Asteroid 6485 (Wendeeesther)
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Obsertvation made:May 2005
Exposure time:3 images over ~ 3hours
Telescope: Jarnac Observatory |
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Asteroid 6485 Wendeeesther is a Mars-crossing Hungarian, which means that its orbit takes it away from the region where most of the asteroids lie, and on occassion, it can be closer to the Sun than Mars. It is always possible that asteroids like this one can collide with Mars, or worse, could get sent off by close approaches with Mars into orbits that can later cause a collision with Earth. The asteroid is named in honor of Wendee Esther Levy, whose long career in physical education has affected the paths of many thousands of young people. Her work with the American Red Cross stretched over 30 years. Wendee is also part of a team that has discovered more than 100 new asteroids. |
Description of Object:Several hundreds of thousands of asteroids have been discovered, catalogued, and named; however, millions of unknown objects are still out there waiting to be found. Asteroid hunters use a form of time-lapse photography, as seen here, in their quest to discover these elusive space rocks. This animation is a collection of three images of the same field of view, but at different times (called a triplet). Can you spot the moving object amongst the stationary star field?
With a telescope, a camera, and patience, you too could discover an asteroid.
See Orbit path for 6485 from the Near Earth Object Program.
