New Desktop Application Has Potential to Increase Asteroid Detection

[Saint in Paradise]

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2015/march/new-desktop-application-has-potential-to-increase-asteroid-detection-now-available/#.VQXuuUI-DFw

 

 

A software application based on an algorithm created by a NASA challenge has the potential to increase the number of new asteroid

discoveries by amateur astronomers.

 

Analysis of images taken of our solar system’s main belt asteroids between Mars and Jupiter using the algorithm showed a 15 percent

increase in positive identification of new asteroids.

 

During a panel Sunday at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, NASA representatives discussed how citizen scientists

have made a difference in asteroid hunting. They also announced the release of a desktop software application developed by NASA

in partnership with Planetary Resources, Inc., of Redmond, Washington. The application is based on an Asteroid Data Hunter-derived

algorithm that analyzes images for potential asteroids. It’s a tool that can be used by amateur astronomers and citizen scientists.

 

The Asteroid Data Hunter challenge was part of NASA’s Asteroid Grand Challenge. The data hunter contest series, which was conducted

in partnership with Planetary Resources under a Space Act Agreement, was announced at the 2014 South by Southwest Festival and

concluded in December. The series offered a total of $55,000 in awards for participants to develop significantly improved algorithms to

identify asteroids in images captured by ground-based telescopes. The winning solutions of each piece of the contest combined to

create an application using the best algorithm that increased the detection sensitivity, minimized the number of false positives, ignored

imperfections in the data, and ran effectively on all computer systems.

 

“The Asteroid Grand Challenge is seeking non-traditional partnerships to bring the citizen science and space enthusiast community into

NASA’s work,” said Jason Kessler, program executive for NASA’s Asteroid Grand Challenge. “The Asteroid Data Hunter challenge has been

successful beyond our hopes, creating something that makes a tangible difference to asteroid hunting astronomers and highlights the

possibility for more people to play a role in protecting our planet.”

 

The new asteroid hunting application can be downloaded at:

 

http://topcoder.com/asteroids

For information about NASA’s Asteroid Grand Challenge, visit:

 

http://www.nasa.gov/asteroidinitiative