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High School Sophomores Discover Asteroid

Posted by kdawson on from the october-sky dept.

Several readers sent us the story of three high school sophomores in Racine, Wisconsin who were just notified that a celestial body they had discovered during a science project has been verified as an asteroid. The students at Racine's Prairie School will be given the opportunity to name the asteroid in about four years. They used a telescope in New Mexico, belonging to a college in Michigan, that they controlled over the Net.

9 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. Uhoh by DrXym · · Score: 5, Funny

    Let's hope its not called Wolf-Biederman

    1. Re:Uhoh by gsslay · · Score: 5, Funny

      Nope.

      It's going to be called omfg!noob!lol!111 Just so everyone knows how awesome and kewl it is.

  2. Why wait 4 years? by Loibisch · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can anyone please explain to me please why they can name "their" asteroid in about 4 years? I mean, it's cool to wait a little to make sure everything is alright and this wasn't just speck dust on the lens...but 4 years seems a long time to peer-verify something like this and give them permission to name it.

    Also: I suppose those guys must ace all those two-picture "spot the 10 differences" tests after this...

    1. Re:Why wait 4 years? by rpillala · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's because of the powerful asteroid naming lobby. Or the writer's strike.

      --
      When the axe came to the forest, the trees said, "Look out - the handle was once one of us."
  3. Obviously by Smordnys+s'regrepsA · · Score: 5, Funny

    Because they're in high school. If you let them to name the comet now, you'll only get suggestions such as "The Big ASSteroid" or "Your Junk" (I can just hear it now - "Your Junk is soo small, you need a telescope to find it"). I'm sure they're just giving them enough time to mature.

    --
    Just -1, Troll talking to another.
  4. This is more common than you'd think by ThreeGigs · · Score: 5, Informative

    Bob Holmes' website:
    http://ari.home.mchsi.com/index.htm/

    List of asteroids discovered this school year:
    http://ari.home.mchsi.com/mp_discoveries_table_2007.htm/

    And some info on the telescope he uses to capture images:
    http://bi-staff.beckman.uiuc.edu/~melockwo/telescopes/holmes32/holmes32.html/

    Same deal as this article. He uploads pics for students at participating schools to work with.

    1. Re:This is more common than you'd think by CarAnalogy · · Score: 5, Funny

      404 "Object not found!"

      Does that mean he didn't find any yet?

  5. These gaming articles are boring by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yesterday we get "What Was Your First Gaming Experience" and today it's "High School Sophomores Discover Asteroids". So what? Who hasn't played Asteroids?

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  6. I doubt THEY really discovered it by Martian_Kyo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The students also located other potential objects that may be asteroids, and are currently conducting follow-up research.

    this leaves with the impression this guys just got lucky. It's like they identified each faint dot as an asteroid, and one just turned out to be exactly that. I imagine they just pointed at each dot

    Students:Is this an asteroid?
    someone knowledgeable:No
    Students:Is this an asteroid?
    someone knowledgeable:No
    Students:Is this an asteroid?
    someone knowledgeable:No..wait Yes
    Students: Ha we are smart!

    However I do give the students credit for initiative, it's refreshing to see that some kids still have interest in science (other then computing)