see § List of discovered minor planets |
Francesco Manca (born November 1966, in Milan, Italy) is an Italian amateur astronomer and discoverer of minor planets at the Sormano Astronomical Observatory in northern Italy. [2]
Manca also performs follow-up astrometry of near-Earth objects (NEOs). He acquired research and observational experience on the NEOs at professional observatories in Arizona, United States at Catalina Sky Survey (IAU Obs code 703 and G96) Non-observational work focuses on computations of orbit and close approaches of asteroids with the Earth (linked at Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) - Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and computation of orbit identifications of asteroids (Near Earth Asteroids, Mars-crossing asteroids , Hungaria group, Trans-Neptunian object) and comets.
He wrote many articles on specialistic magazines. Member of SIMCA (Italian : Società Italiana Meccanica Celeste e Astrodinamica), associated (INAF) National Institute for Astrophysics and International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN). His professional activity concerns the application of measuring systems as encoders for Right Ascension and Declination (azimuth and elevation), installed on telescopes and Radio telescopes such as the VLT, LBT, ELT (Extremely Large Telescope), ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array), DAG (Turkish for Eastern Anatolia Observatory), ASTRI (Astrophysics with mirrors at Italian Replicant Technology) and NEOSTEL (FlyEye telescope) for ESA or on space instruments as Solar Monitoring Observatory.
The Koronian asteroid 15460 Manca, discovered by Andrea Boattini and Luciano Tesi at San Marcello Pistoiese Observatory in 1998, is named in his honour. [2]
important; height: 324px; | ||
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9111 Matarazzo | 28 January 1997 | list [A] |
9115 Battisti | 27 February 1997 | list [A] |
(9796) 1996 HW | 19 April 1996 | list [B] |
10387 Bepicolombo | 18 October 1996 | list [A] |
10605 Guidoni | 3 November 1996 | list [C] |
10606 Crocco | 3 November 1996 | list [C] |
11652 Johnbrownlee | 7 February 1997 | list [A] |
12405 Nespoli | 15 September 1995 | list [C] |
18542 Broglio | 29 December 1996 | list [D] |
18556 Battiato | 7 February 1997 | list [A] |
19318 Somanah | 2 December 1996 | list [E] |
21289 Giacomel | 3 November 1996 | list [C] |
important; height: 324px; | ||
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26197 Bormio | 31 March 1997 | list [A] |
27855 Giorgilli | 4 January 1995 | list [D] |
32944 Gussalli | 19 November 1995 | list [A] |
35334 Yarkovsky | 31 March 1997 | list [A] |
37022 Robertovittori | 22 October 2000 | list [F] |
39734 Marchiori | 14 December 1996 | list [B] |
43956 Elidoro | 7 February 1997 | list [A] |
43957 Invernizzi | 7 February 1997 | list [A] |
48643 Allen-Beach | 20 October 1995 | list [A] |
59087 Maccacaro | 15 November 1998 | list [A] |
69961 Millosevich | 15 November 1998 | list [A] |
(79847) 1998 XY2 | 7 December 1998 | list [D] |
important; | ||
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(96583) 1998 VG34 | 15 November 1998 | list [A] |
(100641) 1997 VO4 | 3 November 1997 | list [C] |
Co-discovery made with: A P. Sicoli B P. Chiavenna C V. Giuliani D A. Testa E M. Cavagna F G. Ventre |
A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body orbiting the Sun whose closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is less than 1.3 times the Earth–Sun distance. This definition applies to the object's orbit around the Sun, rather than its current position, thus an object with such an orbit is considered an NEO even at times when it is far from making a close approach of Earth. If an NEO's orbit crosses the Earth's orbit, and the object is larger than 140 meters (460 ft) across, it is considered a potentially hazardous object (PHO). Most known PHOs and NEOs are asteroids, but about 0.35% are comets.
(35396) 1997 XF11 (provisional designation 1997 XF11) is a kilometer-sized asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object, Mars-crosser and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group.
Eleanor Francis "Glo" Helin was an American astronomer. She was principal investigator of the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search (LONEOS) was a project designed to discover asteroids and comets that orbit near the Earth. The project, funded by NASA, was directed by astronomer Ted Bowell of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. The LONEOS project began in 1993 and ran until the end of February 2008.
The Spacewatch Project is an astronomical survey that specializes in the study of minor planets, including various types of asteroids and comets at University of Arizona telescopes on Kitt Peak near Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. The Spacewatch Project has been active longer than any other similar currently active programs.
