![]() Aerial view of Table Mountain Observatory | |||||
Organization | NASA / JPL | ||||
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Observatory code | 673 | ||||
Location | Big Pines, California, U.S. | ||||
Coordinates | 34°22′55″N117°40′54″W / 34.3820°N 117.6818°W | ||||
Altitude | 2,286 meters (7,500 ft) | ||||
Established | 1924 | ||||
Website | tmf | ||||
Telescopes | |||||
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Table Mountain Observatory (TMO) is an astronomical observation facility operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (California Institute of Technology). It is located in Big Pines, California, in the Angeles National Forest near Wrightwood, north-northeast of Los Angeles, California. [1] [2]
TMO is part of JPL's Table Mountain Facility (TMF). The larger site hosts a number of non-astronomical projects. The site was first used by the Smithsonian Institution in 1924, which conducted atmospheric, solar, and astronomical observations for many years. JPL took over the lease in 1962. [3] [2] The observatory conducts high-precision astrometric observations to support NASA and international spacecraft mission navigation, confirmation and recovery of near-Earth objects such as comets and asteroids that may potentially impact the Earth, and technology development. [4]
The main-belt asteroid 84882 Table Mountain was named in honor of the observatory. [2]
More than 260 minor planets were discovered at TMO, often referred to as "Wrightwood" the Minor Planet Center and credited to several astronomers, most notably to James Young, but also to other astronomers such as Jack B. Child, Greg Fisch, A. Grigsby, D. Mayes, and Mallory Vale. The MPC also directly credits TMO with the discovery of one numbered main-belt asteroid (see table).
important; | ||
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(166609) 2002 RF232 | 10 September 2002 | MPC |
Two telescopes operate at TMO:
see § List of discovered minor planets |
Former instruments at TMO include:
The main-belt asteroid 84882 Table Mountain, discovered by James Whitney Young at TMO in 2003, was named in honor of the observatory. [2] Naming citation was published on 28 October 2004 ( M.P.C. 52955). [15]
Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) was a program run by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, surveying the sky for near-Earth objects. NEAT was conducted from December 1995 until April 2007, at GEODSS on Hawaii, as well as at Palomar Observatory in California. With the discovery of more than 40 thousand minor planets, NEAT has been one of the most successful programs in this field, comparable to the Catalina Sky Survey, LONEOS and Mount Lemmon Survey.
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.
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. The Spacewatch Project has been active longer than any other similar currently active programs.
Catalina Sky Survey is an astronomical survey to discover comets and asteroids. It is conducted at the Steward Observatory's Catalina Station, located near Tucson, Arizona, in the United States.
The Purple Mountain Observatory, also known as Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the Purple Mountain in the east of Nanjing.
Mount Lemmon Observatory (MLO), also known as the Mount Lemmon Infrared Observatory, is an astronomical observatory located on Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains approximately 28 kilometers (17 mi) northeast of Tucson, Arizona (US). The site in the Coronado National Forest is used with special permission from the U.S. Forest Service by the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory, and contains a number of independently managed telescopes.
The Piszkéstető Station or Piszkéstető Mountain Station is an astronomical observatory in Mátraszentimre in Mátra Mountains, about 80 kilometers (50 mi) northeast of Hungary's capital Budapest. It is a station of Konkoly Observatory, first built in 1958. It has the observatory code 461 and 561 for being used by the Szeged University and Konkoly Observatory, respectively.
James Whitney Young is an American astronomer who worked in the field of asteroid research. After nearly 47 years with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at their Table Mountain Facility, Young retired July 16, 2009.
The Bisei Spaceguard Center (BSGC) is a spaceguard facility adjacent to the Bisei Astronomical Observatory (BAO), an astronomical observatory located at Bisei-chō, Ibara, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The facility was constructed during 1999–2000, where it since conducts the Bisei Asteroid Tracking Telescope for Rapid Survey or BATTeRS (バッターズ), an astronomical survey that solely tracks asteroids and space debris. BATTeRS has discovered numerous minor planets and the periodic, Halley-type comet and near-Earth object C/2001 W2 (BATTERS).
