Asteroids@home: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Asteroids at home logo.png|alt=Asteroids@home logo|center|frameless]]

[[File:Asteroids at home logo.png|alt=Asteroids@home logo|center|frameless]][https://asteroidsathome.net/boinc/ '''''Asteroids@home'''''] is a '''''[[wikipedia:List_of_volunteer_computing_projects|volunteer distributed computing project]]''''' that needs your help to derive the shape and spin for a significant part of the asteroid population. The '''''[[wikipedia:Berkeley_Open_Infrastructure_for_Network_Computing|BOINC]]''''' application employs photometric measurements of asteroids from observed data. The results are asteroid convex shape models with the direction of the spin axis and the rotation period. The models are published in peer-reviewed journals and then made public in the [https://astro.troja.mff.cuni.cz/projects/asteroids3D '''''DAMIT'''''] database. Database of Asteroid Models from Inversion Techniques (DAMIT) is providing the astronomical community access to reliable and up-to-date physical models of asteroids - i.e., their shapes, rotation periods, and spin axis directions.

With a huge amount of photometric data coming from big all-sky surveys as well as from backyard astronomers, asteroid '''''[[wikipedia:Light_curve|Light curve inversion]]''''' modeling becomes viable. Light curve inversion is a mathematical technique used to model the surfaces of rotating objects from their brightness variations. However, data from surveys are often ''sparse in time'', which means that the rotation period - the basic physical parameter - cannot be estimated from the data easily. Contrary to classical light curves where the period is "visible" in the data, a wide interval of all possible periods has to be scanned densely when analyzing sparse data. This fact enormously enlarges the computational time and the only practical way to efficiently handle photometry of hundreds of thousands of asteroids is to use distributed computing. Moreover, the problem is ideal for parallelization - the period interval can be divided into smaller parts that are searched separately and then the results are joined together.[https://asteroidsathome.net/]

Asteroids@home is based at [https://astro.troja.mff.cuni.cz/index_en.html '''''Astronomical Institute'''''], [https://www.cuni.cz/UKENG-1.html '''''Charles University in Prague'''''] in cooperation with Radim Vančo from CzechNationalTeam. The project is directed by Josef Durech.

= Asteroid basics =

An '''''[[wikipedia:Asteroid|asteroid]]''''' is a small rocky body orbiting the sun. Large numbers of these, ranging in size from nearly 600 miles (1,000 km) across (Ceres) to dust particles, are found (as the ''asteroid belt'' ) especially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though some have more eccentric orbits, and a few pass close to the earth or enter the atmosphere as meteors. Asteroids can be described as irregular solid bodies without any atmosphere or coma.

There are almost half a million known asteroids - we know their orbit in the solar system (by measuring their position at different times) and their approximate size (by measuring their brightness and knowing their distance). To learn more about their physical properties, other observing techniques have to be used. One of them is '''''[[wikipedia:Photometry_(astronomy)|photometry]]''''' - the measure of brightness variations caused by rotation. By this technique, rotation periods were derived for several thousands of asteroids

= Why =

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Some asteroids have the potential to impact Earth, and understanding their orbits, compositions, and sizes is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate potential threats. By studying asteroids, scientists can identify and assess impact hazards, and develop methods to deflect or mitigate threats.

~~= About =~~

[https://asteroidsathome.net/boinc/ '''''Asteroids@home'''''] is a '''''[[wikipedia:List_of_volunteer_computing_projects|volunteer distributed computing project]]''''' that needs your help to derive the shape and spin for a significant part of the asteroid population. The '''''[[wikipedia:Berkeley_Open_Infrastructure_for_Network_Computing|BOINC]]''''' application employs photometric measurements of asteroids from observed data. The results are asteroid convex shape models with the direction of the spin axis and the rotation period. The models are published in peer-reviewed journals and then made public in the [https://astro.troja.mff.cuni.cz/projects/asteroids3D '''''DAMIT'''''] database. Database of Asteroid Models from Inversion Techniques (DAMIT) is providing the astronomical community access to reliable and up-to-date physical models of asteroids - i.e., their shapes, rotation periods, and spin axis directions.

