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There are a lot of tiny celestial bodies in our solar system. By April
2003, the precise orbits of 60,000 such objects had been determined. The
orbits of an additional 140,000 objects have been roughly calculated,
bringing the total of known objects to more than 200,000, a number which
is expected to increase in the future. Objects that approach the Earth
are called Near Earth Objects (NEOs). Currently there are approximately
2,000 known NEOs, none of which is expected to enter the Earths atmosphere
or crash into our planet. However, there are countless NEOs that must
be found and tracked with the possibility in mind. BSGC continues to search
for new NEOs by taking photos of the same area of the sky at scheduled
intervals during the same night, then comparing these photos to identify
moving objects. When a new NEO is discovered, BSGC continues making observations
and detailed analysis, and sends the data to the Minor Planet Center belonging
to the International Astronomical Union (IAU). On the basis of data collected
from all over the world, the orbits of NEOs can be determined accurately.
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| Tiny celestial bodies in the solar system. About 5,000
objects are shown in the picture. The orbits of planets from inside:
Mercury, Venus, the earth, Mars and Jupiter. |
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 Please click the figure. Download
player for watching the movement of celestial bodies. |
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| A tiny celestial body, 2002 NY40, which
came to the nearest to the earth (about 1,300,000 Km) in August
2002. |
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