System Status

 

All NEOCC system modules are functioning properly

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2024-02-22 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 21 February and referenced to 1 February. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2024-02-08 – Release of the Synodic Orbit Visualisation Tool
We have just released a new graphical tool: the Synodic Orbit Visualisation Tool (SOVT). The SOVT displays Keplerian and perturbed orbits of NEOs in a rotating Sun-centered reference frame in 3D and check for their observability. The tool can be found in the "NEO Toolkit" link in the left menu of the web portal.
2024-02-05 – The NEOCC physical properties database now has additional data
Our database has been enriched with over 6000 new entries on physical properties of about two thousand NEAs published by various institutions and observation campaigns such as the Center for Solar System Studies, the Near-Earth Asteroid Photometric Survey (NEAPS) by the Lowell Observatory, the NEOWISE mission, and many others. This update follows the work conducted by F.P. Ramunno at NEOCC and includes data up to 2022.
2024-01-10 – Palermo Scale yearly update
As commented here, the calculation of the Palermo Scale at NEOCC is performed by considering the time to impact as the interval between the last impact monitoring calculation time and the potential event epoch. The last IM calculation time is updated at least once per year to keep the PS current. Such process has been performed today for the whole risk list. Because our risk list is sorted by PS, some objects may have changed their position as a result of this update.
2024-01-08 – Update on the estimated diameter presentation in the NEOCC portal
From now on, the estimated diameter in our portal refers to an albedo range from 0.05 to 0.25, logarithmically rounded for quicker readability. The new range is also utilised within our advanced search engine. However, for files accessible through our API a nominal estimated diameter is still reported using an albedo of 0.14.
2024-01-08 – Additional information provided in NEOCC's API
A new endpoint has been added to the NEOCC REST API service. Starting today, users can download a new catalogue containing the list of all non-NEA. For more details on how to access this data, please refer to our 'Automated data access' link in the left menu.
2023-12-06 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 05 December and referenced to 18 November. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2023-12-01 – Introduction of new help pages for different portal services
We have introduced a dedicated help section for all relevant pages, including the Risk List, Close Approach List, Priority List, the list of objects removed from the Risk List and the list of Past Impactors. Moreover, a help section has been added in the asteroids advanced search engine, image database, and asteroid pages.
2023-10-04 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 04 October and referenced to 12 September. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2023-09-28 – Update on Photometry Corrections for Hmag Calculation
The corrections applied to reported visual magnitudes, necessary for calculating the absolute magnitude of asteroids, have been revised to better align with the assessed performances of the available observations. Following these adjustments, the absolute magnitude for all NEAs in our database has been recomputed and is now accessible through our web portal. This update follows the work conducted by Tobias Hoffmann at NEOCC during the last semester, which will be published in the near term.
2023-07-26 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 26 July and referenced to 6 July. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2023-07-18 – Additional information provided in NEOCC's API
Two new endpoints have been added to the NEOCC REST API service. Starting today, users can download a new catalogue containing NEAs' orbits near both the current epoch and the middle of the observational arc, in Equinoctial elements, along with information about uncertainties and covariance. For more details on how to access this data, please refer to our 'Automated data access' link in the left menu.
2023-07-04 – Release of NEOPOP version 2.0
A new version of the NEO Population Generator (NEOPOP) has been released on our portal. This latest update introduces enhancements to the handling of the Observation Strategy Definition (OSD) file and improves the configuration of the Random Generator Seed. We invite all users to download the new version of the tool, along with the corresponding and updated documentations.
2023-06-21 – Removal of fictitious visual magnitude increment
As part of recent updates to our orbit determination software, we have removed in the close approaches tables the previous fictitious increment of maximum brightness value by 100 when encounters occur in daylight.
2023-05-05 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 21 April and referenced to 7 April. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2023-05-05 – Creation of the NEOCC observing facilities page
A new page, called "NEOCC Observing Facilities", has been added to our NEOCC portal. This page provides information on the telescopes that are part of ESA's expanding observational network for planetary defence. The page includes details on ESA's Test-Bed telescopes in Cebreros and La Silla, the Optical Ground Station in Tenerife, the Schmidt telescope at the Calar Alto observatory and others.
