Spacewatch

Spacewatch is a project at the University of Arizona, based on the observation of minor planets ( asteroids ) and comets specializes.

The project was founded in 1980 by Tom Gehrels and Robert S. McMillan, who is also project manager today.

To monitor the project uses a 0.9-meter and 1.8 -meter telescope on Kitt Peak.

Due to the better knowledge of the minor planets in the solar system hoped that better insights into the evolutionary history of the solar system.

Discoveries

Among the discovered by Spacewatch Project asteroids include the near-Earth asteroid 1991 VG and 1997 XF11, the centaurs ( 5145) Pholus ( 7066 ) Nessus and ( 8405 ) Asbolus and the large Kuiper belt objects ( 55637 ) 2002 UX25 and (20000 ) Varuna. The asteroid 719 Albert was rediscovered by Spacewatch after he was for almost 90 years as lost. Also, the periodic comet 125P/Spacewatch was discovered by this project.

Spacewatch has also found a new moon of Jupiter ( Callirrhoe ), which was initially thought to be an asteroid.