scholarly journals Astrometry of small Solar System bodies at the Molėtai observatory

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S236) ◽  
pp. 377-380
Author(s):  
K. Černis ◽  
J. Zdanavičius ◽  
K. Zdanavičius ◽  
G. Tautvaišienė

AbstractWe describe an observational project devoted to astrometric observations of Near-Earth Objects (NEO), main belt asteroids and comets at the Molėtai Observatory, Lithuania. Exposures are obtained with the two telescopes of the observatory: 0.35/0.50 m f/3.5 Maksutov telescope and the 1.65 m reflector with focal reductor f/3.1 and CCD camera. The results of more than 10,000 positions of asteroids and comets have been published in the Minor Planet Circulars and Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. During the 2001–2006 period 130 new asteroids were discovered. The latest discovery is the high-inclination asteroid 2006 SF77 belonging to the NEO Aten group.

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Černis ◽  
I. Wlodarczyk ◽  
I. Eglitis

AbstractThe paper presents statistics of the asteroids observed and discovered at the Baldone Observatory, Latvia, in 2008–2013 within the project for astrometric observations of the near-Earth objects (NEOs), the main belt asteroids and comets. CCD observations of the asteroids were obtained with the 0.80/1.20 m, f/3 Schmidt telescope and a ST-10XME 15 × 10 mm CCD camera. In the Minor Planet Circulars and the Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (2008–2013) we published 3511 astrometric positions of 826 asteroids. Among them, 43 asteroids were newly discovered at Baldone. For 36 of these asteroids the precise orbits are calculated. Because of short observational arc and small number of observations, a few asteroids have low-precision orbits and their tracks have been lost. For seven objects with poorly known orbits we present their ephemerides for 2015–2016. The orbits and the evolution of orbital elements of two asteroids, (428694) 2008 OS9 from the Apollo group and the Centaur (330836) Orius (2009 HW77), are recalculated including new observations obtained after 2011.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Černis ◽  
I. Wlodarczyk ◽  
J. Zdanavičius

AbstractWe present the statistics of the asteroids observed and discovered at the Molėtai Observatory, Lithuania, in 2008–2009 within the project for astrometric observations of the near-Earth objects (NEOs), the main belt asteroids and comets. CCD observations of the asteroids were obtained with the 35/51-cm Maksutov-type meniscus telescope. In the Minor Planet Circulars and the Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (2008–2009), 11 900 astrometric positions of 2522 asteroids were published. Among them 95 were new asteroids, including four belonging to the Trojan group: (352655) 2008QX28, 2008 SE8, (353194) 2009 SM100 and (264068) 2009 SQ148. For the asteroids discovered at Molėtai their precise orbits are calculated. Because of short observational arc, a few asteroids have low-precision orbits and some asteroids are considered lost. For the three Main Belt asteroids with low-precision orbital elements, 2008 QP32, 2008 SD8 and 2008 SG150, we present their ephemerides for 2017. They can be brighter than 20 mag.


2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 231-243
Author(s):  
K. Černis ◽  
I. Wlodarczyk ◽  
J. Zdanavičius

AbstractThe paper presents statistics of the asteroids observed and discovered at the Molėtai Observatory, Lithuania in 2000–2004 within the project for astrometric observations of the near-Earth objects (NEOs), the main belt asteroids and comets. CCD observations of asteroids were obtained with the 35/51 cm Maksutov-type meniscus telescope and the 1.65 m Ritchey-Chretien reflector. In the Minor Planet Circulars and the Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (2000–2004) we published 6629 astrometric positions of 1114 asteroids. Among them 78 were newly discovered asteroids at Molėtai, a few NEOs were found by our team independently. For the 67 asteroids discovered at Molėtai the precise orbits were calculated. Because of small number of observations, a few asteroids have low-precision orbits and some asteroids have been lost. For seven objects we present their ephemerides for 2015.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Černis ◽  
I. Wlodarczyk ◽  
J. Zdanavičius

