The Red Barn Observatory was established in 2006 and is dedicated to follow-up observations and detections of

asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

comets A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are ...

, and

Near-Earth object A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body whose orbit brings it into proximity with Earth. By convention, a Solar System body is a NEO if its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is less than 1.3 astronomical units (AU). ...

s. Plans for the

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

began in 2002 and construction was completed in 2005. During the month of August 2006, the

observatory code This is a list of observatory codes (IAU codes or MPC codes) published by the Minor Planet Center. For a detailed description, ''see observations of small Solar System bodies Observations of minor planets as well as comets and natural satellites ...

H68 was assigned by the

Minor Planet Center 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. Function ...

. Currently, the observatory is of the "roll-off" roof type, but plans are in the works to install an 8-foot dome in the summer of 2007. The observatory is located in

Ty Ty, Georgia Ty Ty is a city in Tift County, Georgia, United States. The population was 725 at the 2010 census. The community takes its name from nearby Ty Ty Creek. Geography Ty Ty is located at (31.471106, -83.648859). According to the United States C ...

, USA – well away from any city light pollution and is in an excellent location to perform the follow-up observations of near-Earth objects and

potentially hazardous asteroid A potentially hazardous object (PHO) is a near-Earth object – either an asteroid or a comet – with an orbit that can make close approaches to the Earth and is large enough to cause significant regional damage in the event of impact. They are ...

s that are near the vicinity of Earth on a regular basis. Also performed in the observatory is an early evening sky survey (such as

Palomar sky survey Palomar may refer to: Places * Any of several locations in San Diego County, California: ** Palomar Mountain ** Palomar Observatory, located on Palomar Mountain ** Palomar College in San Marcos, California ** Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, ...

or NEAT –

Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) was a program run by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Astronomical survey, surveying the sky for near-Earth objects. NEAT was conducted from December 1995 until April 2007, at Ground-based Electro-Optica ...

) to search for new comets and/or other unknown objects low on the horizon that can be easily overlooked due to the position of the object. Most amateur discovered comets are found in this location. Future plans for the observatory include an amateur based asteroid study program that will allow the "amateur astrometrist" on-line access to observatory images and there they will be able to perform astrometry on all detected asteroids or comets. Established in July 2007, the Georgia Fireball Network began monitoring the skies for bright meteors and fireballs. Currently, there are two stations in the Georgia Fireball Network. Station 1 is located in Buena Vista at the Deer Run Observatory and Station 2 is located in Ty Ty, Georgia at the Red Barn Observatory. Together, the stations monitor skies over most of Georgia and parts of Florida and Alabama. Observer/Owner Steve E. Farmer Jr.

References

External links

Planetary SocietyNEATIAU Sky SurveysRed Barn Observatory
for Red Barn Observatory

Georgia Fireball Network {{Portal bar, Georgia (state), Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science 2006 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Astronomical observatories in Georgia (U.S. state) Buildings and structures in Tift County, Georgia Buildings and structures completed in 2005 Minor-planet discovering observatories Space telescopes Science and technology in Georgia (U.S. state) Asteroid surveys

See also

References

External links