TRIENNIAL REPORT

This triennium has seen progress in a number of directions related to Commission 20 objectives. Foremost, the growth in the number of astrometric observations of small solar system bodies continues to accelerate and the total number of measurements recorded by the Minor Planet Center now exceeds 135 million. Currently the Pan-STARRS project and the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) dominate detection and discovery efforts, while the NEO-WISE space mission contributes infrared detections valuable for understanding the size distribution of populations. Looking forward, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is now funded and in construction on Cerro Pachon in Chile. LSST has the potential to revolutionize the field by conducting a multi-color, ten-year, all-sky survey with a limiting magnitude ~24.5 in the r-band. Survey operations are set to begin in 2022.

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Astrometric observations of Near Earth Objects and Minor Planet Center

10.5194/epsc2020-24 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Nick Sioulas

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Proper Motion ◽

Space Mission ◽

Great Accuracy ◽

Minor Planet ◽

Orbital Elements ◽

Dwarf Planets ◽

A Minor ◽

The Town ◽

Near Earth Objects

NOAK Observatory, Stavraki (IAU code L02) Ioannina, Greece ([email protected]) Introduction 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. Abstract 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. 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. The observatory is registered in IAU as L02, &#171;NOAK Observatory, Stavraki&#187;, in the town of Ioannina, Greece. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Anastasia Kokori and Angelos Tsiaras for encouraging me to publish my work and for their advice.&#160; References [1] Minor Planet Center: https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/ [2] Astrometrica: http://www.astrometrica.at/ [3] Roger Dymock: Asteroids and Dwarf Planets [4] Brian D. Warner: A Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis [5] Project Pluto: https://www.projectpluto.com/ [6] NEODyS-2: https://newton.spacedys.com/ [7] Center for Near Earth Objects Studies: https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/

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Research on Asteroids of Christian Ludwig Gerling and His Students in the Nineteenth Century

Journal for the History of Astronomy ◽

10.1177/0021828617746805 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 83-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Julia Remchin ◽

Andreas Schrimpf

Keyword(s):

Nineteenth Century ◽

Solar System ◽

Observational Data ◽

Minor Planet ◽

Solar System Bodies

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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Photometric observations of the main-belt asteroid 665 Sabine and Minor Planet Bulletin

10.5194/epsc2021-616 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nick Sioulas

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Rotation Period ◽

Space Mission ◽

Minor Planet ◽

Minor Planets ◽

Official Publication ◽

Main Belt ◽

Dwarf Planets ◽

Photometric Observations ◽

The Town

Photometric observations of the main-belt asteroid 665 Sabine and Minor Planet Bulletin &#160; Nick Sioulas NOAK Observatory, Stavraki (IAU code L02) Ioannina, Greece ([email protected]) Introduction In this work, the photometric observations of the main-belt asteroid 665 Sabine were conducted from the NOAK Observatory, in Greece in order to determine its synodic rotation period. The results were submitted to Asteroid Lightcurve Photometry Database (ALCDEF) and Minor Planet Bulletin. Abstract The&#160;Minor Planet Bulletin&#160;is&#160;the&#160;official publication of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO). All amateurs and professionals can publish their asteroid photometry results, including lightcurves, H-G parameters, color indexes, and shape/spin axis models. It is also the refereed journal by the SAO/NASA ADS. All&#160;MPB&#160;papers are indexed in the ADS. &#160; The lightcurve of an asteroid can be used to determine the period, the shape and its size. We can also understand its composition (if it is a solid body or something else) and the orientation of the spin axes. Due to the high number of the asteroids the need of measuring them is important and all available telescopes are necessary to track them. &#160; My amateur observatory participates in the effort to record all these objects in the Solar System. It also conducts observations of various objects and other phenomena such as exoplanet transits, contributing to the Ariel Space Mission with the Exoclock Project, asteroid occultations and comet photometry. The observatory is registered in IAU as L02, &#171;NOAK Observatory, Stavraki&#187;, in the town of Ioannina, Greece. &#160; References [1] Roger Dymock: Asteroids and Dwarf Planets [2] Brian D. Warner: A Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis [3] http://alcdef.org/index.php [4] http://www.minorplanet.info/MPB/

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Astrometry of small Solar System bodies at the Molėtai observatory

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s1743921307003456 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 2 (S236) ◽

pp. 377-380

Author(s):

K. Černis ◽

J. Zdanavičius ◽

K. Zdanavičius ◽

G. Tautvaišienė

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Ccd Camera ◽

Minor Planet ◽

Main Belt ◽

Solar System Bodies ◽

Near Earth Objects ◽

Asteroids And Comets

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.

