The Spaceguard Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Spaceguard Foundation (SGF) is a private organization based in Frascati
, Italy
, whose purpose is to study, discover and observe near-Earth object
s (NEO) and protect the Earth
from the possible threat of their collision. The foundation
is non-party, non-political and non-profit, and acts as the international organization grouping together the spaceguard
organizations in various countries, as well as individual astronomer
s and organizations interested in the foundation's activities.
The foundation was established in Rome
in 1996. Since then, it has moved into the ESA Centre for Earth Observation
(ESRIN) at Frascati
. , Italian astronomer Andrea Carusi heads the foundation.
engaging in near-Earth objects (NEO) observations. The Spaceguard Central Node—the website
of the foundation—manages the collection and provides the observatories with services which would optimize the international coordination of NEO follow-ups. The individual observatories in the system participate in these services on a volunteer basis. , all the observatories in the system are ground-based.
Frascati
Frascati is a town and comune in the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, being the location of several international scientific...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, whose purpose is to study, discover and observe near-Earth object
Near-Earth object
A near-Earth object is a Solar System object whose orbit brings it into close proximity with the Earth. All NEOs have a perihelion distance less than 1.3 AU. They include a few thousand near-Earth asteroids , near-Earth comets, a number of solar-orbiting spacecraft, and meteoroids large enough to...
s (NEO) and protect the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
from the possible threat of their collision. The foundation
Foundation (charity)
A foundation is a legal categorization of nonprofit organizations that will typically either donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide the source of funding for its own charitable purposes....
is non-party, non-political and non-profit, and acts as the international organization grouping together the spaceguard
Spaceguard
The term Spaceguard loosely refers to a number of efforts to discover and study near-Earth objects . Asteroids are discovered by telescopes which repeatedly survey large areas of sky. Efforts which concentrate on discovering NEOs are considered part of the "Spaceguard Survey," regardless of which...
organizations in various countries, as well as individual astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
s and organizations interested in the foundation's activities.
The foundation was established in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1996. Since then, it has moved into the ESA Centre for Earth Observation
ESA Centre for Earth Observation
The ESA Centre for Earth Observation located in Frascati, Italy, is one of the five specialised centres of the European Space Agency located across Europe...
(ESRIN) at Frascati
Frascati
Frascati is a town and comune in the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, being the location of several international scientific...
. , Italian astronomer Andrea Carusi heads the foundation.
The Spaceguard System
The Spaceguard System is a collection of observatoriesObservatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
engaging in near-Earth objects (NEO) observations. The Spaceguard Central Node—the website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
of the foundation—manages the collection and provides the observatories with services which would optimize the international coordination of NEO follow-ups. The individual observatories in the system participate in these services on a volunteer basis. , all the observatories in the system are ground-based.
Related organizations
- Spaceguard Croatia (CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
) - Spaceguard Foundation e.V. (GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) - Japan Spaceguard Association (JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) - Spaceguard UK (United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
)
External links
- The Spaceguard Central Node
- MirrorMirror (computing)In computing, a mirror is an exact copy of a data set. On the Internet, a mirror site is an exact copy of another Internet site.Mirror sites are most commonly used to provide multiple sources of the same information, and are of particular value as a way of providing reliable access to large downloads...
site: The Spaceguard Central Node
- Mirror
- The Spaceguard System
- ESA's page on the Spaceguard Central Node