Meet the Planetary Society’s Newest Asteroid Hunters

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: This episode focuses on the Planetary Society’s 2019 Shoemaker Near-Earth Object grants, highlighting how advanced amateur astronomers and small observatories help discover, track, and characterize potentially hazardous asteroids. Two winners—Russ Durkee in Minnesota and Alessandro Nastasi in Sicily—describe how their grants will improve photometry, astrometry, and outreach, strengthening global planetary defense.

Main Topics: Shoemaker NEO grant program overview: Bruce Betts explains the Planetary Society’s long-running grant program, which funds amateur and small observatory work that complements professional asteroid surveys by improving orbit tracking and physical characterization. Why asteroid follow-up and characterization matter: The discussion emphasizes that discovery alone is insufficient; repeated observations refine orbits, while photometry reveals rotation, shape, density, and whether an asteroid is binary—critical information for impact mitigation. Russ Durkee’s photometry work and student mentorship: Durkee describes using the grant to upgrade a camera for deeper observations and to continue binary asteroid research while involving high school students in real scientific work through a remote observatory in Texas. Alessandro Nastasi’s astrometric tracking in Sicily: Nastasi explains how the grant will help his center build an independent dome and improve time synchronization for fast-moving asteroid observations, enabling more efficient follow-up and future multi-telescope coordination. Global collaboration in asteroid science: Both guests stress that asteroid work is a worldwide, tightly connected community of professionals and advanced amateurs who coordinate via email and shared observation campaigns. Planetary Radio news, trivia, and community: The episode also includes space news headlines, Bruce Betts’s sky report, a contest answer, and a promotional reminder tied to the Planetary Society’s 40th anniversary.

Key Arguments: Advanced amateur astronomers contribute meaningfully to planetary defense because professional surveys cannot cover all follow-up and characterization needs. Orbit determination requires many repeated observations over time; without follow-up, a newly found asteroid may remain poorly understood. Photometry reveals brightness changes that can be used to infer rotation rate, shape, and possible binary companions. Binary status and density estimates matter for impact response because a dense iron-rich object would be treated differently than a rubble-pile or sandy body. Upgrading equipment such as cameras, domes, and GPS-synchronized clocks directly increases the scientific value of small observatories. Engaging high school students in authentic research builds scientific skills and can produce future scientists or technically capable citizens. International collaboration is essential because asteroid observations benefit from observers distributed across longitudes and hemispheres. Grant support enables small centers to transition from outreach-only facilities to productive research nodes in the near-Earth object network.

Data Points: Shoemaker NEO grant program age: About 20 years - Bruce Betts says the Planetary Society has supported the program for roughly two decades. 2019 grant amount: About $60,000 - Total funding awarded in this round across all winners. Number of proposals: 20 - Applications reviewed for the grant cycle. Countries represented among winners: 4 countries mentioned in this episode (Croatia, Italy, Brazil, United States) - Bruce Betts summarizes the geographic spread of awardees. Countries funded in program history: 19 countries - Historic reach of the Shoemaker NEO program. Continents funded in program history: 6 continents - Program’s global coverage. Russ Durkee grant year history: 2009, 2010, and 2019 - Durkee notes this is his third Shoemaker NEO grant. Duration since Durkee’s prior camera: Almost 10 years - His new camera will replace older technology from a 2010 grant. Binary asteroid prevalence: About 15% - Durkee cites research suggesting a substantial fraction of asteroids have companions. Known binary asteroids at start of his work: About 20 - Durkee recalls the field when he began in 2004–2005. Students involved in Durkee’s research: 2 students - He currently has two high school students doing asteroid work with him. Observatory relocation: From Minneapolis to Texas - His telescope moved out of the light-polluted city to darker skies. Durkee travel frequency to observatory: Every 3 or 4 months - He visits the Texas site for maintenance and repairs. Alessandro center age: Less than 3 years old - Gal Hassin is described as a young, growing center. Telescope aperture at Gal Hassin: 40 centimeters - Current telescope used for near-Earth object astrometry. Asteroid brightness limit: Deeper than 19.5 magnitude - Nastasi says the 40 cm telescope can reach this limit. Confirmed close Earth-approaching asteroids: 33 - Gal Hassin has already confirmed 33 asteroids passing close to Earth. First in Europe for follow-up: One-third of cases - They were the first European observers to follow up roughly one-third of those objects. Future telescope aperture: 1 meter - Planned new telescope eight kilometers from the current site. Future telescope speed: f/2.1 - Nastasi describes the planned wide-field telescope as very fast. Time offset from U.S.: 8 hours ahead - Useful for early follow-up of newly discovered objects. Apollo 8 launch year: 1968 - Bruce Betts mentions this space history milestone. Moon-to-Earth fit estimate: 50 moons - Betts’s Random Space Fact: 50 moons could fit inside Earth if compressed. ISS modules named: Zarya and Unity - Contest answer for the first two International Space Station modules.

Pivotal Quotes: "follow-up observations. So if you find an asteroid, it doesn't do you any good if you don't know if it's going to hit Earth." — Bruce Betts: Explaining why amateur observers are crucial to planetary defense. "I'm just thrilled that the Planetary Society is supporting me in my work because I enjoy doing both." — Russ Durkee: Describing his dual role as scientist and high school teacher. "we will have two perfectly synchronized facilities working at the same time and synchronously." — Alessandro Nastasi: Explaining how the grant will improve observations with future telescopes.

Implications: Small observatories and dedicated amateurs remain vital to planetary defense, especially for follow-up and characterization. Better tools, better timing, and international coordination will improve asteroid risk assessment and train the next generation of scientists.