Near-Earth asteroid 2023 DB2 discovery image. Photo courtesy of Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of Chinese Academy of Sciences

According to the latest news released by the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a near-Earth asteroid discovered by the 1-meter large-field optical telescope at the Nanshan Observatory has recently been confirmed by the International Minor Planet Center, with a provisional number of 2023 DB2. This is the first near-Earth asteroid discovered by the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Aili Isamuddin, head of the Optical Astronomy and Technology Application Research Office of the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "The absolute magnitude of 2023 DB2 is 21.76, which corresponds to a diameter of about 200 meters. , about the size of two football fields, and it takes 1.06 years to revolve around the sun, the closest distance between this asteroid and the earth's orbit is 30 million kilometers away, which is about 80 times the distance between the earth and the moon."

According to the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the 1-meter large field of view optical telescope at Nanshan Observatory, which discovered near-Earth asteroids, has the advantages of large field of view, high pointing and tracking accuracy. The telescope is mainly used to carry out optical time-domain astronomical survey research. The obtained time-series observation data are especially suitable for discovering asteroids and transient celestial bodies through deep mining.

It is reported that this discovery is the result of in-depth cooperation between the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences using the 1-meter large field of view optical telescope at the Nanshan Observatory and the Xingming amateur astronomical observation team. Since December last year, the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has launched an asteroid search project in cooperation with the Xingming amateur astronomical observation team. 2023 DB2 is the real-time depth of the scientific observation data of the 1-meter large-field optical telescope of the Nanshan Observatory by members of the Xingming amateur astronomical observation team. Excavation of discovered near-Earth asteroids.

The head of Xingming amateur astronomical observation team said happily: "The cooperation between professional astronomers and amateur astronomy teams will not only unlock more secrets in the vast sea of stars, but also shorten the distance between astronomy and ordinary people. significance."