2023-03-28 - New Advanced Search Criteria Added
We have added new search criteria to our advanced asteroid search engine. Users can now search for asteroids based on their observational parameters, impact solutions, presence in the risk list and/or PHAs list, along with the usual orbit and physical parameters. Additionally, we have made general improvements to the look and feel of the search engine to enhance the user experience.
2023-03-06 – Search Engine Update
We have updated our asteroid search engine. With our new update, the user can now perform faster searches and use wildcards with the question mark (?) and asterisk (*) symbols to refine the search even further.
2023-03-06 – New Feature: Close Approach Index
We have added a new parameter to help users evaluate the significance and frequency of a close approach between the asteroids and Earth. The Close Approach Index (CAI) is now included in the lists of recent and upcoming close approaches, allowing users to quickly and easily identify the most notable events.
2023-03-02 – Creation of the Past Impactors page
A new page, called "Past Impactors", has been added to our portal. This page features a collection of asteroids that were discovered before they impacted Earth, along with a link to a description of each asteroid. The description includes information such as the discovery circustances, the asteroid's entry trajectory, the athmospheric phase, where it impacted, and whether any meteorites were found.
2023-02-15 – Non-gravitational parameters are now present in the asteroid summary page
The summary page now shows the A1 and A2 values for all asteroids whose orbit is significantly influenced by non-gravitational forces, such as solar radiation pressure and the Yarkovsky effect.
2023-02-08 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 5 February and referenced to 27 January. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2022-12-06 – Orbit Determination and Impact Monitoring Software updated
The orbit determination and impact monitoring software has been updated to version 4.0, which will be called Aegis from now on. Further details on how this update affects the orbital determination, the calculation of the Palermo Scale and the calculation of the minimum asteroid-Earth close approach distance, can be found here.
2022-11-24 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 23 November and referenced to 10 November. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2022-11-08 – Additional information provided in NEOCC's API
A new endpoint has been added to the NEOCC rest API service. From today it is possible to download a new catalogue containing the ephemeris for the next 30 days of all NEAs in an ASCII file. For more information on how to obtain this data, please access our 'Automated data access' link in the left menu.
2022-09-26 – Release of the NEO Tools
We have just released a set of supporting graphical tools to observers and portal users: the Orbit Visualisation Tool (OVT), the Observation Planning Tool (OPT), the Sky Chart Display Tool (SCDT) and the Flyby Visualisation Tool (FBVT). Those tools are accessible through the “NEO Toolkit” option in the “Tools” section of the menu in the left panel.
2022-09-22 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 20 September and referenced to 9 September. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2022-09-12 – Release of page with objects removed from the Risk List
We have released a new service providing the list of objects removed from the risk list. The list contains all the objects for which virtual impactors with the Earth could be completely excluded in the next 100 years. The page is accessible through the left menu and in the “Main services” section.
2022-08-03 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 02 August and referenced to 19 July. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2022-06-30 – FITS Image Archive now accessible through the SSOIS
As of today, the NEOCC image database is linked into the Solar System Object Image Search (SSOIS) system developed by the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC). Images are searchable and directly accessible through that portal in order to facilitate precovery activities and other research tasks.
2022-06-08 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 02 June and referenced to 20 May. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2022-04-28 – Release of NEOPOP version 1.5
A new version of the NEO Population Generator (NEOPOP) has been released in our portal. A bug related to the population model has been fixed in this release. All users are invited to download the new version of the tool, which also includes other small improvements.
2022-04-11 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 06 April and referenced to 28 March. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2022-03-29 – Impact threat analysis update completed for 1950 DA
In agreement with JPL’s Sentry and NEODyS, ESA’s NEOCC decided to update the (29075) 1950 DA risk information by performing the risk assessment taking into account all the measurements available until December 2021. For more information refer to this link.
