminating data on asteroids, comets, and other small celestial bodies. It plays an essential role in the early detection and monitoring of asteroids that threaten Earth. The MPC has spent years preparing for the deluge of data from Rubin, ramping up its software to process massive amounts of observations. When the first round officially came flooding in on Monday, it was 'nerve-racking and exciting simultaneously,' Matthew Payne, MPC director, told Gizmodo. This was just a taste of what's to come. In a few months, Rubin will begin the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), a decade-long, near-continuous survey of the southern sky. This will produce an ultrawide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of the universe. In terms of asteroids, that means the MPC will receive about 250 million observations per year from LSST, according to Payne. 'For us, that's a game changer in the total amount of data that we're getting, because at the moment we get somewhere in the region of 50 to 60 million a year,' he said. Rubin's remarkable abilities stem from its remarkable instruments. Equipped with a unique three-mirror telescope design and the largest digital camera ever built, this observatory can conduct all-sky surveys while still detecting very faint objects like asteroids. This bridges a key gap between existing technologies, Payne explained. When hunting space rocks, 'you need to go as deep as possible,' Peter Veres, an MPC astrophysicist, told Gizmodo. 'That's what the LSST does, and none of the survey telescopes in the world that aim at planetary defense do that.' During this 10-year survey, Rubin will observe the cosmos on an automated schedule using its 27.6-foot (8.4-meter) Simonyi Survey telescope. Each 30-second exposure will cover an area about 45 times the size of the full Moon. Then, the enormous LSST camera will capture wide-field images and stitch them together to create a complete view of the southern sky every three nights. The combination of Rubin's huge field of view, short exposure time, and its ability to rapidly sweep the sky will yield an avalanche of asteroid discoveries, Veres explained. In 2005, Congress ordered NASA to build a near-Earth object (NEO) survey program to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize the physical characteristics of all near-Earth asteroids and comets at least 328 feet (100 meters) in diameter. If one of these objects struck our planet, it would cause mass destruction that would decimate life on a continental scale, Payne said. The goal was to find 90% of them by 2020, but current estimates show NASA has only found about 40%, he explained. LSST could help NASA pick up the pace. 'It's just going to start revolutionizing our understanding of this population of things,' Payne said. Binzel agrees. 'Those objects are out there, whether we see them or not,' he said. 'Now we're going to see them, and we'll be able to determine that most—if not all of them—are going to safely pass by the Earth in the coming decades. But the best news is if an object has our name on it already, we will be able to find it most likely many, many years—if not decades—before it would come toward Earth.' In theory, that would give NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDOC) time to launch a mission to intercept the asteroid. PDOC is still developing this capability, but in 2022, it launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which sent a spacecraft on a 10-month-long journey to collide with the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos. The collision successfully changed Dimorphos' orbital path, demonstrating NASA's ability to deflect a large asteroid away from Earth if given enough time. Given Rubin's clear potential to revolutionize planetary defense efforts—and the global attention it has received—one would expect NASA to be singing its praises. That has not been the case. The agency has kept strangely quiet about the observatory's launch—and in fact, it appears to be ignoring Rubin's first discoveries altogether. 'It's a warp drive version of finding asteroids,' Keith Cowing, an astrobiologist and former NASA employee who now serves as editor of NASA Watch, told Gizmodo. 'You'd think that the planetary defense people would be in the front row cheering it on, saying, 'send me the data!'' NASA did not share any public information about Monday's event and has not promoted the observatory's findings. When Gizmodo reached out for comment on Rubin's contributions to planetary science and defense, NASA declined and recommended reaching out to the observatory instead. On Tuesday, June 24, the agency's Office of the Inspector General published a report on the implementation and management of NASA's planetary defense strategy. The report only briefly mentions Rubin alongside NASA's forthcoming NEO Surveyor, a space telescope designed to find asteroids that could hit Earth. 