The Discovery Telescope at Lowell Observatory in Arizona plays a key role in determining the true nature of Comet P / 2016 BA14, which will be the third closest comet in human history on Thursday morning. To learn more, Discovery News turned to the Lowell Observatory astronomer and near-earth object expert Nick Moscovitz.
On Monday morning, Comet 252P / LINEAR roared over the Earth at a distance of 3.3 million miles (14 distances between the Moon and the Earth). This marked the beginning of an unprecedented cometary event, which will be followed by a fly-through of Comet P / 2016 BA14 on Tuesday (March 22) at 7:30 am Pacific Daylight Time (10:30 am EST). BA14 will fit even closer to Earth at a distance of only 2.2. million miles (9 distances from the moon to the earth).
Although there has never been a threat to Earth (comets were small by our standards), these two objects deserve attention for several reasons, but first of all they also emphasize the need for research. For this, it is necessary to use more powerful observatories, which will be able to characterize these phenomena in more detail and show what actually happened.
“Most of the recently seen objects were discovered using surveys that scan the sky with relatively small (1-2 meters) telescopes,” astronomer Nick Moscovitz told The Discovery News at Lowell Observatory. “When you use a large telescope, for example, belonging to the Discovery Channel, and direct it to some of these new discoveries, you will be able to detect subtle signs of cometary activity, like its tail or to whom.” The Discovery Channel (DCT) telescope at the Lowell Observatory specializes in studying the small bodies of the solar system, such as comets and asteroids, which play a key role in uncovering the true nature of BA14. Discovered in January by the PanSTARRS telescope (Hawaii, Maui Island), Comet P / 2016 BA14 was originally identified as an asteroid. But its orbit, strikingly similar to the comet 252P / LINEAR, prompted astronomers to take a closer look at it.
252P / LINEAR is a well-known comet with a width of 250 meters with a clear orbit. It was discovered during the LINEAR study (the Lincoln Laboratory of Near-Earth Asteroids) in 2000, and since then it has remained under its supervision. Finding a second object traveling in a similar trajectory seemed like a great coincidence. So when DTC zoomed in on BA14, it found a faint comet tail, proving that the object is a small comet.
“Most of these newly discovered objects do not show cometary activity. They belong to asteroids, but we don’t know how many comets are hiding there and waiting to be discovered, ”Moskovitts added.
As DCT expands its aperture (so they can capture more dim objects) and increase a single CCD (charge-coupled device), astronomers will be able to capture images of extraordinary diffuse functions, such as thin gaseous emissions of small comets. An important role is also played by the ideal location of the telescope: in a place of dark sky in the Coconino National Forest near Happy Jack, Arizona, at an altitude of 2360 meters (7740 feet). According to Moskowitz, telescopes such as DCT occupy a very important place in planetary defense operations. While powerful optical telescopes do not use for the celestial watch, DCT has a very important mission.
“DCT is not well suited for large-scale discoveries, but it is one of the best objects in the world for characterizing physical properties,” he said. Although Moskovitts was not directly involved in the study of BA14, his main research interests focused on the characterization of near-earth objects using DCT. This is an attempt to identify comets and asteroids that may pose a potential hazard in the future.
Moskowitz indicates that the planetary defense includes two stages: “First, the detection of all objects that may be dangerous to the Earth. Secondly, the characteristic of the properties of any potential impacts. We use DCT to refine orbits, measure compositions, determine sizes and shapes, and also rotate near-earth asteroids. All of this is essential for a better understanding of the risks of exposure and the viability of various impact reduction strategies. ”
Further observations of comets 252P / LINEAR and P / 2016 BA14 using other telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's infrared telescope, will be conducted to study their compositions. This will help to understand whether they really come from the same body, as their synchronized meetings with the Earth assume. At some point in their story, they may have belonged to a single comet, which split into two (or more) parts. As comets and asteroids rotate around the Sun, solar radiation can also cause these interplanetary travelers to rotate. In the end, these fragile structures can tear themselves apart. “I usually find observations of near-Earth objects important for three reasons,” said Moskowitz. - First, these objects can and sometimes even affect the Earth. We want to understand them in terms of exposure risk assessment. Secondly, some near-Earth objects are easier to reach in a spacecraft than to the moon. Thus, they will be ideal candidates for future robotic and human research.
Thirdly, these objects come to us from different areas of the solar system and are among the most significant bodies in it. Thus, by studying these objects, we can gain a deeper understanding of the formation and evolutionary processes in the solar system. ”
