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Toward the Dawn: Discovery of the dwarf dwarf planet Ceres, 1/1/1801

In about a month, the Dawn spacecraft is supposed to reach the newly formed dwarf planet, formerly an asteroid and a former planet - a hook that was discovered exactly on the first day of the 19th century

The best image we have of the collapsed asteroid was before the Dawn spacecraft reached it. Photo: Hubble Space Telescope
The best image we have of the collapsed asteroid was before the Dawn spacecraft reached it. Photo: Hubble Space Telescope

 

This week 214 years ago, Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the dwarf planet Ceres, which moves within the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Ceres was defined at the time of its discovery as a planet, and this definition was valid for about 50 years, until many asteroids were discovered between Mars and Jupiter, and astronomers classified it as the largest of the asteroids. In 2006, it was again decided to classify it as a dwarf planet due to its size and the shape of its orbit.

Piazzi followed the planet for 41 days, then lost the opportunity to observe it due to its approach to the Sun's halo. When the planet was supposed to reappear, Piazzi could not predict its location based on the relatively few observations and mathematical tools available at the time. He turned to the German mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss (who was nicknamed: "The Prince of Mathematicians"), who decided to try to solve the problem and predict the location of Keres. After three months of work, during which Gauss developed a new mathematical method - the method of least squares, which makes it possible to calculate a function that creates an approximate solution while minimizing the effect of measurement errors, based on a collection of observations - he was able to calculate the expected position of Keres, thus enabling the verification of the discovery.
The method of least squares is used nowadays in many fields of science and engineering, and is one of the common methods for extrapolating an unknown quantity from a collection of measurements.
This year (in February) the Dawn spacecraft launched by NASA is supposed to arrive at Keres, circle and study it for several months.

More of the topic in Hayadan:

Comments

  1. This is Asimov's favorite area, "Lucky Star, and the Star Pirates". Lucky to have the scientist. Because the Israeli media is very one-sided. Everyone knows that Guy Rolnik is a friend of Bibi. And the media hate Bibi. But that's how it is "in Israeli democracy" , Lieberman in Russia, and the Arabs in Qatar

  2. This area was a favorite of Asimov. In the AL series "Lucky Star and the Star Pirates". In Israel, the media and reality are very one-sided. Lucky to have the scientist. Because everyone knows that Guy Rolnik is a personal friend of Bibi, and news media hate Bibi. And it is already clear what Be it written. But in "Israeli Democracy" Bibi is collecting donations in America, Lieberman in Russia, and the Arabs in Qatar.

  3. Brother, miracles are miracles. He who rejects another's mistake, as if he rejects his own. A star that stands out to me emotionally. Because the image is appropriate, after all, the right wing in Israel is delusional like they lost this planet.

  4. What fun, that there is a site like the science where you can read news like this.
    Regarding this celestial body, if it behaves like a star perhaps, it really is a star. It's like the right wing harming the Israeli interest (release of terrorists, freezing of construction in Israel). But the right will not be defined as a traitor.

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