With a huge amount of photometric data coming from big all-sky surveys as well as from backyard astronomers, asteroid '''''[[wikipedia:Light_curve|Light curve inversion]]''''' modeling becomes viable. Light curve inversion is a mathematical technique used to model the surfaces of rotating objects from their brightness variations. However, data from surveys are often ''sparse in time'', which means that the rotation period - the basic physical parameter - cannot be estimated from the data easily. Contrary to classical light curves where the period is "visible" in the data, a wide interval of all possible periods has to be scanned densely when analyzing sparse data. This fact enormously enlarges the computational time and the only practical way to efficiently handle photometry of hundreds of thousands of asteroids is to use distributed computing. Moreover, the problem is ideal for parallelization - the period interval can be divided into smaller parts that are searched separately and then the results are joined together.[https://asteroidsathome.net/]

Asteroids@home is based at [https://astro.troja.mff.cuni.cz/index_en.html '''''Astronomical Institute'''''], [https://www.cuni.cz/UKENG-1.html '''''Charles University in Prague'''''] in cooperation with Radim Vančo from CzechNationalTeam. The project is directed by Josef Durech.

~~= Asteroid basics =~~

An '''''[[wikipedia:Asteroid|asteroid]]''''' is a small rocky body orbiting the sun. Large numbers of these, ranging in size from nearly 600 miles (1,000 km) across (Ceres) to dust particles, are found (as the ''asteroid belt'' ) especially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though some have more eccentric orbits, and a few pass close to the earth or enter the atmosphere as meteors. Asteroids can be described as irregular solid bodies without any atmosphere or coma.

There are almost half a million known asteroids - we know their orbit in the solar system (by measuring their position at different times) and their approximate size (by measuring their brightness and knowing their distance). To learn more about their physical properties, other observing techniques have to be used. One of them is '''''[[wikipedia:Photometry_(astronomy)|photometry]]''''' - the measure of brightness variations caused by rotation. By this technique, rotation periods were derived for several thousands of asteroids

