Purple Mountain Observatory, also known as Zijinshan Astronomical Observatory, is a dual-use astronomical observatory operated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, located at Purple Mountain east of Nanjing. The observatory conducts both open science, such as calculating the official Chinese calendar, and classified space domain awareness activities for the PLA Aerospace Force. The observatory's long-range precision mechanical tracking radars used for space surveillance are managed by PLAASF Base 26 as the Space Target and Debris Observation and Research Center.
Description
The 60-cm Zeiss reflector at Nanking in 1930
The Purple Mountain Observatory was established in 1934 funded by the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China and administered by Academia Sinica. The longtime director of the observatory from 1950 to 1984 was Chinese astronomer Zhang Yuzhe. By the late 1980s, increasing light pollution in Nanjing meant Purple Mountain was no longer viable as a working observatory. It has since shifted its focus to public education, with much of the actual scientific work being carried out in its five branch observatories located at Qinghai (in Delingha), Ganyu, Xuyi, Honghe (in Jiamusi), and Qingdao.
The Minor Planet Center credits the observatory with the discovery of 149 minor planets between 1955 and 1983, while the observatory's PMO NEO Survey Program is credited with more than 600 discoveries between 2006 and 2013.
Discoveries
The observatory discovered the periodic comets 60P/Tsuchinshan and 62P/Tsuchinshan, as well as the non-periodic (Tsuchinshan), also known as Comet 1977 X, , and C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS). They are named after the postal romanization of the name (Wade–Giles: Tzu-chin-shan; pinyin: Zǐjīnshān). Many asteroids were also discovered, including the Trojan asteroids 2223 Sarpedon, 2260 Neoptolemus, 2363 Cebriones, 2456 Palamedes, and the eponymous 3494 Purple Mountain.
Near-Earth object survey
The Chinese Near-Earth Object Survey (CNEOS), based at the Xuyi Station in Xuyi, Jiangsu, started observations in 2006. It uses a 1:04=1:20=1:80 m Schmidt telescope equipped with a 4K × 4K CCD detector with the drift-scanning function. As of August 2012, the program has observed 149,971 asteroids, found 1,279 new provisional designation asteroids, and cataloged 251 numbered asteroids including five Jupiter trojans, two Hildian, and one Phocaea asteroid. The program has also observed the position of 824 near-Earth objects (NEOs) and discovered four new ones: the Apollo asteroid , and the three Amor asteroid , , and .
{{anchor|List of discovered minor planets}} List of discovered minor planets (1955–1983)
''see {{section link
List of discovered minor planets}}''
A total of 149 minor planets were discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory between 1955 and 1983.
2355 Nei Monggol
30 October 1978
2789 Foshan
6 December 1956
3340 Yinhai
12 October 1979
3746 Heyuan
8 October 1964
5389 Choikaiyau
29 October 1981
23408 Beijingaoyun
12 October 1977
{{anchor|PMO NEO Survey}} List of discoveries by the PMO NEO Survey Program
''see {{section link
PMO NEO Survey}}''
Several hundred minor planets were discovered by the observatory's PMO NEO Survey Program from 2006 to 2013.
210230 Linyuanpei
11 September 2007
20 August 2007
24 January 2009
16 April 2007
12 May 2007
2 January 2009
4 January 2008
16 August 2007
29 February 2008
18 September 2009
10 March 2010
27 January 2009
9 November 2007
29 February 2008
20 March 2007
16 March 2009
11 November 2007
23 March 2009
16 March 2010
5 November 2007
16 August 2007
29 March 2011
11 September 2007
6 February 2008
5 November 2007
20 October 2015
Image gallery
File:PurpleMountainObservatory01.JPG|Gate of the Purple Mountain Observatory
File:Purple Mountain Observatory - Xuyu Station Door.jpg|Entrance at the Xuyi Station
File:Purple Mountain Observatory - Xuyu Station.jpg|Telescope at Xuyi Station
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