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.

About IAWN

Observers Twitter feed

(As of Jul 2023, embedded twitter lists functionality is broken on Twitter's end. We are watching for updates.)

Planetary Defense

Virtual Telescope image of 2023 BU

Near-Earth Asteroid 2023 BU: 26 Jan. 2023
Credit: Gianluca Masi, The Virtual Telescope Project 2.0

2023 BU: A record close-approaching small asteroid

(Jan 2023) On January 21, Gennady Borisov (discoverer of interstellar comet 2/I) discovered a small asteroid rapidly approaching the Earth. He promptly reported the object to the Minor Planet Center for posting on the Near-Earth Object Confirmation Page. After extensive follow-up observations and analysis ...
Read More: NEO News

Close Approaches

Asteriod designation: 2023 QS1
Discovery station: GINOP-KHK, Piszkesteto
Close approach date (UTC): 2023 08 19.77
Close approach distance (× lunar distance): 0.28
Discovery announcement
Latest orbit & observations

Close Approach List

Multi-Opp. CAs