'These new observatories are expected to find and track significantly more NEOs than current capabilities, which will likely mean a substantial increase in necessary follow-up observations,' the report states. NASA's PDCO and its planetary science program will undoubtedly use data gathered by the LSST, so what's with the cold shoulder? Cowing thinks it's a symptom of the agency's inner turmoil. 'They're jittery at NASA,' he said. 'Their budgets are being cut from all sides—they don't know what the final budget will be, but the White House wants to slash it—and they're having to react to this with whatever is at hand.' Indeed, President Donald Trump's 2026 budget proposal would cut NASA's science funding by a whopping 47%, potentially killing more than 40 missions, according to The Planetary Society. 'The only good news is what didn't get shot,' Cowing said. He suspects that most NASA employees—including planetary defense personnel—are in survival mode. 'What do you do when you simply don't know if you'll have a job, if the person next to you will have a job, or if you're gonna need to compete for the same job?' Cowing asked. 'That's what's at the heart of this. It's just this general malaise and fear, and people are simply not doing the routine, professional, collaborative, collegial work that they would do across agencies and countries.' As NASA science crumbles, it's unclear whether the agency will have the resources and personnel to take full advantage of Rubin's data. Though the PDCO currently leads the world's planetary defense efforts, that could soon change. Binzel, however, is optimistic. 'Great nations do great science,' he said. 'I continue to have faith that our nation will continue to do great science.
Perth Now
20-06-2025
- Science
- Perth Now
Deadly asteroid could crash into the moon in a few years
A death-defying asteroid could crash into the moon. 2024 YR4 - the up to 300ft-wide chunk of space rock - was originally on course to crash down on Earth on December 22, 2032, but the James Webb Space Telescope ruled that this was not going to happen. Now, according to its course, the asteroid could slam into the moon in late December 2032. However, NASA only thinks there is a four per cent chance of this happening. Astronomers previously predicted that 2024 YR4 - which was zooming down towards the planet at 38,000 mph - had a 2.3 per cent (one-in-43) before its original 1.2 per cent chance of crashing down on the planet on December 22, 2032. Some even scrambled to come up with a plan to fend off the up to 300ft-wide chunk of space rock, with expert David Rankin stressing that people should not worry about it because it will start "falling at some point". Now, scientists from the European Space Agency have confirmed the menace - which was detected on December 27, 2024 - affecting us has a 0.001 per cent chance of doing so. Professor Richard Binzel, the creator of the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, of which 2024 YR4 has dropped from Level 3 to Level 0, said: "That's impact probability zero, folks." Even though it is currently 27 million miles away, it has been said it will return to our orbit in 2032.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The famously unpredictable Bootids meteor shower is coming in June. Here's how to see it
Another meteor shower is on the horizon, starting later this month and lasting until the beginning of July. What's known as the Bootid meteor shower will soon occur. It happens every year at the same time. These meteors originate from from a comet called 7P/Pons-Winnecke, according to the Star Walk website. The Bootids are known for "unpredictable outbursts," according to National Geographic. So while they are generally a weaker shower, sometimes you get an outburst of shooting stars that makes the waiting worth it. "It showed unusual activity in 1998 (50-100 meteors per hour) and 2004 (20-50 meteors per hour). Another outburst was expected in 2010, but the shower produced less than ten meteors per hour," Star Walk said. Helping the show this year, the moon will be a waxing crescent, minimizing light interference at the peak. Here's what to know. The shower will be active from June 22 - July 2. The peak of this meteor shower will occur overnight from June 26-27, according to Star Walk. To find it, look for the constellation Bootes, also known as "The Herdsman" or "The Plowman," that the show is named after. It should be visible high in the western sky. In a past interview with USA Today Network, Tim Brothers, Massachusetts Institute of Technology technical instructor and observatory manager, told Wicked Local that seeing meteor showers is possible with the naked eye, but with any case of stargazing, it's much better if you're using a good telescope or a pair of binoculars. Meteors are essentially pieces of space rock, which are chunks of big comets, according to Meteor showers are "basically debris from the tails of comets," Richard Binzel, an MIT planetary sciences professor, told Wicked Local in a past interview. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bootids meteor shower 2025: How to watch 'unpredictable' June show
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Meteor shower set to peak in early May. Here's what to know.
