Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
NEO-SURVEY AND HAZARD EVALUATION
YUEHUA MA
∗
and GUANGYU LI
†
Purple Mountain Observatory, CAS, Nanjing 210008, China
National Astronomical Observatories, CAS, Nanjing 210008, China
∗
yhma@pmo.ac.cn
†
gyl@pmo.ac.cn
Chinese scientists have done many research works in this field of asteroid survey
and related aspects. They found Asteroid 1125 — China at Yerkes Observatory
in 1928 and found Asteroid Purple 1 at Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) in
1955. Up to the middle period of 1980s, over 130 new numbered asteroids were
found at PMO and among them two are Mars-crossing asteroids. The Schmidt
CCD Asteroid Program (SCAP) of Beijing Astronomical Observatory (BAO)
was put in practice in 1995. Two NEOs and a Mars-crossing asteroid were found
in 1997. In 1990s, 575 asteroids were found by SCAP, which was the first place
in the world at that time. The construction of NEO Search Telescope was
started in 1999 and has been finished in principle. The telescope is a 1.0/1.2 m
Schmidt telescope with 4 K
×
4 K shift scanning CCD detector. It is to be expa-
tiated in this paper. The telescope can also inspect space debris. In addition to
ground base NEO Survey and investigation, we have tabled a proposal “auto-
navigation for NEO exploration” and hope to have international cooperation.
1. The Historical Asteroid Survey in China
The enormous power of celestial bodies impacts is matchless. The danger
of NEOs impacts with earth threatens our living space all the time. The
annihilation of dinosaur 65 Myrs ago, the great blast of Tunguska in 1908,
the impacts of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter in 1994 and NEOs
passing Near Earth orbit with short distances these years warn us that we
cannot treat them lightly.
Chinese scientists have done many research works in the field of asteroid
survey and related aspects. In 1928, Asteroid 1125-China was found at
Yerkes Observatory by C. Y. Chang, who was the former director of Purple
Mountain Observatory (PMO). In 1955, Asteroid Purple 1 was found at
PMO by professors C. Y. Chang and J. X. Zhang, which was the first
asteroid found by Chinese at home. Up to mid-period of 1980s, the asteroid
research group lead by Professor J. X. Zhang found over 130 new numbered
asteroids at PMO with 40 cm two-tube refracting telescope and two of them
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