= Scientific publications =

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:Asteroids at home logo.png|alt=Asteroids@home logo|center|frameless]]
+[[File:Asteroids at home logo.png|alt=Asteroids@home logo|center|frameless]][https://asteroidsathome.net/boinc/ '''''Asteroids@home'''''] is a '''''[[wikipedia:List_of_volunteer_computing_projects|volunteer distributed computing project]]''''' that needs your help to derive the shape and spin for a significant part of the asteroid population. The '''''[[wikipedia:Berkeley_Open_Infrastructure_for_Network_Computing|BOINC]]''''' application employs photometric measurements of asteroids from observed data. The results are asteroid convex shape models with the direction of the spin axis and the rotation period. The models are published in peer-reviewed journals and then made public in the [https://astro.troja.mff.cuni.cz/projects/asteroids3D '''''DAMIT'''''] database. Database of Asteroid Models from Inversion Techniques (DAMIT) is providing the astronomical community access to reliable and up-to-date physical models of asteroids - i.e., their shapes, rotation periods, and spin axis directions.
+With a huge amount of photometric data coming from big all-sky surveys as well as from backyard astronomers, asteroid '''''[[wikipedia:Light_curve|Light curve inversion]]''''' modeling becomes viable. Light curve inversion is a mathematical technique used to model the surfaces of rotating objects from their brightness variations. However, data from surveys are often ''sparse in time'', which means that the rotation period - the basic physical parameter - cannot be estimated from the data easily. Contrary to classical light curves where the period is "visible" in the data, a wide interval of all possible periods has to be scanned densely when analyzing sparse data. This fact enormously enlarges the computational time and the only practical way to efficiently handle photometry of hundreds of thousands of asteroids is to use distributed computing. Moreover, the problem is ideal for parallelization - the period interval can be divided into smaller parts that are searched separately and then the results are joined together.[https://asteroidsathome.net/]
+Asteroids@home is based at [https://astro.troja.mff.cuni.cz/index_en.html '''''Astronomical Institute'''''], [https://www.cuni.cz/UKENG-1.html '''''Charles University in Prague'''''] in cooperation with Radim Vančo from CzechNationalTeam. The project is directed by Josef Durech.
+= Asteroid basics =
+An '''''[[wikipedia:Asteroid|asteroid]]''''' is a small rocky body orbiting the sun. Large numbers of these, ranging in size from nearly 600 miles (1,000 km) across (Ceres) to dust particles, are found (as the ''asteroid belt'' ) especially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though some have more eccentric orbits, and a few pass close to the earth or enter the atmosphere as meteors. Asteroids can be described as irregular solid bodies without any atmosphere or coma.
+There are almost half a million known asteroids - we know their orbit in the solar system (by measuring their position at different times) and their approximate size (by measuring their brightness and knowing their distance). To learn more about their physical properties, other observing techniques have to be used. One of them is '''''[[wikipedia:Photometry_(astronomy)|photometry]]''''' - the measure of brightness variations caused by rotation. By this technique, rotation periods were derived for several thousands of asteroids
 = Why =
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 Some asteroids have the potential to impact Earth, and understanding their orbits, compositions, and sizes is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate potential threats. By studying asteroids, scientists can identify and assess impact hazards, and develop methods to deflect or mitigate threats.
-= About =
-[https://asteroidsathome.net/boinc/ '''''Asteroids@home'''''] is a '''''[[wikipedia:List_of_volunteer_computing_projects|volunteer distributed computing project]]''''' that needs your help to derive the shape and spin for a significant part of the asteroid population. The '''''[[wikipedia:Berkeley_Open_Infrastructure_for_Network_Computing|BOINC]]''''' application employs photometric measurements of asteroids from observed data. The results are asteroid convex shape models with the direction of the spin axis and the rotation period. The models are published in peer-reviewed journals and then made public in the [https://astro.troja.mff.cuni.cz/projects/asteroids3D '''''DAMIT'''''] database. Database of Asteroid Models from Inversion Techniques (DAMIT) is providing the astronomical community access to reliable and up-to-date physical models of asteroids - i.e., their shapes, rotation periods, and spin axis directions.
-With a huge amount of photometric data coming from big all-sky surveys as well as from backyard astronomers, asteroid '''''[[wikipedia:Light_curve|Light curve inversion]]''''' modeling becomes viable. Light curve inversion is a mathematical technique used to model the surfaces of rotating objects from their brightness variations. However, data from surveys are often ''sparse in time'', which means that the rotation period - the basic physical parameter - cannot be estimated from the data easily. Contrary to classical light curves where the period is "visible" in the data, a wide interval of all possible periods has to be scanned densely when analyzing sparse data. This fact enormously enlarges the computational time and the only practical way to efficiently handle photometry of hundreds of thousands of asteroids is to use distributed computing. Moreover, the problem is ideal for parallelization - the period interval can be divided into smaller parts that are searched separately and then the results are joined together.[https://asteroidsathome.net/]
-Asteroids@home is based at [https://astro.troja.mff.cuni.cz/index_en.html '''''Astronomical Institute'''''], [https://www.cuni.cz/UKENG-1.html '''''Charles University in Prague'''''] in cooperation with Radim Vančo from CzechNationalTeam. The project is directed by Josef Durech.
-= Asteroid basics =
-An '''''[[wikipedia:Asteroid|asteroid]]''''' is a small rocky body orbiting the sun. Large numbers of these, ranging in size from nearly 600 miles (1,000 km) across (Ceres) to dust particles, are found (as the ''asteroid belt'' ) especially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though some have more eccentric orbits, and a few pass close to the earth or enter the atmosphere as meteors. Asteroids can be described as irregular solid bodies without any atmosphere or coma.
-There are almost half a million known asteroids - we know their orbit in the solar system (by measuring their position at different times) and their approximate size (by measuring their brightness and knowing their distance). To learn more about their physical properties, other observing techniques have to be used. One of them is '''''[[wikipedia:Photometry_(astronomy)|photometry]]''''' - the measure of brightness variations caused by rotation. By this technique, rotation periods were derived for several thousands of asteroids
 = Scientific publications =