Our Mission
IAWN was established (2013) as a result of the UN-endorsed recommendations for an international response to a potential NEO impact threat, to create an international group of organizations involved in detecting, tracking, and characterizing NEOs. The IAWN is tasked with developing a strategy using well-defined communication plans and protocols to assist Governments in the analysis of asteroid impact consequences and in the planning of mitigation responses.
Currently, IAWN includes members from Europe, Asia, South and North America.
NEO News
Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
Courtesy: National Research Council of Canada
Welcoming 3 new IAWN members!
(Oct 2019) The IAWN Steering Committee has approved 3 more members. They are:
- David Balam of Spaceguard Consulting
- Patrick Wiggins, Tooele, Utah
- SONEAR Observatory, Brazil
NEO News
Two-color composite image of C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) obtained using the Gemini North Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) from Hawaii's Maunakea.
Credit: Gemini Observatory/NSF/ AURA/Travis Rector
New Interstellar Visitor to the Solar System: Comet 2I/(Borisov)
(29 September 2019) On the morning of 30 August, 2019, Gennady Borisov, of Nauchny, Crimea, discovered a new comet. At the time of discovery, the object seemed to be a typical comet-it was discovered when observing near the sun in the morning sky and sported a small tail. Gennady dutifully re-observed the object the following night, and by this point it was posted on the Minor Planet Center's Possible Comet Confirmation Page such that other observers worldwide could observe the object.
Read More: 2I/Borisov
Close Approaches
Asteriod designation: 2019 WJ4
Discovery station: Pan-STARRS 2, Haleakala
Close approach date (UTC): 2019 11 30.84
Close approach distance (× lunar distance): 0.85
Discovery announcement
Latest orbit & observations