Arecibo Observatory

Radar images obtained by the Arecibo Observatory on the 4th and 5th of February revealed that near-Earth asteroid 2020 BX12 is a binary asteroid. The detection of a satellite was made during the first planetary radar observations conducted at the observatory following a month-long shutdown of telescope operations caused by a series of earthquakes striking the southern part of the island of Puerto Rico. The primary asteroid was discovered on the 27th of January by the ATLAS survey on Mauna Loa in Hawaii and fits the definition of a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) due to its size and minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 302,000 km (188,000 miles) from the Earth. While this means it could conceivably come closer to the Earth than the Moon, 2020 BX12 poses no danger at this time and is currently receding from Earth. Read More

On July 24th 2019, an asteroid called 2019 OK passed by the Earth at only 1/5 the distance to the Moon, with a relative velocity of 15 miles per second (~55,000 miles per hour). 2019 OK was discovered by the SONEAR Observatory in Brazil just one day before it zipped past the Earth. It is estimated to be between 50 – 130 meters (165 – 430 ft) in size. Read More

A. K. Virkki, S. E. Marshall, F. C. F. Venditti, L. F. Zambrano Marin, Arecibo Observatory, University of Central Florida, and E. G. Rivera-Valentin, P. A. Taylor, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, report that Arecibo (2380 MHz, 12.6 cm) range-Doppler radar images obtained on 2019 January 4.72 UT reveal near-Earth asteroid 2016 AZ8 is a binary system. Preliminary measurements of visible range extents in radar images with 7.5 m/pixel resolution suggest a rounded primary of diameter 420 ± 60 m and an elongated secondary 180 ± 30 m long. This implies a visual albedo of 4 ± 1% for an absolute magnitude of 21.0. The system was observed near maximum range separation along the line of sight at 420 ± 45 m, which is a lower bound on the mutual-orbit scale due to possible projection effects. Echo bandwidths place upper bounds on the rotation periods of the primary and secondary of 7 and 40 hours, also subject to projection effects. Further observations are encouraged; no more radar observations from Arecibo are possible this apparition. A projected separation comparable to the primary diameter and the slow projected rotation periods suggest the mutual-orbit plane of the system may have been inclined by tens of degrees relative to the line of sight during the observations. As such, observers should assume typical parameters for near-Earth binary systems of 2 to 4 hours for the primary rotation period and a mutual-orbit period between 12 and 24 hours. Read More

Arecibo Observatory Gets $19 Million NASA Grant to Help Protect Earth from Asteroids   September 29, 2019

Observ-a-thon reveals comet nucleus, holiday asteroid, and more!   December 28, 2018

Observatories Team Up to Reveal Rare Double Asteroid   July 12, 2018

Arecibo observed the near-Earth asteroid (505657) 2014 SR339   February 9, 2018

First Asteroid Detection since Hurricane Maria   December 12, 2017

Radar Observations and Shape Model of Asteroid 16 Psyche   Jul 21, 2017

Arecibo refines our knowledge of a potentially hazardous asteroid  Apr 17, 2017

Arecibo Observatory captures revealing images of Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova   Feb 12, 2017

Discovery Announcement of Binary System (163693) Atira   Jan 20-23, 2017

Asteroids by the AO Planetary Radar Group

This past January, the Arecibo Observatory became the classroom for students from the Miami University in Ohio. Dr. Qihou Zhou, professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the university, has held the “Undergraduate Hands-on Experience with Incoherent Scatter Radar” three-week winter term course at the observatory for the past six years. Read More

Inspiring experience for 17 Students from the Miami University - Ohio Campus

Recently, Prof. Qihou Zhou came to AO with 17 students from Miami University - Ohio Campus from Jan 3 to Jan 8 to use the Arecibo facility and study radar technology and space physics. This is the 4th study-away-at-Arecibo group in the past five years from Miami University. "Coming back is always an exciting and inspiring experience", said Prof. Zhou, a former Arecibo staff member until 2002.

Mid-latitude Radio-Frequency Auroras   Jul 21, 2017

Nighttime plasma lines are measured at Arecibo (Vierinen et al. [2017]).  Jun 15, 2017

The sensitivity of the Arecibo Observatory made possible to observe Gyrolines 

Creating space plasma from the ground  Jan 14, 2017