2022-02-09 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 29 January and referenced to 12 January. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2022-02-04 – Inclusion of the U parameter in the portal
We have included in our system the computation of the orbit uncertainty parameter U and its display in the portal for all objects. The parameter is regularly updated and displayed in the summary page and in the orbit properties page. Furthermore, it can be searched for through the advanced search page.
2021-12-01 – Publication of the NEO Chronology on hold
Since this month of December, the publication by the NEOCC of the NEO Chronology update, kindly produced monthly by Dr. Karel van der Hucht, is put on hold.
2021-11-23 – Decimal place added to the visual magnitude in the ephemerides file
We have introduced a change in the format of the ephemerides file provided under user request in the asteroid pages. An additional decimal place has been added to the visual magnitude in the ephemerides file for an asteroid. For more information on how to obtain this data, please access our 'Automated data access' link in the left menu.
2021-11-18 – Release of NEOPOP version 1.4
A new version of the NEO Population Generator (NEOPOP) has been released in our portal. In addition to some bug fixes, the tool now incorporates an updated population model provided by M. Granvik (model of 2018).
2021-11-10 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 6 November and referenced to 26 October. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2021-10-29 – Change in the format of the ephemerides file
We have introduced a change in the format of the ephemerides file provided under user request in the asteroid pages. In addition to some cosmetic changes, two new columns have been added: one reporting the asteroid angular velocity in arcsec per minute and the other providing the motion angle in degrees. For more information on how to obtain this data, please access our 'Automated data access' link in the left menu.
2021-10-29 – Additional information provided in NEOCC's API
Two new features have been added to the NEOCC API download system. From now on, you can download via API the files reporting a catalogue of all the NEAs and their orbital elements (close to the current date and in the middle of the observational arc) and the asteroid physical properties in an ASCII file. For more information on how to obtain this data, please access our 'Automated data access' link in the left menu.
2021-10-20 – Updates in the portal front-end
We have had the portal down for a couple of hours to update the versions of several software packages.
2021-10-06 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 30 September and referenced to 20 September. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2021-09-13 – Fixing of discrepancies after last MPC monthly update
The discrepancies in the number of NEAs reported last week have been resolved and the involved objects have been subsequently removed from our database.
2021-09-06 – Discrepancies after last MPC monthly update
We have noticed some discrepancies in the available data from the MPC at the last monthly update, which make that the number of NEAs might not be fully reliable (a couple of hundred objects with very poor orbits were unexpectedly added to the list of NEAs). We are working on solving this issue in cooperation with MPC.
2021-08-24 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 21 August and referenced to 10 August. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2021-06-18 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 16 June and referenced to 1 June. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2021-04-30 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 28 April and referenced to 25 March. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2021-03-29 – Asteroid Apophis removed from the risk list
New optical observations of Apophis have been collected since end of October 2020. In addition to that, the acquisition of new radar observations in early March by NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California and the Green Bank Observatory, West Virginia, have provided enough data on the orbit of the infamous asteroid to finally rule out, with certainty, any Earth impact for at least 100 years.
2021-03-17 – Release of a batch of NEA orbital solutions including non-gravitational forces
Non-gravitational effects have been taken into account for up to 102 NEAs and our portal is now providing orbital information including the estimation of A1 and A2 parameters for those objects. In most of the cases the parameter determined was A2, which is associated to the Yarkovsky effect. In a small number of cases the A1 coefficient, associated to the solar radiation pressure, was estimated.
2021-03-10 – Release of a new version of the NEOCC web portal
After many improvements and additions performed to the NEOCC web portal through the years, we are happy to announce the release of a brand-new version of our portal based on present web technologies. We hope that the incorporation of these technologies will enhance the user experience of our portal while still providing easy access to the contents that we produce in our daily operations.
2021-02-26 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 23 February and referenced to 27 January. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2021-02-24 – Additional information provided in NEOCC's API
Two new features have been added to the NEOCC API download system. From now on, you can download via API the files reporting all past impacted objects and the file containing the list of all computed close encounters between asteroids and Earth. For more information on how to obtain this data, please access the our 'Automated data access' link in the left menu.
