Vitebsk astronomer explained whether the fall of an asteroid threatens Earth

They say it's true: enthusiasts can change the world. In 1992, Vitebsk amateur astronomer Vitaly Nevsky built an observatory on his dacha plot and made many unique discoveries there. In 2012, this bright mind from the city on the Dvina was noticed by a Russian astronomical research center. Now Vitaly works as a shift engineer-observer at one of the observatories in Kislovodsk. The astronomer visited home and became the hero of a meeting in Dukhovskoy Kruglyk.

– It all started back in school, with a love for science fiction. Then I got my hands on an illustrated book on astronomy, and I fell in love with the starry sky, – Vitaly Nevsky began his story. – At 15, I met Vladimir Golubev, who ran an astronomy club at the young technicians' station (now the center for extracurricular work. – Ed.). Vladimir Alexandrovich helped not only with advice but also with equipment. During my school years, I dreamed of my own observatory. My father supported the idea, and in just a year, we built it with our own hands on a dacha plot 20 kilometers from Vitebsk. The first observations were made with a portable telescope that I made myself – such equipment was unavailable at the time. Then, Vladimir Alexandrovich's students won a stationary professional telescope at a competition. We installed it in the observatory. It took another year and a half to refine and set up the equipment. But in 1996, we were able to get the first image of a comet, which is a great achievement for an amateur. Sometimes, we would stay on duty in the observatory in 20-degree frost to wait for a good view and take successful shots.

– Tell us about your most important discoveries?

– The first can be considered the refinement of the diameter of Saturn's satellite Tethys during an occultation observation in 2002. By the way, Polish and Czech specialists did the same, and at first they didn't even believe that there were such attentive amateur astronomers in Belarus. In 2009, two asteroids were discovered, named "Vladimir Golubev" and "Vitebsk City". Observing small celestial bodies is quite difficult, as they move and can be easily lost from sight. Daily checks and orbit calculations are required.

A supernova in another galaxy was discovered in 2010. It became the first "Belarusian" supernova. It was very lucky, as such flares occur once a century, and light travels millions of years to Earth.

In 2012, I was invited to work in Kislovodsk, where, thanks to the excellent astroclimate and equipment, it is easy to discover the same asteroids. But I was especially lucky: I managed to discover two comets. That significant night in 2012 at the ISON observatory near Kislovodsk was unstable: cloudiness interfered with observations. And shortly before dawn, my Russian colleague Artyom Novichonok and I launched a platform – practically at random. We discovered an object that was moving slower than asteroids. Determining its distance and estimating its brightness, and clarifying data from other locations, we concluded: it is a comet, and one of the brightest in the last ten years. The celestial body was named "ISON" – in honor of the observatory where it was first spotted. This is the usual practice if the discoverer does not immediately report their finding, as happened in my case. However, the second comet, discovered in 2013, is named "Nevsky". It is periodic, and in 40 years it can be observed from Earth again.

– What will you name your next discovery?

– That is not decided by me, but by the International Astronomical Union. Comets are usually named after their discoverer. As for asteroids, out of 500 thousand known ones, 330 thousand have ordinal numbers. 17 thousand have their own names. Most often, these are names of gods, mythical heroes, and geographical locations. And only 30 of them are related to our country. There are asteroids named "Belarus", "Brest", "Minsk", "Vitebsk". About a thousand celestial bodies have been named after scientists, and about one and a half thousand after astronauts. There is even an asteroid named after an orchestra. But each case needs to be justified. There is a choice. But honestly, I haven't really thought about this issue yet.

– After the fall of the Chelyabinsk meteorite, many are interested in whether astronomers can promptly warn about such catastrophes?

– This is the main goal of our observations – tracking near-Earth asteroids and comets. But, unfortunately, on a global scale, there is no unified security system; this still needs to be worked on. For now, everything rests on the shoulders of amateurs.

Although the danger is real, the planet is constantly bombarded by celestial bodies, most of which, fortunately, burn up in the atmosphere. But, for example, if a 9-meter object fell to Earth, the energy release upon impact would be approximately equal to the atomic explosion in Hiroshima. True, the Chelyabinsk meteorite could not be seen from Earth because it was approaching from under the Sun. This requires special optical satellites, which do not exist. But now, funds are being allocated in Russia for observatories and the organization of systematic observations. After all, the problem is not only with celestial bodies approaching Earth, but also with space debris, which has already accumulated a lot in our orbit – about 17,000 objects at the moment. This is a great danger to space exploration. In Kislovodsk, we are precisely tracking all this debris.

– Are there currently any threats of celestial bodies colliding with Earth?

– At the moment, we do not see any major threats. Only in 2028 is a close approach to the asteroid "Apophis" is planned. The distance between it and Earth will be approximately the same as to the Moon.

– Do you believe in astrology? How closely is it related to the real science of stars?

– No. Astrology is based on human psychology, while astronomy is based on concrete mathematical data. A person is the creator of their own happiness. If someone likes to read horoscopes, let them do it.

– Do you believe that we are not alone in the universe?

– Currently, there are several hundred planets and large stars open where life could exist. Therefore, I am confident that we are not alone. Another matter is that our civilization has existed for only a few thousand years – in the scale of the Universe, this is a fraction of a second. This means the probability of encountering other intelligent beings is extremely low. It's like hoping to see something from the flash of a single match in a dark room. If we disappear in a few hundred thousand years, our match will simply go out, and somewhere else a new civilization will flash and arise. There is also a possibility that Earthlings are infants, and other races simply do not want to notice us.

– What does astronomer Vitaly Nevsky dream of?

– First of all, to modernize my observatory, and for that, at least 50 thousand dollars are needed. I would also like to organize an astronomy club for schoolchildren so that young people can become passionate about the starry sky, as I did in my time.

Alexander Kutynko, "Vitebskiye Vesti"