I want to help that "Hayabusa 2"! Chasing "Twinkle of Stars" April 4 at 28:17

Three years ago, JAXA = Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Hayabusa3 probe succeeded in bringing back samples from the asteroid Ryugu.

Many of you may remember the news that the capsule separated from the aircraft landed in the Australian desert.

In fact, it is still traveling in space, and plans to explore another asteroid in three years. If you can gather a lot of information about the asteroid from the ground in advance, it will help the mission.

Those who stood up were amateurs from all over the country who were familiar with astronomical observation.

After more than two months of trying, was it possible to capture the appearance of the asteroid?
(Saga Broadcasting Station Reporter Shinsuke Fujioka)

Formed an amateur team at the request of JAXA

Tsutomu Hayami, Deputy Director
of the Saga City Starry Sky Learning Center: "It's not an exaggeration at all, but it will go down in history. Don't you think it's heartbreaking that the observations of fathers and mothers in the city contribute to JAXA's exploration?"

This February, Tsutomu Hayami, who works at a study facility for astronomical observation in Saga City, said this with a big smile.
I am a veteran enthusiast of the path of stargazing for more than 2 years.

While conveying the fun of astronomical observations, he built a network to exchange information about observations with amateurs nationwide. It's a bit of a known presence in this world.

At the end of last year, Mr. Hayami was approached to participate in a serious project.
He showed me a document with the JAXA logo.
This is a request letter for Hayabusa40's next exploration of asteroids.

Hayami called on amateurs from all over the country to form an observation team consisting of about 2 people.

Tsutomu
Hayami: "There are so many talented amateurs in Japan, and I want to show the world that such difficult observations can be achieved by cooperating with each other."

Still Moving Beyond the Universe Hayabusa 2

Hayabusa2, which Hayami and his colleagues are trying to assist, is currently moving through space, about 3 million kilometers from Earth.
Three years later, in 3, it is scheduled to make its closest approach to an asteroid named "2026CC2001".

It is a small asteroid with an estimated diameter of about 21 meters, but it was chosen as the target of the mission because it is on the route that Hayabusa700 is going.

Hayabusa2 will be JAXA's first attempt at a flyby exploration in which asteroids are photographed as they pass each other.
If it is possible to fly at high speed and photograph an asteroid in a very close orbit, it will be possible to use it as an experience when an asteroid that may collide with the Earth appears in the future.

In order to improve the accuracy of photography, it is essential to collect data such as the size and shape of the asteroid in advance.
If this is known in advance, Hayabusa2 will be able to pass a more accurate trajectory, increasing the probability of a successful mission.

Timing is 0.1 seconds Aiming for "twinkling stars"

However, even at the closest timing, asteroids are tens of millions of kilometers away from Earth and are so small in scale that they can only be seen at a few points even with a large astronomical telescope.

For this reason, Hayami and his colleagues are trying a technique called "stellar eclipse" that indirectly captures the appearance of asteroids by making use of another shining star, a "star."

It is a phenomenon that occurs when an asteroid passes in front of a star, and to us on the ground, the light of the star seems to disappear for a moment.

What is important in observation is the "time" until the light disappears and shines again.
That moment can be anywhere from a few seconds to a few tens of seconds. For this asteroid alone, it is estimated to be about 0.1 seconds. It is truly a momentary event that can be called a "twinkle of stars."
If it can be observed, it will be possible to calculate the size of the asteroid.

Recently, the observation of stellar eclipses has become widespread as a field of astronomical observation to which amateurs such as Mr. Hayami can contribute.
The probability of observation increases when a large number of people aim from multiple points, and the widespread use of high-performance equipment has also provided a tailwind for amateurs.

However, this is the first time for Mr. Hayami to do such a large-scale project.

1st time, 2nd time..., and 3rd time, finally!

The asteroid's orbit approaches the Earth from the beginning of the year to March.
During this time, there are only a few opportunities to pass over the Japan.

After discussing with friends from all over Japan, Hayami decided to aim for the asteroid in four large-scale observations.
If we can observe it once, we can narrow down the orbit of the asteroid, and we can expect even more accurate observations in the next observation.

However, it was still not easy to capture the "twinkling of stars".

The first and second observations were made in February.

