Vigie-Ciel Network: Enhancing Asteroid Detection And Tracking Through Collaboration

Background Document: FRIPON → Vigie-Ciel Network and Asteroid Tracking Efforts** The FRIPON → Vigie-Ciel network, established around a decade ago, is a collaborative effort between professional and amateur astronomers in France. The network's primary mission is to detect and collect meteorites, which are fragments of asteroids that survive their passage through the Earth's atmosphere and land on the planet's surface. This initiative has significantly contributed to our understanding of asteroids, their composition, and their interaction with the Earth's atmosphere. One notable achievement of the FRIPON → Vigie-Ciel network was its role in tracking asteroid 2023 CX1, which disintegrated over northwestern France on February 13, 2023. The asteroid, weighing approximately 650 kilograms and measuring less than a meter in diameter, was first spotted by a Hungarian astronomer just seven hours before its descent.

The network's swift mobilization, combined with data from observatories worldwide, enabled scientists to calculate the asteroid's trajectory with unprecedented accuracy. The success of this asteroid tracking effort highlights the importance of collaboration between professional and amateur astronomers, as well as the general public.

By leveraging social media and other platforms, scientists can gather a vast amount of data, including photos and videos, ← →

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