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Spacewatch



 
 
Spacewatch is a project at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona

The University of Arizona is a land-grant and Space grant colleges Public university institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States....
 that specializes in the study of minor planet
Minor planet

An asteroid group or minor planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid....
s, including various types of asteroid
Asteroid

Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets or planetoids, are small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun, smaller than planets but larger than meteoroids....
s and comet
Comet

A comet is a Small Solar System body that orbits the Sun and, when close enough to the Sun, exhibits a visible coma or a tail?both primarily from the effects of solar radiation upon the Comet nucleus....
s.

The project leader is Dr. Robert S. McMillan
Robert S. McMillan

Robert S. McMillan is an astronomer at the University of Arizona, and heads the Spacewatch project, which studies minor planets. He has made various discoveries, including notably 20000 Varuna....
.

Spacewatch discovered a moon
Natural satellite

A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called the primary. Technically, the term natural satellite could refer to a planet orbiting a star, or a dwarf galaxy orbiting a major galaxy, but it is normally synonymous with moon and used to identify non-artificial satellites...
 of Jupiter, now named Callirrhoe
Callirrhoe (moon)

Callirrhoe , also known as , is one of Jupiter 's outermost named natural satellites. It was discovered by Spacewatch on October 6, 1999 and originally designated as an asteroid ....
, which was originally mistaken for an asteroid.

Other notable discoveries include 60558 Echeclus
60558 Echeclus

60558 Echeclus is a centaur in the outer solar system. It was discovered by Spacewatch in 2000 and initially classified as an asteroid with provisional designation ....
, 5145 Pholus
5145 Pholus

5145 Pholus is a Centaur of the solar system running in an eccentric orbit, with a perihelion less than Saturn and aphelion greater than Neptune ....
, 20000 Varuna
20000 Varuna

'20000 Varuna' is a large Classical Kuiper belt object Kuiper Belt object and a Plutoid candidate. It previously had the provisional designation and has been precovery in plates dating back to 1953....
, 9965 GNU
9965 GNU

9965 GNU is a C-type asteroid main belt asteroid. It orbits the Sun once every 3.76 years.Discovered on March 5, 1992 by Spacewatch, it was given the provisional designation ""....
, , and . The project also recovered 719 Albert
719 Albert

719 Albert is a Mars-crosser asteroid, Amor asteroid; it was the second one discovered after 433 Eros....
 (a long-lost asteroid), and found the periodic comet
Comet

A comet is a Small Solar System body that orbits the Sun and, when close enough to the Sun, exhibits a visible coma or a tail?both primarily from the effects of solar radiation upon the Comet nucleus....
 125P/Spacewatch.








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Encyclopedia


Spacewatch is a project at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona

The University of Arizona is a land-grant and Space grant colleges Public university institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States....
 that specializes in the study of minor planet
Minor planet

An asteroid group or minor planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid....
s, including various types of asteroid
Asteroid

Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets or planetoids, are small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun, smaller than planets but larger than meteoroids....
s and comet
Comet

A comet is a Small Solar System body that orbits the Sun and, when close enough to the Sun, exhibits a visible coma or a tail?both primarily from the effects of solar radiation upon the Comet nucleus....
s.

The project leader is Dr. Robert S. McMillan
Robert S. McMillan

Robert S. McMillan is an astronomer at the University of Arizona, and heads the Spacewatch project, which studies minor planets. He has made various discoveries, including notably 20000 Varuna....
.

Spacewatch discovered a moon
Natural satellite

A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called the primary. Technically, the term natural satellite could refer to a planet orbiting a star, or a dwarf galaxy orbiting a major galaxy, but it is normally synonymous with moon and used to identify non-artificial satellites...
 of Jupiter, now named Callirrhoe
Callirrhoe (moon)

Callirrhoe , also known as , is one of Jupiter 's outermost named natural satellites. It was discovered by Spacewatch on October 6, 1999 and originally designated as an asteroid ....
, which was originally mistaken for an asteroid.

Other notable discoveries include 60558 Echeclus
60558 Echeclus

60558 Echeclus is a centaur in the outer solar system. It was discovered by Spacewatch in 2000 and initially classified as an asteroid with provisional designation ....
, 5145 Pholus
5145 Pholus

5145 Pholus is a Centaur of the solar system running in an eccentric orbit, with a perihelion less than Saturn and aphelion greater than Neptune ....
, 20000 Varuna
20000 Varuna

'20000 Varuna' is a large Classical Kuiper belt object Kuiper Belt object and a Plutoid candidate. It previously had the provisional designation and has been precovery in plates dating back to 1953....
, 9965 GNU
9965 GNU

9965 GNU is a C-type asteroid main belt asteroid. It orbits the Sun once every 3.76 years.Discovered on March 5, 1992 by Spacewatch, it was given the provisional designation ""....
, , and . The project also recovered 719 Albert
719 Albert

719 Albert is a Mars-crosser asteroid, Amor asteroid; it was the second one discovered after 433 Eros....
 (a long-lost asteroid), and found the periodic comet
Comet

A comet is a Small Solar System body that orbits the Sun and, when close enough to the Sun, exhibits a visible coma or a tail?both primarily from the effects of solar radiation upon the Comet nucleus....
 125P/Spacewatch.

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