The Minor Planet Center ( MPC ) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory .
12-494: Vaile is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Bobbie Vaile (1959–1996), Australian astronomer Bryn Vaile , British yacht racer Edward Earle Vaile (1869–1956), New Zealand farmer and philanthropist Gertrude Vaile (1878-1954), American social worker Mark Vaile (born 1956), Australian politician William N. Vaile (1876–1927), American politician [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with
24-519: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Bobbie Vaile Dr Roberta Anne 'Bobbie' Vaile (25 June 1959 – 13 November 1996) was an Australian astrophysicist and senior lecturer in physics at the Faculty of Business and Technology at the University of Western Sydney, Macarthur . She was involved with Project Phoenix (a SETI experiment) and influential in the establishment of
36-520: The SETI Australia Centre , created at the university in 1995. She died following a seven-year battle with an inoperable brain tumour . Bobbie was born in Junee, New South Wales . She attended the University of Newcastle , where she received her B.Sc. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of New South Wales with a thesis entitled "The Corona Australis Complex" in 1989. Bobbie was awarded
48-619: The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory , which is part of the Center for Astrophysics along with the Harvard College Observatory . The MPC runs a number of free online services for observers to assist them in observing minor planets and comets. The complete catalogue of minor planet orbits (sometimes referred to as the "Minor Planet Catalogue") may also be freely downloaded. In addition to astrometric data,
60-407: The surname Vaile . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vaile&oldid=1089779822 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
72-628: The Australian Science Communicators' "Unsung Hero of Australian Science" award in 1995 for her work in developing easy and friendly methods of teaching science. Other published papers include: - Seth Shostak , Ron Ekers , Roberta Vaile, 1996. A Search for Artificial Signals from the Small Magellanic Cloud The Astronomical Journal 112 , 164-166. A memorial garden at the University of Western Sydney
84-610: The MPC collects light curve photometry of minor planets. A key function of the MPC is helping observers coordinate follow up observations of possible near-Earth objects (NEOs) via its NEO web form and blog, the Near-Earth Object Confirmation Page . The MPC is also responsible for identifying, and alerting to, new NEOs with a risk of impacting Earth in the few weeks following their discovery (see Potentially hazardous objects and § Videos ) . The Minor Planet Center
96-429: The MPC experienced a significant period of reorganization and growth, doubling both its staff size and the volume of observations processed per year. Upon Holman's resignation on February 9, 2021 (announced on February 19, 2021) Matthew Payne became acting director of the MPC. The MPC periodically releases astrometric observations of minor planets, as well as of comets and natural satellites . These publications are
108-758: The Minor Planet Circulars (MPCs), the Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (MPECs), and the Minor Planet Supplements (MPSs and MPOs). An extensive archive of publications in a PDF format is available at the Minor Planet Center's website. The archive's oldest publication dates back to 1 November 1977 (MPC 4937–5016). The Natural Satellites Ephemeris Service is an online service of the Minor Planet Center. The service provides "ephemerides, orbital elements and residual blocks for
120-474: Was dedicated to Bobbie in 1999, and there is a park/reserve in Camden, New South Wales (at 34°03′33″S 150°42′42″E / 34.05917°S 150.71167°E / -34.05917; 150.71167 ( Bobbie Vaile Reserve ) ), named after her. The binary main-belt asteroid 6708 Bobbievaile , discovered by Australian astronomer Robert McNaught in 1989 was also named in her memory. Naming citation
132-549: Was published on 22 April 1997 ( M.P.C. 29671 ). Minor Planet Circulars The Minor Planet Center is the official worldwide organization in charge of collecting observational data for minor planets (such as asteroids ), calculating their orbits and publishing this information via the Minor Planet Circulars . Under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), it operates at
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#1733085001488144-538: Was set up at the University of Cincinnati in 1947, under the direction of Paul Herget . Upon Herget's retirement on June 30, 1978, the MPC was moved to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, under the direction of Brian G. Marsden . From 2006 to 2015, the director of the MPC was Timothy Spahr , who oversaw a staff of five. From 2015 to 2021, the Minor Planet Center was headed by interim director Matthew Holman . Under his leadership,
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