About Minor Planet Centre:
- It is the world’s primary repository for all observations of small bodies in the solar system.
- It operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory under the International Astronomical Union.
- It is Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts USA.
- Process
- When astronomers discover a new object, they send their data to the MPC, where experts verify the observations and calculate the object’s orbit.
- If the discovery is new, the MPC assigns it an official designation.
- Functions of Minor Planet Centre
- It plays a vital role in tracking asteroids, comets, and the moons of the outer planets.
- One of the MPC’s most critical jobs involves monitoring near-earth objects (NEOs).
- NEOs are space rocks that could potentially threaten the earth.
- MPC maintains a large database that allows scientists to predict if and when a rock might come close to the earth.
- The MPC also facilitates communication within the global scientific community by publishing electronic circulars that alert researchers to new discoveries or interesting celestial events.
