3 Questions: Richard Binzel on astronomers’ powerful new tool
Last month, it was announced that the first Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System) telescope, PS1, is fully operational. The system is designed to search for “killer” asteroids and comets by mapping large portions of the sky each night to look for moving objects in our solar system. Based in Hawaii, Pan-STARRS features the world’s largest digital camera — a 1,400-megapixel device designed by researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Follow-up observations based on those images will allow astronomers to track moving objects and calculate their orbits to determine any potential threats to Earth. Richard Binzel, professor of planetary sciences in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, discusses Pan-STARRs with MIT News. A member of NASA’s Task Force for Planetary Defense, Binzel believes that Pan-STARRS’ “constant watch” will not only rule out possible threats from near-Earth objects (NEOs) over time, but will also reveal unknown galaxies and...