It's almost time to look up again. What's known as the Eta Aquariid meteor shower is just about to peak. While the meteor shower is known for the display it puts on in the southern hemisphere, it's still capable of dazzling above the equator with a show of about 10 to 30 meteors per hour. The Eta Aquariids appear in May and October of each year, according to What's more this particular meteor shower has a famous "parent." When can you see the shower, and when does it peak? Here's what to know. The Eta Aquariid meteor shower will be active from April 19 to May 28 but people can see the peak of the shower on the mornings of May 5 and 6. It's best to get up super early to see the meteor shower, especially during the peak. The Earthsky website states that people should be looking at the sky in the pre-dawn hours, around 3 a.m. before sunrise. While the peak of the shower is the best time to see the event, stargazers will be able to catch a glimpse of some meteors even when the shower isn't peaking. In a past interview with USA Today Network, Tim Brothers, Massachusetts Institute of Technology technical instructor and observatory manager, told Wicked Local that seeing meteor showers is possible with the naked eye, but with any case of stargazing, it's much better if you're using a good telescope or a pair of binoculars. Meteors are essentially pieces of space rock, which are chunks of big comets, according to Meteor showers are "basically debris from the tails of comets," Richard Binzel, an MIT planetary sciences professor, told Wicked Local in a past interview. The parent comet for the Eta Aquariid meteor shower is the well known, Halley's Comet, which was last viewable from Earth in 1986. Halley's Comet will be back in view from Earth in 2061. This article originally appeared on An Eta Aquariid meteor shower is coming. Here's when it peaks
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Lyrid meteor shower 2025. Here's when the dazzling show peaks
It's one of the oldest known meteor showers and you'll be able to see it as of this week. The Lyrids have been observed annually for about 2,700 years, according to NASA, and now you could be a part of that tradition just by looking up to the sky. The first recorded sighting of a Lyrid meteor shower was in 687 BC by the Chinese, Lyrids are also known for "meteor trains," which are trails of ionized gases that glow for a few seconds after the meteor has passed, according to the website, which added that "Lyrids are known to produce fireballs." The Lyrid meteors come from Comet Thatcher, a comet discovered in 1861 that orbits the sun every 415.5 years. In a past interview with Wicked Local, MIT planetary sciences professor Richard Binzel explained that meteor showers are "basically debris from the tails of comets." Do you want to see the upcoming Lyrid meteor shower? Here's what to know. It will occur starting today, Wednesday, April 16 and will last until April 29, according to which noted, "this time period is when we're passing through the meteor stream in space." The shower will peak on April 21-22, during which stargazers will see the best show. According to EarthSky, "The best time to watch is late evening on April 21 until the moon rises a few hours before dawn on April 22. Then, after the moon rises, place yourself in the moon's shadow." The EarthSky website explained that, "in a dark sky with no moon, you might see 10 to 15 Lyrids per hour" during the weeks that the meteor shower can be seen. But the view can be much more impressive than that. EarthSky added that people should "watch for meteors before the fat crescent moon rises after midnight. The Lyrids are known for uncommon surges that can sometimes bring rates of up to 100 per hour." The Lyrid meteor shower is visible in the northern hemisphere, though it can be seen in the southern hemisphere near where constellation of Lyra is visible. Your best bet for seeing it is to find dark skies away from light pollution. More: These isolated forests in Maine are 'dark skies sanctuaries:' See where In a past interview with Massachusetts Institute of Technology technical Instructor and observatory manager Tim Brothers, he explained that seeing meteor showers is possible with the naked eye, but with any case of stargazing, it's much better if you're using a good telescope or a pair of binoculars. He also explained at the time that moonlight detracts from being able to see astronomical events. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Lyrid meteor shower 2025: Here's the date for when it peaks
