{"id":56220,"date":"2025-06-05T11:17:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T09:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asi.it\/?p=56220"},"modified":"2025-06-05T11:18:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T09:18:57","slug":"esas-new-asteroid-hunter-opens-its-eye-to-the-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asi.it\/en\/2025\/06\/esas-new-asteroid-hunter-opens-its-eye-to-the-sky\/","title":{"rendered":"ESA\u2019s new asteroid hunter opens its eye to the sky"},"content":{"rendered":"The Flyeye telescope will soon be transported to Monte Mufara, in Sicily\r\n\r\nThe European Space Agency\u2019s<\/strong> (ESA) newest planetary defender has opened its \u2018eye\u2019 to the cosmos for the first time. The Flyeye telescope temporarily located in the Space Geodesy Centre<\/strong> of the Italian Space Agency<\/strong> (ASI) in Matera (Italy), will soon be transported to Monte Mufara, in Sicily, where it will join the global effort to keep watch over the Earth\u2019s skies. The telescope\u2019s \u2018first light\u2019 marks the beginning of a new chapter in how we scan the skies for new near-Earth asteroids and comets. Inspired by an insect\u2019s compound eye, ESA and OHB Italia<\/strong> designed Flyeye to capture a region of the sky more than 200 times as large as the full Moon in a single exposure \u2013 much larger than a conventional telescope. It will use this wide field of view to automatically survey the sky each night independent from human operation and identify new asteroids that could pose a hazard to Earth.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn the future, a network of up to four Flyeye telescopes spread across the northern and southern hemispheres will work together to further improve the speed and completeness these automatic sky surveys and to reduce the dependence on good weather at any individual site,\u201d says Ernesto Doelling, Flyeye Project Manager. \u201cThe earlier we spot potentially hazardous asteroids, the more time we have to assess them and, if necessary, prepare a response,\u201d says Richard Moissl, Head of ESA\u2019s Planetary Defence Office. \u201cESA\u2019s Flyeye telescopes will be an early-warning system, and its discoveries will be shared with the global planetary defence community.\u201d ESA\u2019s Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre<\/strong> (NEOCC) will verify any potential new asteroid detections made by the Flyeye telescopes and submit the findings to the Minor Planet Center, Earth\u2019s hub for asteroid observational data. Astronomers will then carry out followup observations to further assess the hazard that the object may pose to our planet.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe unique optical design of the Flyeye telescope is optimised for conducting large sky surveys while maintaining high image quality throughout the wide field of view,\u201d says Roberto Aceti, Managing Director at OHB Italia. \u201cThe telescope is equipped with a one metre primary mirror, which efficiently captures incoming light. This light is then divided into 16 separate channels, each equipped with a camera capable of detecting very faint objects. This enables simultaneous high-sensitivity observations over a large region of the sky.\u201d During operations, Flyeye\u2019s observation schedule will be optimised to consider factors such as Moon brightness and the work of other survey telescopes such as the NASA-funded ATLAS telescopes, the Zwicky Transient Facility and the upcoming Vera Rubin Telescope, using data available from the Minor Planet Center. [IMAGE 3] These images of the sky above the ancient stone hills of Matera in Italy, are more than just a test: they are proof that Flyeye is ready to begin its mission.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nCredit: ESA \/ Pietro Moliterni<\/em>\r\n\r\n\n\t\t