From a Remote Observatory, He's Defending Our Planet. Get...

What’s Happening

Okay so David Rankin of the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona spends nights scanning the solar system for potentially catastrophic space rocks.

Here’s what he has to say about that “high consequence” work, an interstellar comet and living with uncertainty From a Remote Observatory, Hes Defending Our Planet. Get a Glimpse Inside the Life of a Doomsday Asteroid Hunter David Rankin of the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona spends nights scanning the solar system for potentially catastrophic space rocks. (and honestly, same)

David Rankin, operations manager at the Catalina Sky Survey, keeps tabs on space rocks in search of new and potentially hazardous asteroids.

The Details

Levi Christiansen for Supercluster This article was originally Supercluster , a site dedicated to telling humanity’s greatest outer space stories. David Rankin is the closest thing Earth has to a space superhero.

As an observer and operations engineer at the Catalina Sky Survey , a NASA-funded planetary defense program that utilizes the telescopes atop the Santa Catalina Mountains in Arizona, he spends hours looking for dangerous rocks that could cause catastrophic damage to Earth. Telescope operator, asteroid hunter, photographer, storm chaser and programmer are just some of his credentials—Rankin even has an ancient marine reptile named after him, a plesiosaur that he found out at age 14.

Why This Matters

At the mountain range’s highest point, Mt. Lemmon, we found the mild-mannered skywatcher nonchalantly protecting humans from extinction . Since 2019, Rankin has been trekking to the peak to look for solar system objects that might collide with our planet.

Scientists and researchers are watching this development closely.

The Bottom Line

According to Rankin, they’re about halfway there. Supercluster dispatched photographer Levi Christiansen in July to capture this jack-of-all-trades at work and to peek inside the daily life of a planetary defender .

Are you here for this or nah?