IASC updates

Image Sets Available

Image sets from July 1, 3, and 5 are available in the school folders.  All schools have at least one set.  Check your folder!!

The current campaign concludes on Friday, July 8th.  It was extended by a week since the weather at the ARI Observatory has been a persistent problem.  There is still time between now and Friday for your students to make important NEO observations and possible MBA discoveries.

Another Preliminary MBA Discovery!!!!

Preliminary MBA Discovery

Congratulations!!  P. Chawla & A. Aggarwal from Bal Bharati Public School, Ganga Ram Hospital Marg, New Delhi made the preliminary discovery of the Main Belt asteroid TOV44A.  This discovery was linked to their observation BBP8100 in the image set 2011 MV1-0701-24.

Several of you have asked about when a preliminary discovery is considered to be lost.  Usually, after 7-10 days if the discovery is not observed and measured a second time, it is lost.  However, on occasion IASC has received notification of the second observation as long as 90 days after the original preliminary discovery.

IASC maintains accurate records of the student observations and discoveries.  If a follow-up is received and the preliminary discovery is moved to provisional status by the MPC, you will be immediately notified.

Image Sets Available

Image sets from June 30, July 1, and July 3 are available in the school folders.  The images from June 30 are 5 days old, and will be removed from the school folders in the next few hours.  If your students have not yet looked at these images, it is important that they do so...soon!!

Happy Hunting!!

IASC updates - new preliminary MBA discovery

Preliminary MBA Discoveries

On June 30, R. Arora & Y. Gupta from Step by Step School, Noida (India) made the preliminary discovery of the Main Belt asteroid TOV440.  This discovery was linked to SBS0003 in the image set 2011 MY2-0630-24.

Provisional Status to preliminary discovery

Congratulations!!  C. Betrabet & U. Bhatia from Ryan International School, Sohna Rd, Gurgaon made the preliminary discovery of the possible near-Earth object (asteroid) TOV444.  This discovery  has been confirmed a second time and is now in provisional status.  Its new designation is 2011 MP4.

As more and more observations are made of 2011 MP4 and its orbit is fully determined, this asteroid will become numbered.  At that point C. Betrabet & U. Bhatia can propose a name to the International Astronomical Union (Paris).  It sometimes takes 3-6 years before sufficient observations are made...so patience is very important.

IASC keeps track of all the student asteroid discoveries that become numbered and placed into the world's official minor planet catalog.  Since IASC started in October 2006, there have been 12 numbered asteroids discoveries by students.

Again congratulations to C. Betrabet & U. Bhatia for your discovery.  Good job.

8th preliminary discovery!!! AIASC updates

C. Betrabet & U. Bhatia from Ryan International School, Sohna Rd, Gurgaon (India) made the preliminary discovery of TOV444.  This discovery was linked to the observation RIS0047 in the image set 2011 MV1-0630-24.  This is discovery is of high interest, which means it might be a near-Earth object (NEO).


Remember a preliminary discovery must be observed a second time within 7-10 days.  IASC monitors the second observations, and will notify you immediately of any change in status of your discovery.

The Discoveries & Observations page on the IASC web site at http://iasc.hsutx.edu/index_files/Page786.htm will be updated in the next few hours.  All student observations will be listed.

Image Sets Available

Image sets from June 28 and 30 are available.  There is at least one image set in each of the school folders.  Check your folders.