Spacewatch Preparations for the Era of Deep All-Sky Surveys

Details Spacewatch Preparations for the Era of Deep All-Sky Surveys Spacewatch Preparations for the Era of Deep All-Sky Surveys

Sep 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.5807m&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #58.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.592

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

The Spacewatch Project of the University of Arizona uses a 0.9-meter and a 1.8-meter telescope on Kitt Peak to search for new Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) and make astrometric followup measurements of known ones. Among the presently operational asteroid astrometry programs, Spacewatch is uniquely suited to support asteroid discoveries by the planned deep all-sky surveys. The Spacewatch 1.8-meter telescope is the largest telescope in the world that is used exclusively for observations of asteroids and comets. Between 2003 January 1 and 2006 May 23, Spacewatch has made 2400 separate-night detections (discoveries plus followup) of NEOs with absolute magnitude H≤22, including 117 fresh discoveries of NEOs with H≤22; and 900 separate-night detections of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs). (One "detection" = 3 positions.) Objects have been recovered at V=23 and at elongations <60° from the Sun. Spacewatch has contributed to the removal of 137 objects from JPL's impact risk website. One notable recovery by Spacewatch is the large PHA 1990 SM which had 80° of uncertainty after not having been observed for 15 years. Spacewatch has been equalling all other stations combined in numbers of observations of PHAs while their V mags are ≥21. Spacewatch stands out similarly for V≥21.5 and when numbers of different objects are counted instead of all detections on separate nights. Although the present equipment is only a few years old, improvements to limiting magnitude and efficiency of observing time are still being made.
Spacewatch is funded by NASA's NEO Observation and Planetary Astronomy Programs, The Brinson Foundation of Chicago, IL, and private individuals and estates. Spacewatch is described at the URL http://spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu, where all the present and former team members are listed. Extensive use of the subscription-supported on-line data services of the Minor Planet Center was made for this report.

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