Planetary Defense, Asteroids & Open Science

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Sole author in the aerospace journal Acta Astronautica · A contributor of calibrated photometry to NASA's DART/Didymos study (The Planetary Science Journal) · IAU Minor Planet Center code R60 · Grand Awards at ISEF & EUCYS · 5 sole-authored + 2 co-authored peer-reviewed papers · presented at AGU, LPSC, LSST, NESF, SciPy & ExoClock conferences

Google Scholar · NASA ADS · GitHub · [email protected]

Current Research

I measure the rotation periods, shapes, and spin states of near-Earth and potentially hazardous asteroids from open photometry, and I build automated light-curve algorithms to scale that work to the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (LSST).

What I am working on now:

Rubin / LSST asteroid algorithms - automated methods to recover rotation periods, shapes, and unusual variability (tumbling, candidate binaries) from the sparse, multi-band photometry the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will deliver for millions of moving objects.
Binary asteroid (1727) Mette - a rotation and mutual-event study of this Hungaria binary; paper in preparation for the Minor Planet Bulletin.
Hayabusa2 and asteroid Torifune - predicted the asteroid spin phase at JAXA's 5 July 2026 flyby from open survey data, to be tested against the spacecraft images.

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My phase-folded ZTF light curve of asteroid Torifune (P = 5.02 h), used to predict which face the Hayabusa2 spacecraft would see at closest approach.

PLANETARY DEFENSE · JAXA Hayabusa2 Mission

Rotational Phase of Asteroid (98943) Torifune During Hayabusa2’s 2026 Flyby

Arushi Nath · 4 July 2026

On July 5, 2026, Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft races past the near-Earth asteroid Torifune at 5 km/s, skimming within about a kilometre of a 450-meter rock we've barely seen. Torifune spins once every five hours, so the spacecraft only glimpses whichever face happens to be turned toward it. Using open public sky-survey data, orbital geometry, and algorithms, I predicted - before the flyby - which side the spacecraft would see, and showed why it should catch the asteroid at the shorter side. Soon Hayabusa2's own images will tell us whether I got it right.

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Hands-on at the telescope - the observing side of my asteroid and exoplanet research.

RESEARCH OBSERVATORY · Engineering for Millimagnitude Precision

Building My Remote Observatory at 15: Engineering for Millimagnitude Photometry Precision

Arushi Nath · 28 May 2026

How I built my research-grade remote observatory in southern Spain dark-night skies at fifteen to study near-Earth asteroids and multiplanetary systems: the engineering decisions behind millimagnitude photometry, the fundraising and Masason Foundation grant, debugging a loose screw 7,000 km away, and what the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Minor Planet Center code R60 now lets me contribute to planetary defence.

INTERNATIONAL TALK · Asteroid Shape & Spin Presentation

My Second Year at Kyiv's Young Scientists' Conference on Astronomy and Space Physics 2026: Presenting the Shape and Spin of Asteroid 2025 FA22

Arushi Nath · 28 April 2026

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SOLE-AUTHOR PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION · Hazardous Asteroid Characterisation

Photometric Characterisation of Newly Discovered Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 2025 FA22

Arushi Nath · 15 April 2026

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CITIZEN-SCIENCE PROJECT · Tracking Artemis II From Earth

MonitorMyMoon.com: Tracking Artemis II from Launch Pad to Splashdown Using Open Science - From Toronto

Arushi Nath · 12 April 2026

On April 1, NASA launched four astronauts toward the Moon aboard Artemis II, including Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, the first Canadian to leave low Earth orbit. I have been using open science and open data to track the spacecraft every night since its launch at the Kennedy Space Center from my home in Toronto using satellite imagery, robotic telescopes, and data from seismic and infrasound arrays.

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INTERNATIONAL TALK · Asteroid Findings at LPSC

How I Characterised a Newly Discovered Potentially Hazardous Asteroid and Presented the Findings at the 57th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC)

Arushi Nath · 30 March 2026

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On March 17th, 2026, I gave an oral presentation on my "Physical Characterisation of Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 2025 FA22: Rotational Period, Shape, and Taxonomy," at the 57th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) held in The Woodlands, Texas. I shared how I observed 2025 FA22 over six nights between September 19–26, 2025, using the 0.305-m Ritchey-Chrétien telescope at MonitorMyPlanet Observatory (MPC R60) and performed differential photometry to reveal its physical properties. The meeting brought together over 2000 scientists and astronomers.

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SOLE-AUTHOR PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION · Asteroid Shape & Spin Results

Shape and Spin of Newly Discovered Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 2025 FA22

Arushi Nath · 28 March 2026

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Results published in the Minor Planet Bulletin. Volume 53, Number 2, 2026.

The newly discovered potentially hazardous asteroid 2025 FA22 made a close approach to Earth in September 2025, passing within a few lunar distances. Using observations collected over six nights from my MonitorMyPlanet Observatory (MPC code R60) in Nerpio, Spain, I derived a synodic rotation period of 13.075 ± 0.002 hours with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.62 magnitudes. The resulting double-peaked lightcurve indicates an elongated shape, with a minimum axis ratio of a/b ≳ 1.77. Complementary BVRI photometry further places the asteroid within the S-complex. These results have been published in the Minor Planet Bulletin.

