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EURONEAR—Recovery, follow-up and discovery of NEAs and MBAs using large field 1–2m telescopes

Authors :
D. Dumitru
A. Sonka
David Asher
Iulia M. Comsa
Javier Licandro
T. Badescu
A. Nedelcu
Eduardo Unda-Sanzana
C. Vancea
A. Barr
R. Toma
J. L. Ortiz
D. Vidican
Ovidiu Vaduvescu
F. Pozo
Mirel Birlan
M. Constantinescu
M. Badea
Marcel Popescu
C. Opriseanu
A. Tudorica
Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes
Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des Ephémérides (IMCCE)
Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris
Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Groupe Astrométrie et Planétologie (GAP)
Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Lille-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris
Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest
Bonn Cologne Graduate School of Physics and Astronomy
Astronomical Observatory 'Admiral Vasile Urseanu'
Instituto de Astronomia, Universidad Catolica del Norte
Armagh Observatory, College Hill
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)
Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, CSIC (IAA)
Astroclubul Bucuresti
Department of Physics, University of Bucharest
Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Babes-Bolyai University
Source :
Planetary and Space Science, Planetary and Space Science, 2011, 59, pp.1632-1646. ⟨10.1016/j.pss.2011.07.014⟩
Publication Year :
2011
Publisher :
Elsevier BV, 2011.

Abstract

We report on the follow-up and recovery of 100 program NEAs, PHAs and VIs using the ESO/MPG 2.2m, Swope 1m and INT 2.5m telescopes equipped with large field cameras. The 127 fields observed during 11 nights covered 29 square degrees. Using these data, we present the incidental survey work which includes 558 known MBAs and 628 unknown moving objects mostly consistent with MBAs from which 58 objects became official discoveries. We planned the runs using six criteria and four servers which focus mostly on faint and poorly observed objects in need of confirmation, follow-up and recovery. We followed 62 faint NEAs within one month after discovery and we recovered 10 faint NEAs having big uncertainties at their second or later opposition. Using the INT we eliminated 4 PHA candidates and VIs. We observed in total 1,286 moving objects and we reported more than 10,000 positions. All data were reduced by the members of our network in a team effort, and reported promptly to the MPC. The positions of the program NEAs were published in 27 MPC and MPEC references and used to improve their orbits. The O-C residuals for known MBAs and program NEAs are smallest for the ESO/MPG and Swope and about four times larger for the INT whose field is more distorted. The incidental survey allowed us to study statistics of the MBA and NEA populations observable today with 1--2m facilities. We calculate preliminary orbits for all unknown objects, classifying them as official discoveries, later identifications and unknown outstanding objects. The orbital elements a, e, i calculated by FIND_ORB software for the official discoveries and later identified objects are very similar with the published elements which take into account longer observational arcs; thus preliminary orbits were used in statistics for the whole unknown dataset. (CONTINUED)<br />Accepted in Planetary and Space Science (Aug 2011)

Details

ISSN :
00320633
Volume :
59
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Planetary and Space Science
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....e9a013ecab98d8359d80e4527e6c1d42
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2011.07.014