Just over a year ago we talked about the Asteroid Grand Challenge organized by NASA, which aims to develop new software solutions for asteroid detection. Today, the Asteroid Data Hunter project already has a free application, and all enthusiastic astronomers are invited to use it, integrating their own data.
If we truly intend to dodge the large rocks that could wipe out the human race (and almost all forms of life) in one stroke, the logical thing is to start looking upward. Unfortunately, the process costs money, and convincing caveman politicians of the gravity of this is very difficult. Not even the Chelyabinsk meteorite seems to have changed their point of view, so the best option is to do it ourselves until the general idea (or a rock) hits them on the head. Last year, NASA launched the Asteroid Grand Challenge, which distributes a total of $35,000 among the most practical and efficient solutions for detecting asteroids. One of the projects is Asteroid Data Hunter, and its first free application was published last week.
What Does Asteroid Data Hunter Do?
Basically, we are looking at software compatible with Windows and OS X (the Linux version is on the way) that allows loading image packages and detecting the movements of bodies recorded in them. The images must be in the compatible .FITS format, and the application enables the loading of four images at the same time. Once enough data is accumulated, users have the option to send their discoveries to the Minor Planet Center, administered by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Join the Effort
Needless to say, the idea is for Asteroid Data Hunter to count on the participation of amateur astronomers with the ability to capture multiple images of the same region of the sky over several days. If you are not part of that group, don't worry: the official site offers a package of test images that will help us visualize the full operation of the software. Its code is already available on GitHub, and the main requirements are 3 GB of RAM, plus the presence of Java, which is added to our system during the installation process.
