New Record: Telescope Finds 19 Near-Earth Asteroids in One Night

Richard Wainscoat (left) and Marco Micheli study one of the near-Earth asteroids found on January 29. The asteroid is the roundish dot near Wainscoat?s finger. Photo by Karen Teramura

From a University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy press release:

The Pan-STARRS PS1 telescope on Haleakala, Maui, discovered 19 near-Earth asteroids on the night of January 29, the most asteroids discovered by one telescope on a single night.

?This record number of discoveries shows that PS1 is the world?s most powerful telescope for this kind of study,? said Nick Kaiser, head of the Pan-STARRS project. ?NASA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory?s support of this project illustrates how seriously they are taking the threat from near-Earth asteroids.?
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Read the rest of New Record: Telescope Finds 19 Near-Earth Asteroids in One Night (320 words)

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Full story at http://www.universetoday.com/83562/new-record-telescope-discovers-19-near-earth-asteroids-in-one-night/