AbstractThe paper presents statistics of the asteroids observed and discovered at the Molėtai Observatory, Lithuania, in 2005–2007 within the project for astrometric observations of the near-Earth objects (NEOs), the main belt asteroids and comets. CCD observations of asteroids were obtained with the 35/51 cm Maksutov-type meniscus telescope and the 1.65 m Ritchey-Chretien reflector. In the Minor Planet Circulars and the Minor Planet Electronic Circulars (2005–2007) we published 17 003 astrometric positions of 2980 asteroids. Among them 112 were new normal asteroids and one NEO (2006 SF77) discovered at Molėtai; a few NEOs were found by our team independently. For the asteroids discovered at Molėtai their precise orbits were calculated. Because of short observational arc, a few asteroids have low-precision orbits and some asteroids have been lost. For three of them with low-precision orbital elements (NEO 2006 SF77 and two Mars crossers – 2006 SN368 and 2007 VM315), we present their ephemerides for 2016–2018.


1999 ◽  
Vol 173 ◽  
pp. 189-192
Author(s):  
J. Tichá ◽  
M. Tichý ◽  
Z. Moravec

AbstractA long-term photographic search programme for minor planets was begun at the Kleť Observatory at the end of seventies using a 0.63-m Maksutov telescope, but with insufficient respect for long-arc follow-up astrometry. More than two thousand provisional designations were given to new Kleť discoveries. Since 1993 targeted follow-up astrometry of Kleť candidates has been performed with a 0.57-m reflector equipped with a CCD camera, and reliable orbits for many previous Kleť discoveries have been determined. The photographic programme results in more than 350 numbered minor planets credited to Kleť, one of the world's most prolific discovery sites. Nearly 50 per cent of them were numbered as a consequence of CCD follow-up observations since 1994.This brief summary describes the results of this Kleť photographic minor planet survey between 1977 and 1996. The majority of the Kleť photographic discoveries are main belt asteroids, but two Amor type asteroids and one Trojan have been found.


Author(s):  
Henry H. Hsieh

In this review presented at the Royal Society meeting, ‘Cometary science after Rosetta’, I present an overview of studies of small solar system objects that exhibit properties of both asteroids and comets (with a focus on so-called active asteroids). Sometimes referred to as ‘transition objects’, these bodies are perhaps more appropriately described as ‘continuum objects’, to reflect the notion that rather than necessarily representing actual transitional evolutionary states between asteroids and comets, they simply belong to the general population of small solar system bodies that happen to exhibit a continuous range of observational, physical and dynamical properties. Continuum objects are intriguing because they possess many of the properties that make classical comets interesting to study (e.g. relatively primitive compositions, ejection of surface and subsurface material into space where it can be more easily studied, and orbital properties that allow us to sample material from distant parts of the solar system that would otherwise be inaccessible), while allowing us to study regions of the solar system that are not sampled by classical comets. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Cometary science after Rosetta’.


2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (H16) ◽  
pp. 472-473
Author(s):  
A. V. Devyatkin ◽  
E. A. Bashakova ◽  
D. L. Gorshanov ◽  
A. V. Ivanov ◽  
S. V. Karashevich ◽  
...  

More than 20000 observations of Near Earth asteroids and comets are collected and reduced in Pulkovo Observatory during last 10 years. For observations of these objects two robotic telescopes are used – ZA-320M (Cassegrain system, D = 320 mm, F = 3200 mm) at Pulkovo and MTM-500M (Maksutov – Cassegrain system, D = 500 mm, F = 4100 mm) at Kislovodsk mountain station. These telescopes perform CCD observations of objects up to 18.0 and 20.5 magnitude, correspondingly. The results of observations are regularly submitted to Minor Planet Center.


Author(s):  
M. A. (Tony) Barry ◽  
Dave Gault ◽  
Hristo Pavlov ◽  
William Hanna ◽  
Alistair McEwan ◽  
...  

