Catalina Sky Survey
Encyclopedia
Catalina Sky Survey is a project to discover comet
s and asteroid
s, and to search for Near-Earth object
s. More specifically, to search for potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs), that may pose a threat of impact
.
to begin a program to identify 1 kilometer or larger objects to around 90 percent confidence level or better. The Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) and its affiliated Siding Spring Survey
(SSS) are carrying out searches for NEOs, contributing to the Congressionally mandated goal.
In addition to identifying impact risks, there are other benefits to this project. For example, humans can improve the known population distribution in the main belt, find the cometary distribution at larger perihelion distances, determining the distribution of NEOs as a product of collisional history and transport to the inner solar system
, and identifying potential targets for flight projects.
, a 68 cm (27 inch) f/ 1.7 Schmidt telescope near Mt. Bigelow (both in the Tucson, AZ area) and a 0.5 meter (20 inch) f/3 Uppsala Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring Observatory
in Australia. All three sites use identical, thermo-electrically cooled cameras and common software that was written by the CSS team. The cameras are cooled to approximately -100C so their dark current
is about 1 electron per hour. These 4096×4096 pixel cameras provide a field of view
(FOV) of 1 degree square on with the 1.5-m telescope and nearly 9 square degrees with the Catalina Schmidt. Nominal exposures are 30 seconds and the 1.5-m can reach objects fainter than 21.5 V in that time.
CSS typically operates every clear night with the exception of a few nights centered on the full moon.
In 2005, the Catalina Sky Survey became the most prolific NEO survey surpassing Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research
(LINEAR) in total number of NEOs and PHAs discovered each year since. CSS discovered 310 NEOs in 2005, 396 in 2006, 466 in 2007, and in 2008 564 NEOs were found.
of the University of Arizona
.
The full team is:
In Australia:
showing campers how they detect NEO's. They even played a role in an astrophotography exercise with the 2006 Adult Astronomy Camp
ending up with a picture that was featured on Astronomy Picture of the Day.
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s and asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
s, and to search for Near-Earth object
Near-Earth object
A near-Earth object is a Solar System object whose orbit brings it into close proximity with the Earth. All NEOs have a perihelion distance less than 1.3 AU. They include a few thousand near-Earth asteroids , near-Earth comets, a number of solar-orbiting spacecraft, and meteoroids large enough to...
s. More specifically, to search for potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs), that may pose a threat of impact
Impact event
An impact event is the collision of a large meteorite, asteroid, comet, or other celestial object with the Earth or another planet. Throughout recorded history, hundreds of minor impact events have been reported, with some occurrences causing deaths, injuries, property damage or other significant...
.
Mission
The NEO Observations Program (NEOO) is a result of a 1998 congressional directive to NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
to begin a program to identify 1 kilometer or larger objects to around 90 percent confidence level or better. The Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) and its affiliated Siding Spring Survey
Siding Spring Survey
The Siding Spring Survey is a Near-Earth object search program that uses the 0.5-m Uppsala Schmidt Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory, New South Wales, Australia. It is the southern hemisphere counterpart of the Catalina Sky Survey located in the Santa Catalina Mountains on Mt Bigelow, near...
(SSS) are carrying out searches for NEOs, contributing to the Congressionally mandated goal.
In addition to identifying impact risks, there are other benefits to this project. For example, humans can improve the known population distribution in the main belt, find the cometary distribution at larger perihelion distances, determining the distribution of NEOs as a product of collisional history and transport to the inner solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
, and identifying potential targets for flight projects.
Techniques
CSS utilizes three telescopes, a 1.5 meter (60 inch) f/2 telescope on the peak of Mt. LemmonMount Lemmon
Mount Lemmon is in the Santa Catalina Mountains located in the Coronado National Forest north of Tucson, Arizona, United States. It is above sea-level, and receives approximately 180 inches of snow annually. Mount Lemmon was named in honor of botanist Sarah Lemmon, who trekked to the top of...
, a 68 cm (27 inch) f/ 1.7 Schmidt telescope near Mt. Bigelow (both in the Tucson, AZ area) and a 0.5 meter (20 inch) f/3 Uppsala Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring Observatory
Siding Spring Observatory
Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, part of the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the Australian National University , incorporates the Anglo-Australian Telescope along with a collection of other telescopes owned by the Australian National...
in Australia. All three sites use identical, thermo-electrically cooled cameras and common software that was written by the CSS team. The cameras are cooled to approximately -100C so their dark current
Dark current
Dark current is the constant response exhibited by a receptor of radiation during periods when it is not actively being exposed to light. It may refer to:...
is about 1 electron per hour. These 4096×4096 pixel cameras provide a field of view
Field of view
The field of view is the extent of the observable world that is seen at any given moment....
(FOV) of 1 degree square on with the 1.5-m telescope and nearly 9 square degrees with the Catalina Schmidt. Nominal exposures are 30 seconds and the 1.5-m can reach objects fainter than 21.5 V in that time.