Stephen J. Edberg is a scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He is perhaps best known for creating collaborative efforts between amateur and professional astronomers. A professional astronomer since 1970, Edberg still considers himself to be an active amateur astronomer as well and is an active astronomical observer, photographer, and telescope maker. He presently serves as staff astronomer for the Solar System Exploration website posted by NASA Headquarters and staff scientist for Earth science communication and for Exoplanet Exploration communication.
7816 Hanoi, provisional designation 1987 YA, is an eccentric stony asteroid and Mars-crosser from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 18 December 1987, by Japanese astronomer Masahiro Koishikawa at the Ayashi Station of the Sendai Astronomical Observatory, Japan, and later named after the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.
18117 Jonhodge (provisional designation 2000 NY23) is a bright background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 5 July 2000, by astronomer of the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search at Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the United States. The asteroid was named after American teacher Jonathon Hodge.
4754 Panthoos is a Jupiter trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately 53 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the third Palomar–Leiden Trojan survey on 16 October 1977, by Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, and Tom Gehrels at the Palomar Observatory in California. It is likely spherical in shape and has a longer-than-average rotation period of 27.68 hours. The assumed C-type asteroid is one of the 80 largest Jupiter trojans. It was named after Panthous (Panthoos) from Greek mythology.
84882 Table Mountain (provisional designation 2003 CN16) is a bright background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 1 February 2003, by American astronomer James Whitney Young at the Table Mountain Observatory near Wrightwood, California. The S/Q-type asteroid was later named after the discovering observatory.
37432 Piszkéstető (provisional designation 2002 AE11) is an Erigonian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.6 kilometers (2.9 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 11 January 2002, by the Hungarian astronomers Krisztián Sárneczky and Zsuzsanna Heiner at the Konkoly Observatory's Piszkéstető Station northeast of Budapest, Hungary. The asteroid was later named for the discovering observatory.
116903 Jeromeapt is an asteroid of the Massalia family from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 1.1 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 11 April 2004, by American astronomer Jim Young at the Table Mountain Observatory near Wrightwood, California, in the United States. The asteroid was named for American astronaut Jerome Apt.
Víctor Manuel Blanco was a Puerto Rican astronomer who in 1959 discovered Blanco 1, a stellar cluster. Blanco was the second Director of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, which had the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere at the time. In 1995, the 4-meter telescope was dedicated in his honor and named the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope; it is also known as the "Blanco 4m."
Tortugas Mountain Observatory (TMO) is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by New Mexico State University (NMSU). It is located on Tortugas Mountain, also known locally as 'A' Mountain, in southern New Mexico (USA), approximately 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) southeast of Las Cruces and 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) east of the NMSU campus. Founded in 1963 under the supervision of Clyde Tombaugh, the observatory focused on observing the planets. Much of the information captured at TMO is now available through the Planetary Data System's Atmospheres Node, which is managed by NMSU. The two-dome observatory building was completed in 1964, though observing began with one of the telescopes in 1963. A second building, with a larger single dome, was completed at the opposite end of the ridgeline of Tortugas Mountain in 1967. Regular use of TMO ceased in 1999 or 2000, but the observatory equipment was not dismantled. In 2008 it was used for the Lunar Crater Observing and Sensing Satellite project. In 2010, efforts to revive the observatory for use by the American Association of Variable Star Observers began. As of 10 June 2011, work on project was reported to be 60-75% done.
Robert E. Holmes Jr. is an American amateur astronomer and professional photographer.
(620094) 2016 AJ193 (provisional designation 2016 AJ193; also known as 2010 KV134) is a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group, approximately 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) in diameter. It was discovered on 17 May 2010 by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite, but was lost until it was reobserved on 16 January 2016. With an observation arc over 11 years, 2016 AJ193 has a well-determined orbit and trajectory through the year 2086. The asteroid's orbit is only potentially hazardous on a time scale of thousands of years.