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From July 29 to August 5, 2018, Senegal hosted a major mission of the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) for the observation of the occultation by the asteroid MU69. [19659002TobelieveastatementfromtheMinistryofHigherEducationResearchandInnovationtheteamcomposedof45internationalresearchersastronomersandastrophysicistswillbeassistedbytwentySenegalesescientists
"This mission aims to observe and collect data on an object called 2014MU69, an asteroid of the Kuiper Belt (an area of our solar system beyond Planet Pluto) and discovered in 2014 by the telescope Space HUBBLE ", reads in the communiqué reached" The Ace. "
To specify that the head of the State has already approved this mission and entrusted the organization and coordination of this activity in Senegal at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation
The various scientifically determined observation sites are located in the regions of Thiès, Diourbel, Louga and Saint-Louis. According to the services of the ministry, the teams of observers of NASA will work in close collaboration with Senegalese scientists from Senegalese universities, the Senegalese Association for the Promotion of Astronomy and some research organizations such as Israel, the Cse, the Anacim, the Anat.
All about the asteroid MU69
After successfully launching in 2006 the New Horizons spacecraft that visited the planet Pluto in 2015, NASA has decided to continue the mission beyond its orbit and it is expected that the probe meets, on January 1, 2019, the asteroid MU69, 6 billion kilometers from the Earth.
During the summer of 2017 , several telescopes in the world took advantage of the passage of the asteroid in front of a star (occultation) to learn a little more about it. The observations suggest that the celestial body has a bilobed shape and could even have a moon.
On the night of August 3 to 4, 2018, this object will again pass in front of a star, causing an occultation. From Earth, there will be favorable areas for his study. The optimal zone of observation crosses Senegal and Colombia.
After several simulations, NASA has chosen to deploy in our country to carry out this important work which will deepen the knowledge on the object and better prepare the arrival of the probe towards its target in 2019. (Toutinfo)
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