Table Mountain Observatory

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Table Mountain Observatory
Table Mountain Observatory 2.jpg
Aerial view of Table Mountain Observatory
Organization NASA  / JPL
Observatory code 673
Location Big Pines, California, U.S.
Coordinates 34°22′55″N117°40′54″W / 34.3820°N 117.6818°W / 34.3820; -117.6818
Altitude2,286 meters (7,500 ft)
Established1924 (1924)
Website tmf.jpl.nasa.gov
Telescopes
Pomona College Telescope1.0 m reflector
unnamed telescope0.6 m reflector
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Location of Table Mountain Observatory
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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]

Contents

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]

List of discovered minor planets

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;
(166609) 2002 RF232 10 September 2002 MPC

Instruments

Two telescopes operate at TMO:

Minor planets discovered: 1  [8]
see § List of discovered minor planets

Former instruments

Former instruments at TMO include:

Observing with the 0.6m telescope Table Mountain Observatory control room1.jpg
Observing with the 0.6m telescope

Honours

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]

See also

Related Research Articles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catalina Sky Survey</span> Project to discover comets, asteroids, and near-Earth objects

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple Mountain Observatory</span> Observatory

The Purple Mountain Observatory, also known as Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the Purple Mountain in the east of Nanjing.

Masaru Arai is a Japanese amateur astronomer and a discoverer of minor planets and comets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon J. Garradd</span> Australian astronomer and photographer

Gordon John Garradd is an Australian amateur astronomer and photographer from Loomberah, New South Wales. He has discovered numerous asteroids and comets, including the hyperbolic comet C/2009 P1, and four novae in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The asteroid and Mars-crosser, 5066 Garradd, was named in his honour.

37452 Spirit, provisional designation 4282 P-L, is a dark Hildian asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter.

39382 Opportunity, also designated 2696 P-L, is a dark Hilidan asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 7.5 kilometers in diameter. Discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey at Palomar Observatory in 1960, it was named for NASA's Opportunity Mars rover.

19367 Pink Floyd, provisional designation 1997 XW3, is a dark background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 December 1997, by European astronomers of the ODAS survey at the CERGA Observatory near Caussols, France. The asteroid was named after the English rock band Pink Floyd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Lemmon Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in Arizona, United States

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.

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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Mainzer</span> American astronomer

Amy Mainzer is an American astronomer, specializing in astrophysical instrumentation and infrared astronomy. She is the deputy project scientist for the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and the principal investigator for the NEOWISE project to study minor planets and the Near Earth Object Surveyor space telescope mission.

51983 Hönig, provisional designation 2001 SZ8, is a Hildian asteroid from the outermost regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 19 September 2001, by astronomers Charles Juels and Paulo Holvorcem at the Fountain Hills Observatory (678) in Arizona, United States. The asteroid was named after German astronomer Sebastian Hönig.

116903 Jeromeapt – provisional designation 2004 GW – 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Víctor Manuel Blanco</span> Puerto Rican astronomer

Víctor Manuel Blanco was a Puerto Rican astronomer who in 1959 discovered Blanco 1, a galactic 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."

Fabrizio Bernardi is an Italian astronomer and discoverer of minor planets and comets, best known for the co-discovery of the near-Earth and potentially hazardous asteroid 99942 Apophis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michel Ory</span> Swiss amateur astronomer

Michel Ory is a Swiss amateur astronomer and a prolific discoverer of minor planets and comets.

Claudine Rinner is a French amateur astronomer from Ottmarsheim in Alsace, France. She is an observer at Ottmarsheim Observatory and a discoverer of minor planets and comets, who received the Edgar Wilson Award for her discoveries.

References

  1. ↑ "Table Mountain Observatory: Home". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2008-09-01. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2006). "(84882) Table Mountain [2.63, 0.29, 13.9]". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (84882) Table Mountain, Addendum to Fifth Edition: 2003–2005. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 234. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-34361-5_2786. ISBN   978-3-540-34361-5.
  3. 1 2 Young, James W.; Harris, Alan W. (Spring 2009). "The Early History of Photometric Observations of Asteroids made at the Table Mountain Observatory". The Society for Astronomical Sciences 28th Annual Symposium on Telescope Science. Held May 19–21. 28: 77. Bibcode:2009SASS...28...77Y.
  4. ↑ "Table Mountain Observatory: Programs". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  5. ↑ "Projects at TMF". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2001-02-20. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  6. ↑ "Telescope specs | Pomona College Astronomy Program". Pomona College Astronomy Program. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  7. ↑ "Table Mountain Observatory: Telescopes". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  8. ↑ "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  9. ↑ Young, James W. (2009-12-17). "The Table Mountain Facility - 4: 1986 - 1998" . Retrieved 2012-01-22.
  10. 1 2 3 Klett, K. K. (1992). "California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Table Mountain Observatory, Wrightwood, California 92397. Report for the period Jul 1990 - Jul 1991". Bulletin of the Astronomical Society. 24 (1): 119. Bibcode:1992BAAS...24..119K.
  11. ↑ "Table Mountain Observatory: Telescopes". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2003-11-28. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  12. ↑ "Table Mountain Observatory: Telescopes". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
  13. 1 2 Young, James W. (2009-12-17). "The Table Mountain Facility - 3: 1965 - 1986" . Retrieved 2012-01-22.
  14. ↑ "Jet Propulsion Laboratory 1973-1974 Annual Report" (PDF). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  15. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
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