CSS typically operates every clear night with the exception of a few nights centered on the full moon.
Results
Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research
The Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research project is a cooperative project between the United States Air Force, NASA, and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory for the systematic discovery and tracking of near-Earth asteroids. LINEAR was responsible for the majority of asteroid detections since 1998 until...
(LINEAR) in total number of NEOs and PHAs discovered each year since. CSS discovered 310 NEOs in 2005, 396 in 2006, 466 in 2007, and in 2008 564 NEOs were found.
Notable discoveries
- Asteroid , November 20, 2007
-
- Near missed MarsMarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
on January 9, 2008
- Near missed Mars
- Asteroid , October 11, 2007
-
- Close approached EarthEarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
on January 29, 2008
- Close approached Earth
- Asteroid , October 6, 2008
-
- Struck EarthEarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
on October 7, 2008
- Struck Earth
CSS/SSS team
The CSS team is headed by Ed Beshore of the Lunar and Planetary LaboratoryLunar and Planetary Laboratory
The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory is a research center for planetary science located in Tucson, Arizona. It is also a graduate school, constituting the Department of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona...
of the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
.
The full team is:
- Steve Larson
- Ed Beshore
- Rik Hill http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~rhill
- Richard A. KowalskiRichard A. KowalskiRichard A. Kowalski is an American astronomer who has discovered numerous asteroids and other near-Earth objects.Kowalski has had a lifelong interest in astronomy with an emphasis on planetary science. As an amateur in Florida during the 1990s he developed an interest in astrometric and...
- Alex Gibbs
- Andrea BoattiniAndrea BoattiniAndrea Boattini is an Italian astronomer, a prolific discoverer of asteroids and comets.After developing a growing interest in minor planets, he graduated in 1996 from the University of Bologna with a thesis on near-Earth objects...
- Al Grauer
In Australia:
- Rob McNaughtRobert H. McNaughtRobert H. McNaught is a Scottish-Australian astronomer at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics of the Australian National University. He has collaborated with David J. Asher of the Armagh Observatory....
- Gordon Garradd
Educational outreach
The CSS has helped with Astronomy CampAstronomy Camp
Astronomy Camp is a science summer camp hosted by the University of Arizona's Alumni Association, and run by astronomer Don McCarthy. Most of the camp takes place at the Mount Lemmon Station Observatory atop Mount Lemmon, near Tucson, Arizona. On Mount Lemmon, the campers have access to a 12",...
showing campers how they detect NEO's. They even played a role in an astrophotography exercise with the 2006 Adult Astronomy Camp
Astronomy Camp
Astronomy Camp is a science summer camp hosted by the University of Arizona's Alumni Association, and run by astronomer Don McCarthy. Most of the camp takes place at the Mount Lemmon Station Observatory atop Mount Lemmon, near Tucson, Arizona. On Mount Lemmon, the campers have access to a 12",...
ending up with a picture that was featured on Astronomy Picture of the Day.
See also
- Planetary Data SystemPlanetary Data SystemThe Planetary Data System is a distributed data system that NASA uses to archive data collected by Solar System robotic missions and ground-based support data associated with those missions. PDS is managed by NASA Headquarters' Planetary Sciences Division. The PDS is an active archive that makes...
(PDS) - Minor Planet CenterMinor Planet CenterThe Minor Planet Center operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory , which is part of the Center for Astrophysics along with the Harvard College Observatory ....
- Near Earth Asteroid TrackingNear Earth Asteroid TrackingNear-Earth Asteroid Tracking is a program run by NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory to discover near-Earth objects. The NEAT project began in December 1995 and ran until April 2007.-History:...
(NEAT) - Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid ResearchLincoln Near-Earth Asteroid ResearchThe Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research project is a cooperative project between the United States Air Force, NASA, and MIT's Lincoln Laboratory for the systematic discovery and tracking of near-Earth asteroids. LINEAR was responsible for the majority of asteroid detections since 1998 until...
(LINEAR) - Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object SearchLowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object SearchLowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search ' was a project designed to discover asteroids and comets that orbit near the Earth. The project, funded by NASA, was directed by Dr. Ted Bowell of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona...
(LONEOS) - Pan-STARRSPan-STARRSThe Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System is a planned array of astronomical cameras and telescopes and computing facility that will survey the sky on a continual basis, including accurate astrometry and photometry of detected objects...
- SpaceguardSpaceguardThe term Spaceguard loosely refers to a number of efforts to discover and study near-Earth objects . Asteroids are discovered by telescopes which repeatedly survey large areas of sky. Efforts which concentrate on discovering NEOs are considered part of the "Spaceguard Survey," regardless of which...
- SpacewatchSpacewatchSpacewatch is a project at the University of Arizona led by Robert S. McMillan that specializes in the study of minor planets, including various types of asteroids and comets...