2020-12-21 – Format change in NEA close approach files
The file format containing the close approaches of the NEAs to the planets (.clolin files) has changed. For more information see the automated data access page.
2020-12-18 – Additional information provided in NEOCC's API
Two new features have been added to the NEOCC API download system. From now on, you can download via API the list of all objects that have been updated in the last execution of our orbit determination software (file updated_nea.lst) and a control file to verify when the last MPC monthly update was executed in our system (file monthly_update.done). For more information on how to obtain this data, please access our 'Automated data access' link in the left menu.
2020-11-20 – Additional information provided in NEOCC's API
Two new features have been added to the NEOCC API download system. From now on, you can download via API the list of all objects classified as NEO by the NEOCC and the risk files, where all the possible impactors for each risky object are listed. For more information on how to obtain this data, please access the our 'Automated data access' link in the left menu.
2020-11-20 – Impact Monitoring information now computed by NEOCC
Since today, data presented in our portal are the result of the full orbit determination and impact monitoring computations being performed at our premises and with the so called AstOD software, i.e. an improved version of the original NEODyS software.
2020-10-21 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 20 October and referenced to 24 September. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2020-10-14 – Portal under scheduled maintenance
The NEOCC portal was under scheduled maintenance on 14-10-2020 from 05:30 UTC for three hours. During that period our server was down and no service was provided. We apologise for any inconvenience motivated by this situation.
2020-06-19 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 17th June and referenced to the 3rd June. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2020-05-20 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 18th May and referenced to the 30th April. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2020-04-15 – Ephemerides generation service again available
We have solved the problem identified a few days ago and the ephemerides generation service through the API call is back to nominal operation.
2020-04-10 – Ephemerides generation service not available
Due to a network communication problem, our ephemerides generation service is not working through the API call. We are investigating solutions to the problem to bring the service back to normal in the shortest term.
2020-03-30 – Priority list again available
We have solved the problem identified a few days ago and the priority list is back to nominal operation.
2020-03-24 – Priority list not being updated
Due to the communication protocol problem with the NEODyS web site commented on 2020-03-16, our priority list page is not updating since that day. We are investigating possible solutions to provide again this information in the shortest term.
2020-03-19 – Risk page again available
We have found a work around solution to the problem identified a few days ago and the risk list is back to nominal operation.
2020-03-16 – Risk page unavailable
Due to a communication protocol problem with the NEODyS web site, our risk list page cannot be currently populated. We are investigating possible solutions to provide again this information in the shortest term.
2020-02-25 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 19th February and referenced to the 5th February. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2020-02-20 – High latency issue in the portal solved
The portal response performance problem identified some weeks ago has been fixed. Response times have been thus brought to nominal.
2020-01-30 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 27th January and referenced to the 9th January. The processing of the MPC daily and weekly updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2020-01-22 – High latency in the portal response
For some days now the portal is presenting some high-latency and variability in the response time to the user requests. We are analysing the source of this problem and will try to fix it as soon as that is identified. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this issue.
2019-12-20 – Portal under scheduled maintenance
The NEOCC portal will be under scheduled maintenance on 23-12-2019 from 07:00 UTC for a few hours. During that period and even if our front-end will be active, some of the services will be unavailable due to a scheduled shut down of a our back-end service. We apologise for any inconvenience motivated by this situation.
2019-12-17 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 12th December. The processing of the MPC daily updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2019-12-12 – Solution of the problem in the "Search for Asteroids" functionality
For some days now the portal is presenting the expected response in the "Search for Asteroids" functionality, so we consider that the portal is back to normal operations.
2019-12-05 – Processing of the last MPC Monthly Update
Our Orbit Determination System has successfully completed the processing of the MPC Monthly Update released on 8th November. The processing of the MPC daily and weekly updates since that date has also been performed with success.
2019-11-28 – Problems in the "Search for Asteroids" functionality
For some days now the portal is presenting some erratic behaviour in the "Search for Asteroids" functionality. Such incidence makes that in some occasions the portal runs into a time-out situation that is reported to the user, whereas in other occasions the portal runs normally. So far the cadence of this problem is irregular, which makes it difficult to track. The issue is still under investigation.
