Menu

Asteroid Data Mining

Image credit: European Southern Observatory
Carie Nugent uses machine learning and powerful computers at the MGHPCC to identify potential threats early.

Since asteroid impacts are potentially preventable with the right technology, early detection is essential.

Dr. Nugent and her team are utilizing MGHPCC’s computational resources to reprocess 1 terabyte of sky images from the early 2000s, captured by the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) survey. This effort is uncovering fainter observations and approximately doubling the number of recorded asteroid sightings from this dataset. Additionally, they are developing free software to help small observatories and student groups detect asteroids and comets in their own sky images.

Recent papers include "Reprocessing the NEAT Data Set: Preliminary Results" which introduces a new image analysis pipeline that reprocesses archival data from the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) survey to detect fainter asteroids and improve astrometric and photometric accuracy, marking the first large-scale reanalysis of an asteroid discovery survey and "FindPOTATOs: Minor Planet Observation Linking Software" which introduces a Python-based tool that efficiently links minor planet detections into tracklets using Ball Tree algorithms, enabling accurate identification of near-Earth and trans-Neptunian objects in noisy or archival data sets, especially from small observatories.

 

Carrie Nugent
Assistant Professor of computational physics and planetary science.

Research projects

A Future of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Yale Budget Lab
Volcanic Eruptions Impact on Stratospheric Chemistry & Ozone
Towards a Whole Brain Cellular Atlas
Tornado Path Detection
The Kempner Institute - Unlocking Intelligence
The Institute for Experiential AI
Taming the Energy Appetite of AI Models
Surface Behavior
Studying Highly Efficient Biological Solar Energy Systems
Software for Unreliable Quantum Computers
Simulating Large Biomolecular Assemblies
SEQer - Sequence Evaluation in Realtime
Revolutionizing Materials Design with Computational Modeling
Remote Sensing of Earth Systems
Quantum Computing in Renewable Energy Development
Pulling Back the Quantum Curtain on ‘Weyl Fermions’
New Insights on Binary Black Holes
NeuraChip
Network Attached FPGAs in the OCT
Monte Carlo eXtreme (MCX) - a Physically-Accurate Photon Simulator
Modeling Hydrogels and Elastomers
Modeling Breast Cancer Spread
Investigating Mantle Flow Through Analyses of Earthquake Wave Propagation
Impact of Marine Heatwaves on Coral Diversity
IceCube: Hunting Neutrinos
Genome Forecasting
Global Consequences of Warming-Induced Arctic River Changes
Exact Gravitational Lensing by Rotating Black Holes
Evolution of Viral Infectious Disease
Evaluating Health Benefits of Stricter US Air Quality Standards
Ephemeral Stream Water Contributions to US Drainage Networks
Energy Transport and Ultrafast Spectroscopy Lab
Electron Heating in Kinetic-Alfvén-Wave Turbulence
Discovering Evolution’s Master Switches
Dexterous Robotic Hands
Developing Advanced Materials for a Sustainable Energy Future
Detecting Protein Concentrations in Assays
Denser Environments Cultivate Larger Galaxies
Deciphering Alzheimer's Disease
Dancing Frog Genomes
Cyber-Physical Communication Network Security
Asteroid Data Mining
Analyzing the Gut Microbiome
Adaptive Deep Learning Systems Towards Edge Intelligence
Accelerating Rendering Power
ACAS X: A Family of Next-Generation Collision Avoidance Systems
Neurocognition at the Wu Tsai Institute, Yale
Computational Modeling of Biological Systems
Computational Molecular Ecology
Social Capital and Economic Mobility
Building for Floods
Better Pathogen Targeting
Tracking Environmental Health Risks
AI for Cancer Diagnosis
Microplastic-Free by Design
Supporting Data-intensive Social Science
Sailing the Symbiosis Seascape
Wrangle Range Modeling
Shining a Light on Dark Matter
Grid Responsive Data Centers
Multifunctional 3D-Printed Materials
AI Pareidolia
Computing Hidden Health Threats from Heat
Staving off the Banana Apocalypse
CRISPR Mice, Smarter Science
Naval and Ocean Renewable Energy Hydrodynamics
AI That Speaks Human About Health
A Safer Way to See Inside Cells
How Monkeys - and Machines - See in 3D
All Research Projects

Collaborative projects

ALL Collaborative PROJECTS

Outreach & Education Projects

See ALL Scholarships
100 Bigelow Street, Holyoke, MA 01040