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A bimodal distribution of haze in Pluto's atmosphere

10.21203/rs.3.rs-588999/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Siteng Fan ◽

Peter Gao ◽

Xi Zhang ◽

Danica Adams ◽

Nicholas Kutsop ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Bimodal Distribution ◽

Observational Evidence ◽

Chemical Processes ◽

Particle Sizes ◽

New Horizons ◽

Solar System Bodies ◽

Haze Formation ◽

Physical And Chemical

Abstract Pluto, Titan, and Triton make up a unique class of solar system bodies, with icy surfaces and chemically reducing atmospheres rich in organic photochemistry and haze formation. Hazes play important roles in these atmospheres, with physical and chemical processes highly dependent on particle sizes, but the haze size distribution in reducing atmospheres is currently poorly understood. Here we report observational evidence that Pluto's haze particles are bimodally distributed, which successfully reproduces the full phase scattering observations from New Horizons. This result suggests a dimensional transition in organic haze formation, and indicates that both oxidizing and reducing atmospheres can produce multi-modal hazes.

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Spectropolarimetric device for overatmospheric investigations of Solar system bodies

Kosmìčna nauka ì tehnologìâ ◽

10.15407/knit2008.02.056 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 56-67

Author(s):

Ya.S. Yatskiv ◽

◽

A.P. Vidmachenko ◽

O.V. Morozhenko ◽

M.G. Sosonkin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Solar System ◽

Solar System Bodies

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Astrophysical Space Mission Astron-2 for an All-Sky Survey in the Ultraviolet Spectral Domain

Solar System Research ◽

10.1134/s0038094619070220 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 (7) ◽

pp. 560-566

Author(s):

M. E. Sachkov ◽

I. S. Savanov ◽

B. M. Shustov ◽

A. S. Shugarov ◽

S. G. Sichevskij

Keyword(s):

Space Mission ◽

Spectral Domain ◽

Sky Survey

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Organic matter and water from asteroid Itokawa

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-84517-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Q. H. S. Chan ◽

A. Stephant ◽

I. A. Franchi ◽

X. Zhao ◽

R. Brunetto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Solar System ◽

Parent Body ◽

Asteroid Belt ◽

True Nature ◽

Water Ice ◽

Nanocrystalline Graphite ◽

Terrestrial Water ◽

Solar System Bodies ◽

Small Dust

AbstractUnderstanding the true nature of extra-terrestrial water and organic matter that were present at the birth of our solar system, and their subsequent evolution, necessitates the study of pristine astromaterials. In this study, we have studied both the water and organic contents from a dust particle recovered from the surface of near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa by the Hayabusa mission, which was the first mission that brought pristine asteroidal materials to Earth’s astromaterial collection. The organic matter is presented as both nanocrystalline graphite and disordered polyaromatic carbon with high D/H and 15N/14N ratios (δD = + 4868 ± 2288‰; δ15N = + 344 ± 20‰) signifying an explicit extra-terrestrial origin. The contrasting organic feature (graphitic and disordered) substantiates the rubble-pile asteroid model of Itokawa, and offers support for material mixing in the asteroid belt that occurred in scales from small dust infall to catastrophic impacts of large asteroidal parent bodies. Our analysis of Itokawa water indicates that the asteroid has incorporated D-poor water ice at the abundance on par with inner solar system bodies. The asteroid was metamorphosed and dehydrated on the formerly large asteroid, and was subsequently evolved via late-stage hydration, modified by D-enriched exogenous organics and water derived from a carbonaceous parent body.

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