CO-AUTHOR PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION · Exoplanet Catalog

Co-author with K. Kokori et al.

ExoClock Project. IV. A Homogeneous Catalog of 620 Updated Exoplanet Ephemerides

Arushi Nath · 22 March 2026

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"ExoClock Project IV: A Homogeneous Catalog of 620 Updated Exoplanet Ephemerides" (Kokori et al. 2026, ApJS, 283, 5) has been published in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series.

I am a co-author, having contributed 30 transit photometry observations of several exoplanets to the ExoClock network. Several of my observations focused on targets flagged with significant ephemeris drift, or potential transit timing variations (TTVs), including TESS-discovered planets with short observational baselines and rapidly growing uncertainties.

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CITIZEN-SCIENCE PROJECT · Interstellar Comet Astrometry

New Observation: Precision Astrometry of the Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Arushi Nath · 5 February 2026

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I conducted my first comet astrometry observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1), as part of the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) observing campaign. I imaged the comet on multiple nights in December 2025 using short exposures to minimise trailing, stacked images aligned on the comet’s motion, and calibrated astrometry against the Gaia DR3 star catalogue. These observations and submissions contributed to the campaign’s goal of improving precision orbit determination for this rare interstellar object.

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SOLE-AUTHOR PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION · Asteroid Rotation, Revisited

Sole author

Rotation Period of Asteroid (2977) Chivilikhin: Revisiting a Decade Later

Arushi Nath · 30 January 2026

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Results published in the Minor Planet Bulletin. Volume 53, Number 1, 2026.

The Minor Planet Bulletin (MPB) call list is a key resource for astronomers to identify asteroids that are due for observational campaigns. When (2977) Chivilikhin appeared on the list for its 2025 apparition, I decided to measure its lightcurve again, as its rotation period had last been measured nearly a decade ago. My observations revealed a synodic rotation period of 6.257 ± 0.001 hours with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 0.98 magnitudes. This result is consistent with the 2016 data (6.257 ± 0.0007 hours), showing that the asteroid’s rotation has remained stable.

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INTERNATIONAL TALK · Exoplanet Ephemerides for Ariel

Extending Exoplanet Ephemerides using N-Body Simulations: Citizen Science Support to the European Space Agency's Ariel Telescope

Arushi Nath · 8 October 2025

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Presenting at 5th ExoClock Annual Meeting in Madrid, Spain.

On October 4, 2025, I gave an oral presentation of my year-long research, "Extending Exoplanet Ephemerides through TTV Analysis with NEPTUNE and Ground-Based Observations," at the 5th ExoClock Annual Meeting held at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain. I shared how I performed 100,000+ computer simulations of Transit Timing Variations (TTVs) and combined them with ground based photometry data to extend the orbital ephemerides of exoplanets. The meeting was attended by 100+ scientists and astronomers working on refining exoplanet ephemerides in preparation for the ESA Ariel telescope.

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INTERNATIONAL AWARD · TTV Exoplanet Prediction (NEPTUNE)

N-body Exoplanet Prediction Using TTV for Unseen Exoplanets (NEPTUNE): Wins Third Grand Award at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2025), USA

Arushi Nath · 18 May 2025

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Winning Third Grand Award at 2025 ISEF in Columbus, Ohio

I represented Canada at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). My project, "NEPTUNE: N-body Exoplanet Prediction Using TTV for Unseen Exoplanets," won the Third Grand Award in the Physics and Astronomy category. My research combines N-body simulations and Transit Timing Variations (TTVs) to detect unseen exoplanets, improving orbital ephemerides and aiding in the discovery of new planetary companions. This work was validated with Kepler-46b data and continues to expand with contributions to NASA’s TESS and ESA’s ExoClock initiatives.
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INTERNATIONAL AWARD · Planetary Defence Algorithms

Developing Algorithms to Determine Asteroid's Physical Properties: Wins Second Prize Award at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS 2023), Brussels

Arushi Nath · September 2023

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The 34th European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) was held in Brussels, Belgium. It brought together 136 promising young scientists aged 14 to 20, from 36 countries across the EU and beyond for a five-day competition. I was honoured to represent Canada as Winner of the Top Award of the 2023 Canada-Wide Science Fair. My project "Developing Algorithms to Determine Asteroid's Physical Properties and Success of Deflection Missions" won the second prize. I was the youngest contestant and won the Second Prize.

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NATIONAL AWARD · Canada Wide Science Fair Top Prize

Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) 2023 Best Project Award

Arushi Nath · May 2023

Developing Algorithms to Determine Asteroid's Physical Properties and Success of Deflection Missions

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The 2023 Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) organised by Youth Science Canada took place in Edmonton, Alberta, from May 14 to May 19, 2023. It brought together some 396 regional science fair finalists from 7th to 12th grade from across Canada. My project "Developing algorithms to determine asteroid’s physical properties and success of deflection missions" won the 2023 Best Project Award of the Canada-Wide Science Fair (Innovation). I will now represent Canada at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in Brussels in September 2023.