2019-10-28 – Large update in the risk list
Currently, our portal's risk list is still read from NEODyS. This will change in the short time when the NEO Impact Monitoring system at ESA will be put in operation. It is noted that the risk list has been significantly updated due to a change in the error weighing model. That new model is described by Veres et al. 2017 "Statistical analysis of astrometric errors for the most productive asteroid surveys", Icarus, V.296, p.139-149. As expected, several NEOs previously in NEODyS risk list moved out while several others moved in, as a result of virtual impactors with impact probability close to the generic completeness level (i.e., the probability value such that all the virtual impactors with a higher impact probability cannot escape the detection) or considering the fact that the nominal solution might be moved considerably due to their poor observation set and lousy orbit.
2019-10-22 – Fixing of the Orbit Determination System
After the hardware failure reported in the last entry, the system has been fixed today and put back to nominal operation. Furthermore, the information in the portal is fully updated to current date.
2019-10-14 – Hardware failure in the Orbit Determination System
Due to a hardware failure in the Orbit Determination System identified after the maintenance performed some days ago, some parts of our portal are not available nor updated. These include at least: the close approaches information for specific objects, the generation of ephemerides, and some of the "download as text/CSV/Excel" buttons across the portal.
2019-10-11 – Maintenance of the OD system during the weekend
Some services will be unavailable from Friday afternoon until 10:00 on Monday (all times UTC). These include at least: the close approaches information for specific objects, the generation of ephemerides, and some of the "download as text/CSV/Excel" buttons across the portal.
2019-10-10 – Creation of automated data access page
New page with documentation on how to access part of the information in the portal in text-only format (instead of HTML) using automated processes has been released. The page can be accessed in the "Additional Information" submenu.
2019-10-03 – Processing of the last MPC monthly update
The system is processing the MPC monthly update dated August 27. While the processing is taking place, the available data are limited to the full moon of August.
2019-07-19 – Yarkovsky effect detection and updated impact hazard assessment for (410777) 2009 FD
New observations obtained during the 2019 apparition by various observers, including our own team with ESA's OGS telescope, allowed for a better determination of the orbit of (410777) including the Yarkovsky effect over its orbit. This improved orbit solution was taken to recompute the future impact possibilities: the chance of a collision in 2185 could be completely ruled out, while only a very low probability of an impact in year 2190 remains.
2019-07-18 – Creation of the System Status Log
We have decided to use our existing "System Status" web page to report a log of relevant updates and incidences in the portal services. The reporting is initiated today, but we have also included some recent past entries which are deemed relevant.
2019-07-17 – Removal of the threat of 2006 QV89 for September 2019
The virtual impactor for 2006 QV89 in September of this year has been manually excluded after negative observations taken from ESO's VLT. That solution has consequently been removed from the risk list. The object itself remains in the list, with the most relevant virtual impactor among the remaining ones being in September 2023.
2019-07-12 – Inclusion of the ephemerides generation service
A new service to generate the ephemerides of any asteroid in the database within a given time interval has been released. The service can be accessed in the "Ephemerides" tab page of any asteroid page.
2019-07-12 – Change of reference albedo for diameter estimations
The reference albedo to estimate asteroid diameters has been changed from 0.10 to 0.14 in agreement with IAWN agreements.
2018-11-13 – Asteroid orbital information now computed by NEOCC
Since today, orbit determination (OD) data presented in our portal are the result of the OD computations being performed at our premises with an improved version of the original NEODyS software dedicated to OD. Impact monitoring software is currently being migrated, thus the information regarding impact computations will still rely on NEODyS provided data.
2018-10-18 – EARN data discontinued
The last batch of EARN data was received today. Regretfully, no further updates of NEO physical properties through EARN data updates will be provided. We kindly acknowledge Dr. Gerhard Hahn (retired from DLR) for having provided the EARN data until now and for having kept our physical properties database updated until this date.