We are closed from 27 April 2025 for essential maintenance, repairs, and refurbishment.
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The Spaceguard Centre is undergoing an exciting transformation.
We are a working observatory tracking asteroids and comets that may be on a collision course with Earth.
We are expanding our visitor programs to bring you an more immersive experience.
Near Earth Objects
We are the UK's National Near Earth Objects Information Centre and a working Observatory.
NEOs are comets and asteroids with orbits that bring them close to Earth. These objects are remnants of the solar system’s formation, and many have been around for billions of years.
They are usually small, but some can be several kilometres in size and can reach speeds of up to 70,000 km/h.
What We Do
"The most significant natural danger to life on Earth comes from asteroids and comets."
Asteroids have impacted the Earth throughout its geological and biological history and it is certain that such impacts will happen again.
The risk that an asteroid would impact the Earth is extremely small, but, depending on its size and impact point, the consequences could be catastrophic.
However, perhaps uniquely among natural hazards, there is the potential to prevent near-Earth object (NEO) impact events through timely actions.
It is the combination of the potentially catastrophic scale, the predictability of events and the opportunity to intervene that obligates the international community to establish a coordinated response to the NEO threat.
The Spaceguard Centre is part of the global group of cooperating telescopes that are tasked to detect and monitor NEOs.