In addition to the Best Project Award, I won 5 more awards:

Gold Medal
The Actuarial Foundation of Canada Award
Excellence in Astronomy Award from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
Top of the Category Award in Curiosity and Ingenuity
Youth Can Innovate Award

I also won the 2022 Best Project Award last year, becoming the first back-to-back best project award winner since 1989-1990 and the youngest ever to do so.

For more information on my project visit: https://www.monitormyplanet.com/posts/1393

INTERNATIONAL TALK · DART Mission Citizen Science

Citizen Science for NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission: 2023 Planetary Defense Conference, UNOOSA, Vienna

Arushi Nath · 15 April 2023

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Explaining my research to Dr. Andy Rivkin, Lead of NASA's DART Investigation Team, at the 2023 Planetary Defense Conference.

The 8th Planetary Defense Conference was held at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna, Austria, from 3 - 7 April 2023. I was thrilled that my research abstract, "Citizen Science for NASA DART Mission: How I Used Robotic Telescopes, Open-Data, Python, and Maths to Study the Didymos System Before and After the Impact," was accepted as an in-person poster presentation at the Conference. Two years earlier I gave an oral presentation of research on asteroid Apophis via webcam as the 2021 Planetary Defense Conference was held virtually. This year I presented my citizen science work on planetary defence using robotic telescopes and open data, in particular on the characterisation of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) and measuring the impact of the NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission.
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CONFERENCE POSTER · DART Asteroid Research Poster

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) 2023 Poster Presentation

Arushi Nath · March 2023

(My Research Poster in 20 threaded tweets)

Strengthening Planetary Defence: Developing Algorithms to Determine the Physical Properties of Asteroids using Robotic Telescopes and Applying them to Measure the Impact of NASA's DART Asteroid Deflection Mission

The pace of discovery of near-earth asteroids outpaces current abilities to analyse them. Knowledge of an asteroid's physical properties is essential to deflect them. I developed open-source algorithms that combine images from robotic telescopes and open data to determine asteroids' size, rotation, and strength. I took observations of the Didymos binary asteroid, and my algorithm determined it to be 850m wide, with a 2.26-hour rotation period and rubble pile strength. I measured a 35-minute decrease in the mutual orbital period after impact by the 2022 NASA DART Mission. External sources validated the findings. Every citizen scientist is now a planetary defender.

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CITIZEN-SCIENCE PROJECT · Asteroid Detection Algorithms

Strengthening Planetary Defence: Detecting Unknown Asteroids using Open Data, Math, and Python

Arushi Nath · March 2023

I took images from 4 telescopes located at different latitudes to get full sky coverage. I wrote Python algorithms to query European Space Agency's Gaia and NASA/JPL's Horizons ephemeris system to find all known stars and asteroids. Mean, standard deviation, and histograms created masks to remove known objects. The remaining objects were classified as possible asteroid candidates.

I detected 3 'preliminary' asteroids. Using the telescope's focal length and celestial location, my algorithm's plate-solving ability determined its Right Ascension and Declination. I reported this information by creating a Minor Planet Center report for my images. I have made my code and methodology open-source to crowdsource planetary defence.

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SOLE-AUTHOR PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATION · Foundations of Planetary Defence

Finding Unknown Asteroids to Strengthen Planetary Defence

Arushi Nath · February 2023

The success of the NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission in slamming a kinetic impactor on moonlet Dimorphos of asteroid Didymos on 2022 September 26 and changing its orbit has put the planetary defence on world news. The challenge of planetary defence intrigues me. Roughly 66 million years ago, an asteroid at least 10 kilometres wide may have led to the extinction of dinosaurs. If humans do not want to suffer the same fate, then we need to be well-informed and prepared to handle any threats of an asteroid colliding with Earth.

INVITED TALK · Remote Telescope Webinar

iTelescope.net Webinar: Asteroid Science with Remote Telescope with a focus on DART Mission

Arushi Nath · 30 November 2022

[YouTube video]

Citizen science and robotic telescopes have brought astronomy to everyone, from school kids to backyard astronomers and those staying in rural areas with dark skies to city dwellers living under a light cloud. For the past two years, Arushi Nath, age 13, has been using robotic telescopes, open datasets, python algorithms, and middle school maths to undertake research on near-earth asteroids. Astrometry-related observations helped her identify asteroids, provide information about their celestial location, and predict their future locations. Photometry involved taking images of the asteroid to find its magnitude. Longer observations yield a change in magnitude, which makes it possible to find the rotational period. For binary asteroids, she uses light curves to find the moonlet’s orbital period. As with all her research, she makes her datasets and methodology open source to reach out to other youths and citizen scientists.

https://hotpoprobot.com/2022/11/24/webinar-asteroid-science-with-remote-telescope/