Happy Birthday Galileo!
On this day, in 1564, Galileo Galilei was born. Astronomer, philosopher, physician…he played a central role in modern science. His observations of the solar system, including the Moon, Jupiter, Venus and the Sun, lead to discoveries that revolutionised our knowledge of the universe. While looking at Jupiter, for instance, he discovered its four moons. The newly discovered bodies were named Medicia sidera
Asteroid named after Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre
A very special asteroid has been named after Liliana Segre (born 1930), an Italian Holocaust survivor, Senator for life since 2018. The object is the minor body 75190, which holds the same concentration camp number that she was assigned in Auschwitz and that is tattooed on her forearm. “75190 Segreliliana” is a main belt asteroid with a 1498 m diameter, a
Join the PRISMA Days 2020
The project PRISMA (First Italian network of systematic surveillance of meteors and atmosphere) aims to set up an Italian network of all-sky cameras for the observation of exceptionally bright meteors (fireballs and bolides). The objective is to determine the orbits of the objects that cause them and establish, with a good degree of approximation, the areas in which their fragments
What are the chances of an asteroid hitting us?
Ever wondered about the risk of asteroids hitting earth? What are the chances? What potential impact? If you speak Italian, listen to Ettore Perozzi from the Italian Space Association (ASI) explaining the odds of such an impact and what scientists are doing to defend our planet. There is a mention of our NEOROCKS project too!
Would you be a good asteroid observer?
The 24th of July was a busy night at the Tenerife Observatory. Join the ESA challenge and try to spot the 3 asteroids that were visible that night. Among them, you’ll see the previously unknown 2020 OM3. You have until the 25th of September to prove your hunting skills. Follow this link to check the images up close and see if you
Let’s learn about Near Earth Asteroid groups!
More than 7 months into our project, you all know what Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are and if not, here’s where you can find out: https://www.neorocks.eu/lets-learn-about-asteroids/
ESO science operations delayed due to COVID-19
Bad news regarding science operations at ESO observatories. The European Southern Observatory has confirmed that calls for proposal for Period 107 (April-October 2021) are suspended. The decision was made after an in depth analysis of the commitments already taken for Period 105 and 106 (October 2020-March 2021). At the La Silla Paranal Observatory, almost the entire observing time allocated for April-September 2020
Look up, a comet is passing by!
NEOWISE. Have you heard this name over the past few days? Have you seen some of the beautiful pictures with flashes of light flying over the Northern hemisphere? Did the name sound familiar? If you thought there might be a link with NEOROCKS, you were right! The NEO prefix indicates that we are talking about a Near Earth Object, a body whose
NEOROCKS @Europlanet Science Congress
The Europlanet Science Congress is the largest planetary science meeting in Europe and NEOROCKS will be there! We just found out today that our abstract has been accepted - congratulations NEOROCKERS! This year for the first time, EPSC2020 will be held as a virtual meeting. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, attendees will not be able to meet in Granada as foreseen.
Gaia and Asteroids
ESA’s Gaia mission was launched in 2013 to construct a three-dimensional map of our galaxy. Here at NEOROCKS we are interested, because Gaia can also be useful when it comes to asteroids! While scanning the sky and mapping the stars, Gaia might spot moving targets. Some of these will be bodies that have already been detected previously. Others could be a new