Tag Archive: ATN

Meeny (green) & DGU (brown) – the red dot where their orbits cross is where the discovery was made

It was amateur astronomer Remises Kerman’s first attempt to look for Meeny in the night sky with his new high-powered telescope. He had pulled all the data from the Asteroid Tracking Network database and calculated the trajectory so he would know where and when to point his scope. However he didn’t double-check his calculations, or he probably would have noticed the simple arithmetic error that caused him to point his scope at the wrong section of sky and at the wrong time – Meeny was several hours from being visible at that location. Still, he saw something moving against the backdrop of stars and nebulae over the course of 3 hours of watching. Realizing its motion wasn’t in the proper direction for it to be Meeny and that it was traveling too fast to be a distant object, he continued to study the object for the next night and did a rough calculation of its trajectory to confirm it was orbiting Kerbin. He quickly alerted the ATN, who did follow-up observations to confirm the existence of the asteroid, which they cataloged as DGU-266(B) and is now available on our Flight Tracker. It now falls upon the Kerbal Astronomical Society to choose a name for the object. They are considering sourcing names from the public to help increase outreach and interest in astronomy.

The asteroid is currently predicted to skim through Mun’s SOI again shortly on 2/12, after which astronomers will once more turn their scopes on it for a detailed study of its orbit. Everyone who keeps records of the star fields they observe over time is also checking through their archives to see if they can spot DGU in any of them, to possibly give us a time frame for when the asteroid was captured by Mun. Unlike Meeny, we did not see this capture coming ahead of time and due to its low eccentricity, it’s likely been in orbit for a while now. It’s very likely there have been other small moonlets that have come and gone thanks to Mun without our even knowing they were there.

Remises is still hoping to get a look at Meeny through his ‘scope next time it passes around the night side of Kerbin. He’ll double-check his calculations too he says.

Earlier this week the ATN put out a notice that it had discovered a small asteroid with the potential to impact Kerbin in the near future. This caused a minor panic among the populace due to the limited amount of information that accompanied the notice, which was primarily meant for other astronomers but was picked up by the general media and spread like an announcement of impending doom. While we largely blame the media for causing the concern, the ATN should do well to not be so liberal in the future with the release of information that has yet to be verified.

Today however they have put out the official announcement that asteroid OVD-128(A), a smaller-sized asteroid massing at 3,071.295 tons, is in fact on a trajectory that will intercept Kerbin. Current predictions plot an entry into our sphere of influence on December 7th of this year, where new observations of its trajectory will be taken. Right now though it appears to be heading for an area in the southern hemisphere on December 9th. Whether it will survive entry through the atmosphere is unknown, and depends largely on its composition. Based on its mass and size, astronomers predict it is a stony-class of asteroid, which means it could be a loose pile of rubble that will break apart and disintegrate during its fall towards the surface. In the event of an impact, the area is well clear of any populated caverns or ongoing/planned surface operations and the opportunity to collect samples has scientists excited.

Trajectory of OVD-128 after it enters our SOI

We’ll share any additional information the ATN releases over the next few weeks, but definitely expect an update sometime on December 7th or 8th that narrows down the entry corridor and possible impact zone. And please, remember that this asteroid poses no threat to kerbal civilization.

In association with the KSA and numerous institutions and heavily leaning on the community of amateur astronomers, the Asteroid Tracking Network is set to begin operations at the start of October. The lead organizer for the Network is Edlu Kerman, a well-known astronomer who, in conjunction with geologist Blarsby Kerman, uncovered evidence of yet another asteroid-driven mass-extinction in Kerbin’s distant past when they discovered Kerraria Crater. “it’s happened within our recorded history, and it’s happened before. We can prevent it from happening again. We need to start now – there are potentially hundreds of rocks out there that could wipe us out completely, even with our current subterranean infrastructure in place. Thousands upon thousands more could threaten any surface colonies in the future as well”.

The ATN will begin collecting reports from all members into a central repository all astronomers can access in order to work together to pick out the faint objects known as asteroids and comets that litter our planetary system. “These objects can be very dark, very hard to see unless the conditions are just right. We’re also limited to optical technology at this time, until further developments in infrared detection are completed”, commented Edlu. The Network hopes the increased awareness they bring will help increase funding for projects aimed at making finding these threats easier. “It’s no doubt kerbals know the threat is out there, but I don’t think the vast majority of our population realizes just how many threats are out there”.

The current plan is to release monthly reports of newly-found objects, although the KSA will use its public outreach to inform kerbs of any major findings as soon as they are discovered.

If anyone is interested and capable, the ATN is looking for a logo. You can send submissions here in the comments, tweet at @KSA_MissionCtrl or email dkerman@kerbalspace.agency.