Finding prediscovery positions of asteroids

Finding prediscovery
positions of asteroids
Jakub Janoušek, Lukáš Sláma, Michal Koldinský
What is it?
▪  700 000 asteroids already discovered
▪  450 000 of them are numbered and have predictable orbits
▪  Numbering an asteroid requires many observations over a long period of time
▪  The longer the period, the more accurate the orbital properties
Our goals
▪ 
Possibility of using old database for obtaining
still useful data
▪ 
Refinement of orbital elements of few asteroids
manually
▪ 
Development of software for easier processing
of images
Methods
!  Choosing suitable asteroid
!  Searching for images in the SkyMorph database
!  Chooosing triplets with the asteroid
!  Finding what asteroids are we able to see in this picture
!  Looking for our asteroid
Methods
▪  Verifying type of object and its orbit
▪  Searching for another asteroid positions from another nights
▪  Sending observations to Minor Planet Center
Results
Refined positions of two asteroids, 2006 WC155 and 2008 AZ71
Results
▪  Possible discovery of a new, before unknown asteroid
Dateofpossible
discovery
TimeUTC(h)
RightAscension(h)
Declina=on(°)
Magnitude
22.09.2001
9,25272
234406.55
-100009.9
19,2
22.09.2001
9,76368
234405.35
-100014.4
19,0
23.10.2001
6,73224
234002.71
-101611.4
19,5
23.10.2001
7,24128
234001.60
-101614.7
19,8
23.10.2001
7,74144
234000.57
-101617.9
19,5
Meaning
▪  The database still contains lots of useful data
▪  Focus more on processing existing data instead of just obtaining new
▪  Possible solutions:
• 
Processing the database with modern analytic software
• 
Propagation of the possibility of helping astronomers and maybe even finding a new asteroid to
amateur astronomers from the comfort of their own home.
interface
database
backround
software
MPC
Sources
How to discover an asteroid in SkyMorph archive. Skaw [online]. 2014 [cit. 2016-03-26]. Dostupné z: http://www.skaw.sk/discover-asteroid-from-skymorph-archive.htm
Nasa: Solar System Dynamics [online]. [cit. 2015-10-11]. Dostupné z: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?body_count
European Space Agency: Space Science [online]. [cit. 2015-10-11]. Dostupné z: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/New_study_reveals_twice_as_many_asteroids_as_previously_believed
J. Borovička, P. Spurný, P. Brown, P. Wiegert, P. Kalenda, D. Clark and L. Shrbený,“ The trajectory, structure and origin of the Chelyabinsk asteroidal impactor“, Nature 503, 235-237 (2013)
SkyMorph. NASA's Goddard Space Center [online]. Greenbelt (Spojené státy): NASA/GSFC/USRA, 2001 [cit. 2016-01-25]. Dostupné z: http://skyview.gsfc.nasa.gov/skymorph/
NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID TRACKING. Jet Propulsion Laboratory [online]. Kalifornie (Spojené státy): Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1996 [cit. 2016-01-25]. Dostupné z: http://neat.jpl.nasa.gov/
NEAT/PALOMAR INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTION [online]. In: . s. 2 [cit. 2016-01-26]. Dostupné z: http://neat.jpl.nasa.gov/neatoschincam.htm
Recent MPECs. IAU Minor Planet Center [online]. Massachusetts (Spojené státy): Minor Planet Center, 2016 [cit. 2016-01-25]. Dostupné z: http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/mpec/RecentMPECs.html
Minor Planet & Comet Ephemeris Service. IAU Minor Planet Center [online]. Massachusetts (Spojené státy): Minor Planet Center, 2004 [cit. 2016-01-25]. Dostupné z: http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/MPEph/
MPEph.html
Astrometrica. Astrometrica [online]. Linec: Herbert Raab, 2001 [cit. 2016-01-25]. Dostupné z: http://www.astrometrica.at/
Asteroids Location plot. Lowell Asteroid Services [online]. Arizona (Spojené státy): Lowell Observatory, 2016 [cit. 2016-01-25]. Dostupné z: http://asteroid.lowell.edu/cgi-bin/astplot
Find Orb. Project Pluto [online]. Maine (Spojené státy): Project Pluto, 2000 [cit. 2016-01-25]. Dostupné z: http://www.projectpluto.com/find_orb.htm
Format For Astrometric Observations Of Comets, Minor Planets and Natural Satellites. Minor Planet Center [online]. massachusetts: Minor Planet Center, 2015 [cit. 2016-01-29]. Dostupné z:
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/info/ObsFormat.html