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About CSS

The Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) is a NASA funded project supported by the Near Earth Object Observation Program (NEOO) under the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). We are based at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Lab in Tucson, Arizona.  Our mission at CSS is fully dedicated to discover and track near-Earth objects (NEOs) in an effort to meet the congressional mandate to catalogue at least 90 percent of the estimated population of NEOs larger than 140 meters, some of which classify as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) which pose an impact threat to Earth. Longstanding success of the project is attributable to our comprehensive sky coverage, continued development and application of innovative software and our NEO detection pipeline, and the inclusion of near real-time human attention to the NEO discovery and follow-up process.

CSS in the News Catalina Sky Survey Discovers Earth-Grazing Asteroid, the 4th Closest Flyby Ever Recorded


On October 19, 2018 Earth was grazed by a small asteroid designated as ‘2018 UA’. The space rock was discovered by the NASA-funded and University of Arizona based Catalina Sky Survey only 10 hours before its closest approach. CSS Observer Kowalski Strikes Again…As Does Another of His Recently Discovered Earth-Impacting Asteroids!


For only the third time in history a near-Earth asteroid was discovered before impacting Earth. Remarkably, all three objects have been discovered by one observer at the Catalina Sky Survey.
 Catalina Sky Survey Posts a Record Year of Near-Earth Asteroid Discovery in 2017

Feb. 25, 2018

The Catalina Sky Survey has been a leader in NEO surveying and discovery for two decades, and recent upgrades to hardware, software and survey strategies have pushed discoveries to all-time records.
 Catalina Sky Survey Spots SpaceX's Space-bound Roadster

Feb. 21, 2018

Catalina Sky Survey observer's succesfully acquired images of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy fast receeding payload: a Tesla Roadster. Enjoy the full story on UA News. (Above Image: SpaceX)


CSS Events

CSS Full Moon Mtg
January 03, 2019
Quadrantid Meteor Shower
March 18, 2019
50th LPSC

Lunar Phase Waxing Gibbous »


Mt. Lemmon All-Sky Camera