AbstractStellar occultations by asteroids and outer solar system bodies can offer ground based observers with modest telescopes and camera equipment the opportunity to probe the shape, size, atmosphere, and attendant moons or rings of these distant objects. The essential requirements of the camera and recording equipment are: good quantum efficiency and low noise; minimal dead time between images; good horological faithfulness of the image timestamps; robustness of the recording to unexpected failure; and low cost. We describe an occultation observing and recording system which attempts to fulfil these requirements and compare the system with other reported camera and recorder systems. Five systems have been built, deployed, and tested over the past three years, and we report on three representative occultation observations: one being a 9 ± 1.5 s occultation of the trans-Neptunian object 28978 Ixion (mv =15.2) at 3 seconds per frame; one being a 1.51 ± 0.017 s occultation of Deimos, the 12 km diameter satellite of Mars, at 30 frames per second; and one being a 11.04 ± 0.4 s occultation, recorded at 7.5 frames per second, of the main belt asteroid 361 Havnia, representing a low magnitude drop (Δmv = ~0.4) occultation.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Sioulas

<p>NOAK Observatory, Stavraki (IAU code L02) Ioannina, Greece ([email protected])</p> <p><strong>Introduction</strong></p> <p>In this work, the astrometric observations of four asteroids will be presented which took place on 2019 from NOAK observatory located at Stavraki in Greece. The results and the procedure of submitting the measurements to MinorPlanetCenter will be discussed.</p> <p><strong>Abstract</strong></p> <p>Astrometry is the measurement of positions, parallaxes and proper motion of an astronomical body. Especially the astrometry of Near Earth Objects (NEO) demands great accuracy and the cooperation between the professional and amateur astronomers for better results. All these objects that need confirmation are listed in the Near Earth Object Confirmation Page (NEOCP) and in the Possible Comet Confirmation Page (PCCP) at the site of the Minor Planet Center (MPC). When an object is confirmed, then a Minor Planet Electronic Circular (MPES) is published, including observations, the observers details and the orbital elements of the object. Due to the high number of the objects that need confirmation is important to use all available telescopes to track them.</p> <p>My amateur observatory participates in the effort to record all these objects in the Solar System. The Observatory also conducts observations of various objects and other phenomena such as exoplanet transits contributing to the Ariel Space Mission with the Exoclock Project. However, the main goal of the observatory is to conduct asteroid and comet photometry and the methods, observations and results will be discussed in this presentation.</p> <p>The observatory is registered in IAU as L02, «NOAK Observatory, Stavraki», in the town of Ioannina, Greece.</p> <p><strong>Acknowledgements</strong></p> <p>I would like to thank Anastasia Kokori and Angelos Tsiaras for encouraging me to publish my work and for their advice. </p> <p><strong>References </strong></p> <p>[1] Minor Planet Center: https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/</p> <p>[2] Astrometrica: http://www.astrometrica.at/</p> <p>[3] Roger Dymock: Asteroids and Dwarf Planets</p> <p>[4] Brian D. Warner: A Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis</p> <p>[5] Project Pluto: https://www.projectpluto.com/</p> <p>[6] NEODyS-2: https://newton.spacedys.com/</p> <p>[7] Center for Near Earth Objects Studies: https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Remchin ◽  
Andreas Schrimpf

One of the major topics in astronomy at the beginning of the nineteenth century was the interpretation of the observations of the first asteroids. In 1810, Christian Ludwig Gerling at the age of 22 came to Göttingen University to continue his academic studies. Supervised by Carl Friedrich Gauß at the observatory, he was engaged in studies of theoretical and practical astronomy. Starting in 1812, Gerling accepted the responsibility for collecting observational data of the asteroid Vesta from the European observatories and for calculating the ephemeris of this new minor planet. In 1817, Gerling was appointed professor at Marburg University. One of his early astronomical projects in Marburg was his contribution to the Berliner Akademische Sternkarten. After completion of his observatory in 1841, Gerling’s students started observing and theoretically analysing the orbits of the continuously newly discovered asteroids including the perturbation of the larger solar system bodies. The observations at Gerling’s observatory are the first astrometric measurements of solar system’s minor bodies of Hesse.


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