Piszkéstető Station

47°55′05″N 019°53′39″E / 47.91806°N 19.89417°E / 47.91806; 19.89417

Piszkéstető Station
Named afterPiszkés-tető Edit this on Wikidata
OrganizationHungarian Academy of Sciences
Observatory code 461 Edit this on Wikidata
LocationPiszkéstető, Mátra Mountains, Hungary
Coordinates47°55′05″N 019°53′39″E / 47.91806°N 19.89417°E / 47.91806; 19.89417
Altitude944 metres (3,097 ft)[1]
Established1958 Edit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.konkoly.hu/staff/racz/piszkesteto-en.html
Telescopes
Schmidt telescope60/90/180 cm
Cassegrain telescope50 cm
RCC Telescope100 cm
RCC Telescope40 cm
Piszkéstető Station is located in Hungary
Piszkéstető Station
Location of Piszkéstető Station
  Related media on Commons

The Piszkéstető Station or Piszkéstető Mountain Station is an astronomical observatory in Mátraszentimre in Mátra Mountains, about 80 kilometers (50 mi) northeast of Hungary's capital Budapest. It is a station of Konkoly Observatory, first built in 1958. It has the observatory code 461 and 561 for being used by the Szeged University and Konkoly Observatory, respectively.[2]

Instruments

The observatory features four telescopes:[3]

Discovery of Impactors

Piszkéstető Station discovered 3 of the first 8 impactors which were observed and confirmed while still in orbit: 2022 EB5, 2023 CX1, and 2024 BX1.

The asteroid 2022EB was only the fifth asteroid in history to have been discovered prior to impact. This puts the station in a very short list of observatories that have achieved this feat. Several asteroids impact earth every year with enough force to be detected by infrasound sensors designed to detect detonation of nuclear devices, but the vast majority of impacts are unpredicted and occur without warning.[4] Piszkéstető Station discovered this asteroid before it impacted.[5]

2023 CX1 was discovered at the station on February 12, 2023 and impacted the Earth off the coast of Normandy, France.

2024 BX1 was discovered at the station a few hours before it entered the Earth's atmosphere near Berlin on January 21, 2024.[6]

Honors

The minor planet 37432 Piszkéstető was named after the station, where it was discovered by astronomers Krisztián Sárneczky and Zsuzsanna Heiner in January 2002.[2]

List of discovered minor planets

A total of 19 minor planet discoveries are credited directly to the Piszkéstető Station by the Minor Planet Center.[7]

181136 Losonczrita 25 August 2005 list
(238623) 2005 CL12 1 February 2005 list
(240364) 2003 SQ129 20 September 2003 list
(290129) 2005 QC152 31 August 2005 list
(334756) 2003 RP7 4 September 2003 list
(345648) 2006 TZ6 1 October 2006 list
(378920) 2008 UP95 24 October 2008 list
(384459) 2010 BM4 24 January 2010 list
(390743) 2003 SD129 20 September 2003 list
(399565) 2003 SZ128 20 September 2003 list
(405571) 2005 QE87 31 August 2005 list
(413233) 2003 SB129 20 September 2003 list
(423380) 2005 JD94 12 May 2005 list
(423433) 2005 QL75 29 August 2005 list
(446957) 2003 SD127 19 September 2003 list
(461650) 2005 GP9 3 April 2005 list
(464745) 2003 RQ7 5 September 2003 list
(469773) 2005 QB76 30 August 2005 list
(474440) 2003 NH5 5 July 2003 list
Aerial view of the Piszkéstető Station

See also

References

  1. ^ "Piszkéstetői Obszervatórium". Piszkéstetői Obszervatórium. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b "37432 Piszkesteto (2002 AE11)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  3. ^ 40cm RC Telescope
  4. ^ "Fireball and bolide reports". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 6 March 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  5. ^ Antier, Karl (13 March 2022). "2022 EB5 : 5th predicted Earth impact!". International Meteor Organization. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  6. ^ "MPEC 2024-B76 : 2024 BX1". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. Minor Planet Center. 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.