Observatory
The Northolt Branch Observatories (NBO ; Observatory codes : Z80 , Z48 and Z37 ) is an astronomical observatory located in London , England. NBO collects follow-up astrometry of near-Earth asteroids and other small Solar System objects.[ 1] It focuses on public outreach , sharing images, videos and information about asteroids on social media .
The two main belt asteroids 72834 Guywells and 128345 Danielbamberger are named after members of the Northolt Branch Observatories team.[ 2] [ 3]
History
Northolt Branch Observatories was founded in 2015, as an extension of the London-based Northolt Branch Astro group of local amateur astrophotographers .[ 4] It is a British-German collaboration: Data is collected on-site by observers at the telescopes in England, and then processed remotely from Germany.[ 5]
Activities
Northolt Branch Observatories is an educational outreach partner with NEOShield-2 .[ 6] It works closely with Asteroid Day [ 7] [ 8] and the PACA (Pro-Am Collaborative Astronomy) Project, with the goal to raise awareness about asteroids.[ 9] [ 1] In 2016 and 2017, NBO hosted the International Capture The Asteroid imaging contest, in partnership with NEOShield-2.[ 10] [ 11] The annual competition is targeted particularly at amateur astrophotographers, who rarely choose to image asteroids in favour of planets or deep-sky objects .[ 12]
In addition to observing Near-Earth asteroids, NBO also provides supernova confirmation[ 13] [ 14] and long-term follow up of comets as part of PACA observing campaigns. Examples of PACA campaigns with contributions from NBO include Rosetta's comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko ,[ 15] and the comets 41P/Tuttle–Giacobini–Kresák and 45P/Honda–Mrkos–Pajdušáková .[ 16]
References
^ a b c "Our Story: The Northolt Branch Observatories" . facebook.com . Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ "Sein Name fliegt durchs All: Asteroid nach Hobby-Astronom aus Laisa benannt" (in German). Hessische/Niedersächsische Allgemeine (HNA). April 22, 2018.
^ "Ein "Stern", der seinen Namen trägt" (in German). Oberhessische Presse. April 15, 2018.
^ "Astrophiz 23: Meet Asteroid Hunters Daniel Bamberger and Guy Wells. Astrophotographer Dr Ian 'Astroblog' Musgrave" . December 15, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ "Astrophiz 50: Asteroid Hunters II" . February 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ "Educational Outreach Partners" . NEOShield-2. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ Bamberger, Daniel (December 20, 2016). "Christmas Rocks" . blog.asteroidday.org . Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ Griffin, Rory (producer/director) (June 30, 2016). Man Vs. Asteroid: An Asteroid Day Special (Motion picture). Discovery Science. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ "PACA Solar System Outreach" . facebook.com . Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ "NEOShield2's Capture the Asteroid competition results are in!" . Squirrel Valley Observatory. December 6, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ Dienel, Franziska. "Capture the Asteroid Competition 2017" . neoshield.eu . Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ "How to capture an asteroid – first steps" . facebook.com . Northolt Branch Observatories. September 22, 2017.
^ "Observer BDAD (Daniel Bamberger)" . aavso.org . American Association of Variable Star Observers. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ Bishop, David. "Bright Supernova" . rochesterastronomy.org . Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ Yanamandra-Fisher, Padma (June 13, 2014). "The role of amateur astronomers in Rosetta's mission" . ESA. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
^ King, Bob (November 30, 2016). "Comet Campaign Seeks Imagers Worldwide" . Sky&Telescope. Retrieved March 1, 2018 .
External links