Minor Planet Centre (MPC)

Category: Science and Technology | Space | International Scientific Cooperation

UPSC Notes

The Minor Planet Centre is the international centre responsible for collecting, checking, organising and disseminating observations of minor planets and other small bodies in the Solar System.

It operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Key Pointers

  • Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.

  • Institutional association: International Astronomical Union.

  • Main function: Central repository for observations of small Solar System bodies.

  • Objects covered: Asteroids, comets and natural satellites reported through relevant observational programmes.

  • Role: Coordinates observations, maintains records and supports the determination of orbital information and official designations.

  • Importance: Helps astronomers track near-Earth objects and improve understanding of Solar System evolution.

  • Distinction: The MPC is not itself a space telescope or asteroid-detection satellite.

UPSC focus: Asteroids versus comets, near-Earth objects, planetary defence and international space-science cooperation.