The Purple Mountain Observatory, also known as Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the Purple Mountain in the east of Nanjing.
John Broughton is an Australian amateur astronomer and artist. He is among the most prolific discoverers of minor planets worldwide, credited by the Minor Planet Center with more than a thousand discoveries made between 1997 and 2008. His observations are done at Reedy Creek Observatory, in Queensland, Australia.
Andrea Boattini is an Italian astronomer and a prolific discoverer of minor planets and comets.
Piero Sicoli is an Italian astronomer and discoverer of minor planets, observing at the Italian Sormano Astronomical Observatory. As the observatory's coordinator, he is responsible for close encounters computation of near-Earth objects (NEOs), orbit computations, and identification of asteroids. The Observatory's focus is the examination and tracking of NEOs in Solar System.
Paolo Chiavenna is an Italian amateur astronomer and a co-discoverer of minor planets, credited by the Minor Planet Center with the discovery of 15 minor planets during 1995–2000.
The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System located at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, US, consists of astronomical cameras, telescopes and a computing facility that is surveying the sky for moving or variable objects on a continual basis, and also producing accurate astrometry and photometry of already-detected objects. In January 2019 the second Pan-STARRS data release was announced. At 1.6 petabytes, it is the largest volume of astronomical data ever released.
(137108) 1999 AN10 is a kilometer-length near-Earth asteroid and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group. It was discovered by LINEAR on 13 January 1999.
9115 Battisti, provisional designation 1997 DG, is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 February 1997, by Italian astronomers Piero Sicoli and Francesco Manca at Sormano Astronomical Observatory in northern Italy. The asteroid was named for Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti.
15460 Manca, provisional designation 1998 YD10, is a Koronian asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter.
A potentially hazardous object (PHO) is a near-Earth object – either an asteroid or a comet – with an orbit that can make close approaches to the Earth and which is large enough to cause significant regional damage in the event of impact. They are conventionally defined as having a minimum orbit intersection distance with Earth of less than 0.05 astronomical units and an absolute magnitude of 22 or brighter, the latter of which roughly corresponds to a size larger than 140 meters. More than 99% of the known potentially hazardous objects are no impact threat over the next 100 years. As of September 2022, just 17 of the known potentially hazardous objects listed on the Sentry Risk Table could not be excluded as potential threats over the next hundred years. Over hundreds if not thousands of years though, the orbits of some "potentially hazardous" asteroids can evolve to live up to their namesake.
2012 TC4 is a tumbling micro-asteroid classified as a bright near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 10 meters (30 feet) in diameter. It was first observed by Pan-STARRS at Haleakala Observatory on the Hawaiian island of Maui, in the United States. As of 1 October 2017, it had a small Earth minimum orbital intersection distance of 0.000149 AU (22,300 km). On 12 October 2017, it passed Earth at 0.00033524 AU (50,151 km). The asteroid was removed from the Sentry Risk Table on 16 October 2017 and with a 5-year observation arc has a well-known orbit. For example, on the previously risk-listed date of 12 October 2022, it is now known that the asteroid will be more than 3 AU (450 million km) from Earth.
The Sormano Astronomical Observatory is an astronomical observatory north of Milan, Italy. Located near the Swiss border at 1000 meters elevation at the mountain village of Sormano in the pre-Alps, the observatory was privately funded by the Gruppo Astrofili Brianza and built in 1986.
2013 GM3 is a micro-asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Aten group, approximately 20 meters in diameter. It was first observed on 3 April 2013, by astronomers of the Mount Lemmon Survey conducted at the Mount Lemmon Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, United States.
2017 YE5 is a binary pair of asteroids of approximately equal size and mass, each about 0.9 km (0.56 mi) in diameter. Classified as a near-Earth asteroid and potentially hazardous object of the Apollo group, 2017 YE5 was discovered by amateur astronomer Claudine Rinner at the Oukaïmeden Observatory on 21 December 2017. On 21 June 2018, the pair of asteroids passed within 15.5 lunar distances or approximately 6 million km (3.7 million mi) from Earth. During the close encounter, 2017 YE5 was resolved in high detail by concurrent radar observations by the Arecibo and Green Bank observatories, along with individual observations by the Goldstone Solar System Radar. 2017 YE5 is likely an extinct or dormant comet due to its distant elliptical orbit and dark red surface.