Asteroid Orbit Determination and Rotational Period Calculations with CCD Astronomy

Details Asteroid Orbit Determination and Rotational Period Calculations with CCD Astronomy Asteroid Orbit Determination and Rotational Period Calculations with CCD Astronomy

Oct 1998

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998stin...9917716b&link_type=abstract

Masters Thesis, AD-A356383; AFIT-TR-98-102

Statistics

Computation

Orbit Calculation, Asteroids, Computation, Data Acquisition, Data Management, Orbital Elements, Ccd Cameras, Telescopes, Tables (Data), Photometry, Observatories, Management Methods, Magnitude, Light Curve, Declination, Computer Graphics, Charge Coupled Devices, Cassegrain Optics

Scientific paper

This paper presents data collected and analyzed relating to photometry and astrometry of asteroids. All observations were accomplished at the U.S. Air Force Academy Observatory. The photometry involves determining the rotational period of asteroid 583 Klotilde. Astrometry was performed on asteroid 1035 Amata and the calculated position was used to determine its orbital elements. Klotilde was selected for rotational period determination based on its relatively low magnitude, favorable viewing position, and no previous rotational period information. Two hundred six images of Klotilde were taken and analyzed over four viewing nights. A Photometrics (PM512) Charge Couple Device (CCD) camera attached to a 61-cm Cassegrain telescope was used for these observations. Using NOAO' s IRAF software, the magnitudes of Klotilde and several comparison stars were determined. Using an Excel spreadsheet, differential photometry was performed and the light curve was plotted. The four nights of data gave a 9.210 +/- 0.005 hour synodic period with an amplitude of 0.18 magnitudes. Thirty-two images of Amata were taken on six different viewing nights. The images were taken with an ST-8 CCD attached to a 41-cm Cassegrain telescope. The data was reduced with the Astrometrica software package, which calculated the right ascension (RA), declination (Dec), and magnitude of Amata using several comparison stars. The computed RA and Dec, along with the times of observation were then used to determine the orbital elements of the asteroid.

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