School girls discover Earth-bound asteroid

AHMEDABAD: Two teenage girls from India have discovered an Earth-bound asteroid by poring through images from a University of Hawaii telescope, an Indian space education institute said on Monday.
The asteroid is presently near Mars and its orbit is expected to cross that of Earth’s in about one-million years’ time, said SPACE India, a private institute where the two 14-year-old girls received training.
“I look forward to… when we will get a chance to name the asteroid,” said Vaidehi Vekariya, who added that she dreams of becoming an astronaut when she is older.
The asteroid, currently called HLV2514, may be officially christened only after NASA confirms its orbit, a SPACE India spokeswoman said.
Radhika Lakhani, the other student, said she was working hard on her education. “I don’t even have a TV at home, so that I can concentrate on my studies,” Lakhani said.
The two girls, who hail from Surat, discovered the object as part of an asteroid search campaign conducted by SPACE India along with the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC), a NASA-affiliated citizen scientist group.
IASC Director J Patrick Miller confirmed the discovery, according to an email from him to the girls seen by Reuters.
The girls used specialised software to analyse the images snapped by the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii, and made the discovery in June, SPACE India said. (Reuters)