The first time we aimed from more than 1 points nationwide, but due to bad weather, there was no stellar eclipse in the second time, and we could not observe a single one.

The third observation was made on March 40.
On this night, the observation team was jubilant.

Miyoshi Ida, a veteran enthusiast of Shiga Prefecture who has been on this road for about 2 years, captured the asteroid's stellar eclipse for the first time.

When I was shown the footage, I could see that the stars were disappearing for just a moment.

The time was only 0.105 seconds.

Miyoshi Ida, who succeeded in filming:
"It's something I'm pursuing, so it's like, 'I did it,' and I happened to be there, and a stellar eclipse happened and the lights dimmed. I think it's the strength of one team."

This observation revealed that the asteroid is elliptical, with some cross-sections estimated to be about 450 meters in diameter. The orbit of the next stellar eclipse was also narrowed to one-tenth of the originally predicted range.

However, this is not enough to reveal the details.

We only had one chance left.

Last Chance

The stage for the last chance was Kagoshima Prefecture.
On March 3, about 26 amateurs and experts from all over the country gathered.

When I looked up at the sky before nightfall, I saw thick clouds in the air.

Still, I set up the telescope.

Perhaps the prayer was understood, but before nightfall, the sky gradually became clearer.
Beautiful stars shine all over the sky.
The air at night, washed away by light rain during the day, was very clear.

Tsutomu Hayami:
"It's the best sky. I hope they will catch the rest somewhere."

Finally, the last chance observation has begun.
First, focus the telescope on the shining star "star".

In order not to miss a stellar eclipse of 0.1 seconds, a small camera with high sensitivity was attached to the telescope.

The captured images of the starlight are recorded on the connected laptop.

All that's left is to wait for the glow to fade for a few moments.

8:45 p.m. has arrived, when the asteroid is scheduled to pass.
Did you catch it?

Mr. Hayami, who was staring intently at the computer screen, muttered, "It hasn't disappeared."

Unfortunately, Hayami's telescope was unable to detect stellar eclipses.
The other participants did the same, and the challenge was over, with no asteroids appearing in the night sky of Last Chance.

Tsutomu Hayami, Deputy Director
of Saga City Starry Sky Learning Center: "I said that if we could succeed in even one place, it would be historic, so we cleared that. This asteroid didn't catch my tail easily, but I wonder what kind of asteroid it is. I'm looking forward to [exploration in three years]."

JAXA "Groundbreaking Observations"

How does JAXA view this result?

We asked Associate Professor Makoto Yoshikawa, who served as a mission manager in the Hayabusa2 project team.

JAXA Associate Professor
Makoto Yoshikawa: "It was a very difficult observation, so I was really surprised that we were able to see even one stellar eclipse, and I think we were able to make a groundbreaking observation. We can plan flyby exploration with more confidence."

The asteroid only appeared once, but it was said that it would be useful for the Hayabusa1 mission.
And he showed further expectations for the high level of observation technology of amateurs.

JAXA Associate Professor
Makoto Yoshikawa: "Amateurs are doing things at a fairly high level, so I think the level of science and technology in Japan will steadily increase as this kind of thing spreads."

Amateur collaboration on an international scale, challenges continue

Mr. Hayami and his colleagues said that there was more to the challenge, so in April, I visited the Starry Sky Learning Center in Saga City again.

In August, it was decided to establish a new international organization to observe celestial phenomena such as stellar eclipses.

About 4 people participated in the group, including amateurs and experts from Japan and China.

We will further expand our network of observations through an international network and make the results available to the public.
We aim to go beyond the realm of amateurs and become a group specializing in astronomical observation.

Tsutomu Hayami, Deputy Director
of the Saga City Starry Sky Learning Center, said, "People have been looking at the night sky for a long time, and I would like to observe it with many people in the future while realizing that it is connected to astronomy.

Looking up at the night sky by amateurs, I felt that there was infinite potential.

I can't wait for Hayabusa2 to make its closest approach to the asteroid in three years.

Saga Broadcasting Station reporter
Shinsuke
FujiokaAfter joining the Aomori Bureau in 2008 and the Science and Culture Department, from August 2022, there are more opportunities to stop and
look at the
beautiful starry sky.