A state-of-the-art asteroid alert system operated by the University of Hawai'i Institute for Astronomy (IfA) can now detect dangerous bodies in the dark sky every 24 hours.
The Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) has expanded its reach to the southern hemisphere from two existing northern-hemiosphere telescopes. Two additional telescopes are being built in South Africa and Chile.
An asteroid that hits the Earth can come at any time from any direction, so ATLAS is now all the sky.
The new telescopes are located in South Africa and Chile. The locations were chosen for their access to the southern part of the sky and their time difference from Hawai'i. The entire dark sky can now be monitored by the four- telescope ATLAS system. In a single exposure, the telescopes can see a chunk of the sky 100 times larger than the full moon.
One day, the ATLAS system can give a warning for a 20-meter diameter asteroid. Up to three weeks warning for a 100 meter asteroid can be provided by ATLAS since larger asteroids can be detected further away. If a large asteroid were to hit the Earth, it would cause 10 times the damage to the volcano.
The first two ATLAS telescopes were developed by UH under a grant from NASA. The two facilities on Haleakal became fully operational.
The first light and discovery in the southern hemisphere.
IfA proposed for more NASA funds to build two more telescopes in the southern hemisphere after several years of successful operation. The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in South Africa was selected by IfA to host the telescopes. Both countries already have substantial astronomical capability.
Despite delays due to travel restrictions and supply chain issues, the UH ATLAS team remotely supervised the assembly of the telescopes. In South Africa, the construction effort was led by the SAAO, and in Chile the team consisted of multiple partners, including the Millennium Institute for Astrophysics and Obstech, which operates the private El Sauce Observatory.
The first near-Earth object discovered by ATLAS-Sutherland in South Africa was a 100 meter asteroid called 2022 BK. More than 700 near-Earth asteroids and 66 comets have been discovered by the ATLAS system. The system is designed to detect objects that approach very close to Earth than the distance to the Moon.
Other ground-based NEO detection systems are in the works, as well as the new ATLAS telescopes. According to Larry Denneau, IfA astronomer and ATLAS co-principal investigator, the enhanced ATLAS complement the existing ground-based NEO search programs. All these systems have different specialties, and together they are working to keep us safe from asteroids that could strike anywhere from days to decades into the future.
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