emirates7 - The European Space Agency’s (ESA) latest tool in planetary defense, the Flyeye telescope, has officially begun operations by capturing its first images of the night sky—an event known as "first light." This marks a major advancement in monitoring the heavens for near-Earth asteroids and comets.
Developed by ESA in collaboration with OHB Italia, the Flyeye telescope draws inspiration from the structure of an insect’s compound eye. It’s designed to photograph a section of the sky over 200 times larger than the area covered by the full Moon in a single shot—far exceeding the capacity of traditional telescopes.
With its expansive field of view, Flyeye will autonomously scan the sky every night, without needing human guidance, to detect asteroids that may threaten Earth.
Ernesto Doelling, ESA’s Flyeye Project Manager, noted that there are plans to deploy a network of up to four Flyeye telescopes across both hemispheres. This would enhance the overall speed and thoroughness of these automated sky surveys, while also reducing the risk of poor weather conditions disrupting observations at any one location.
Richard Moissl, who leads ESA’s Planetary Defence Office, emphasized the importance of early detection: “The sooner we spot potentially dangerous asteroids, the more time we have to evaluate them and, if needed, prepare countermeasures. The Flyeye system will serve as a critical early-warning tool, with its findings shared internationally.”
Once Flyeye identifies a possible new object, ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC) will validate the detection and report it to the Minor Planet Centre, which manages global asteroid observation data. Follow-up observations by professional astronomers, including those at the NEOCC, will help determine the level of threat posed.
Roberto Aceti, Managing Director at OHB Italia, highlighted Flyeye’s unique optical configuration, which is designed to conduct large-scale sky surveys while maintaining clear, high-resolution images across its broad field.
He explained that the telescope features a one-meter main mirror that gathers incoming light and splits it into 16 separate channels, each equipped with a camera. This setup allows it to detect extremely faint objects over a wide area of the sky at once.
Flyeye’s nightly observation schedule will be carefully managed to take into account elements like moonlight and avoid duplication with other survey programs, including NASA’s ATLAS telescopes, the Zwicky Transient Facility, and the future Vera Rubin Telescope.
Developed by ESA in collaboration with OHB Italia, the Flyeye telescope draws inspiration from the structure of an insect’s compound eye. It’s designed to photograph a section of the sky over 200 times larger than the area covered by the full Moon in a single shot—far exceeding the capacity of traditional telescopes.
With its expansive field of view, Flyeye will autonomously scan the sky every night, without needing human guidance, to detect asteroids that may threaten Earth.
Ernesto Doelling, ESA’s Flyeye Project Manager, noted that there are plans to deploy a network of up to four Flyeye telescopes across both hemispheres. This would enhance the overall speed and thoroughness of these automated sky surveys, while also reducing the risk of poor weather conditions disrupting observations at any one location.
Richard Moissl, who leads ESA’s Planetary Defence Office, emphasized the importance of early detection: “The sooner we spot potentially dangerous asteroids, the more time we have to evaluate them and, if needed, prepare countermeasures. The Flyeye system will serve as a critical early-warning tool, with its findings shared internationally.”
Once Flyeye identifies a possible new object, ESA’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (NEOCC) will validate the detection and report it to the Minor Planet Centre, which manages global asteroid observation data. Follow-up observations by professional astronomers, including those at the NEOCC, will help determine the level of threat posed.
Roberto Aceti, Managing Director at OHB Italia, highlighted Flyeye’s unique optical configuration, which is designed to conduct large-scale sky surveys while maintaining clear, high-resolution images across its broad field.
He explained that the telescope features a one-meter main mirror that gathers incoming light and splits it into 16 separate channels, each equipped with a camera. This setup allows it to detect extremely faint objects over a wide area of the sky at once.
Flyeye’s nightly observation schedule will be carefully managed to take into account elements like moonlight and avoid duplication with other survey programs, including NASA’s ATLAS telescopes, the Zwicky Transient Facility, and the future Vera Rubin Telescope.