The career path of a teenage asteroid hunter

Presenter(s): Peter Lake

Affiliation(s): iTelescope

Session details: Sunday, 2016-03-27 03:30:00, LT106

Abstract

An entry-level to advanced-level look at the process of finding and tracking asteroids, how it’s done and why it’s important. Covering the image capture methods, blinking and stacking techniques, from beginner to advanced methods and working closely with the Minor Planet Center. Peter Lake navigates the pathway for an aspiring Asteroid hunter from basic citizen-science activities like Asteroid Zoo, Nasa’s Asteroid Data Hunter, the IASC program and the University of Arizona’s Target Asteroids program to advanced techniques using Astrometrica. The session culminates with the speaker’s own recent observations of Near Earth Objects during the past 12 months including Asteroid 2015 TB145, a 460m, which was discovered by Panstarrs Survey only three weeks before a very close approach at 1.3 Lunar distances in October 2015.

Biography

Peter Lake is an IT Service Management specialist, an Amateur Astronomer and gifted Tenor vocalist. Peter has 34 years’ experience in Telecommunications, Data Networks & IT. A member of MBO, AAVSO and VSS, he attended the Centenary Meeting of the AAVSO in 2011. In 2004, he recovered asteroid 2000 EV70 (162422) as a Spacewatch volunteer in one of the very first Citizen Science astronomy activities. In August 2013, he discovered main belt Asteroid 2013 PJ40. Peter owns and operates a 0.5m Planewave CDK with Fingerlakes PL11002M Class1 CCD at a dark sky site in New Mexico. He is an affiliate of iTelescope.net. At iTelescope.net, he co-ordinates activity for the Partnership with the University of Arizona’s Target Asteroids mission and works with Dr Padma Yanamandra-Fisher on the PACA (Professional and Amateur Collaboration in Astronomy) for Comets ISON, Siding Spring and 67P. Author of popular astronomy blog: http://aartscope.blogspot.com.au/, he has worked with Fraser Cain and Dr Pamela Gay in live and virtual astronomy events. In 2013, he was a guest speaker at the Advanced Astro Imaging Conference on the Gold Coast and the Google GAFE Summit in Victoria. In 2014, he ran a half-day asteroid workshop at NACAA. He has worked in several schools in Victoria as a STEM coach and mentored students and teachers at high schools around the world. Peter is a contributing co-author of three science papers:

Long term variability and outburst activity of FS Aurigae: further evidence for a third body in the sytem, Neustroev et al., 2012;

Photometrical observations and time transit variations (TTV) researches of extrasolar planets, Sokov et al., 2012;

Engaging citizen scientists to be part of OSIRIS-REx Target Asteroids, Hergenrother, Hill, 2013.