Overview

BSGC is an optical telescope facility established in Bisei Town, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture, by the Japan Space Forum, the Japan Spaceguard Association, and the Science and Technology Agency (at the time) in 2000. It tracks near-Earth asteroids and space debris. In 2017, it was transferred to JAXA.

DARTS provides data observed by a 25 cm telescope from 2000 to 2002 and data observed by a 1 m telescope from 2007 to 2017. When operations began in 2000, the 1 m and 50 cm telescopes were not yet operational, and the 25 cm telescope, installed for support purposes, discovered many asteroids. From 2003 to 2006, a lot of time was spent adjusting newly introduced telescopes, resulting in a large amount of test data that is not publicly available. The 1 m telescope has been operational since 2007, continuing observations over a long period.

Observation Instruments

Observations are conducted using three telescopes with apertures of 1 m, 50 cm, and 25 cm. To conduct survey observations of asteroids and space debris, the optical design features a wider field of view compared to telescopes of similar aperture sizes.

Observation Site

Bisei Spaceguard Center Large Observation Building (1 m telescope dome)

• Longitude: 133°32'39" E
• Latitude: 34°40'21" N
• Altitude: 463 m

Achievements

Image data obtained from BSGC provide information on the coordinates and brightness of asteroids, brightness variations of variable stars, and the presence of transient objects such as supernovae.

By 2014, Bisei Spaceguard Center had discovered over 1,000 new asteroids, with about 360 of them officially numbered. One of the asteroids discovered by the center on July 8, 2000, was named "Bisei (17286 Bisei)" after the town where the facility is located.

In 2018, the center detected the rapid rotation of near-Earth asteroid 2018 EZ2 and reported detailed observational results. These activities provide crucial data for assessing the risks posed by asteroids approaching Earth and for taking necessary countermeasures.