Faulkes Telescope North receives official observatory code
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Tracking newly discovered asteroids and comets to identify their orbits is the work of a small number of observatories, and the Faulkes Telescope North will now be joining them. Students from Kings School Canterbury have taken such accurate data of a number of asteroids that the telescope has been awarded an observatory code and can now submit official data to the international body that monitors asteroids and comets, the International Astronomical Union's (IAU's) Minor Planet Centre.
The students have been aided by their teacher Dr Andrew Taylor and Dr Lothar Kurtze, from Technische Universitat in Darmstadt. Over the period of a month, several asteroids were observed to demonstrate the high quality of the images and the telescope's ability to accurately track asteroids, an area of research called astrometry.
Most asteroids are discovered by a limited number of search projects which are then observed by amateur astronomers using fairly small telescopes. All new discoveries must have 'follow-up' observations made in order to determine accurately the asteroid's orbit around the Sun. The follow-up observations are vital and using the new observatory code this can now be carried out by UK schools. The Faulkes Telescope Project and the Spaceguard Centre have jointly developed a programme where asteroids can be tracked, including those objects which are too small and faint to be seen with small telescopes.
The code means that anyone using the Faulkes Telescope North can search for new asteroids or make follow-up observations of recent discoveries and get them officially recognised. Watch this space for more developments!
