Indiana Asteroid Program
Encyclopedia
The Indiana Asteroid Program was a program of photographic asteroid
observations made with a 10-inch f/6.5 Cooke triplet
astrograph
ic camera at Goethe Link Observatory
near Brooklyn, Indiana
. The program was initiated by Frank K. Edmondson
of Indiana University
in 1949 and continued until 1967. It had four objectives:
When the observatory's 36-inch (0.91-meter) reflecting telescope
proved unsuitable for searching for asteroids, postdoctoral fellow
James Cuffey
arranged the permanent loan of a 10-inch (0.254-meter) lens from the University of Cincinnati
. Mounted in a shed near the main observatory, the instrument using the borrowed lens was responsible for all of the program's discoveries.
By 1958, the program had produced 3,500 photographic plates showing 12,000 asteroid images and had published about 2,000 accurate positions in the Minor Planet Circular
. When the program ended, it had discovered a total of 119 asteroids. The program's last unnamed discovery, 30718 Records
, made in 1955, was not named until 2008, when its orbit was finally calculated and confirmed.
The program ended when the lights of the nearby city of Indianapolis
became too bright to permit the long exposures required for the photographic plates.
The program's nearly 7,000 photographic plates are now archived at Lowell Observatory
.
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...
observations made with a 10-inch f/6.5 Cooke triplet
Cooke triplet
The Cooke triplet is a photographic lens designed and patented in 1893 by Dennis Taylor who was employed as chief engineer by T. Cooke & Sons of York...
astrograph
Astrograph
An astrograph is a telescope designed for the sole purpose of astrophotography. Astrographs are usually used in wide field surveys of the night sky as well as detection of objects such as asteroids, meteors, and comets.-Design:...
ic camera at Goethe Link Observatory
Goethe Link Observatory
The Goethe Link Observatory is an astronomical observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana , owned by Indiana University and operated by the Indiana Astronomical Society. It is named in honour of Dr. Goethe Link, an Indianapolis surgeon, who built it with his private funds. Construction of the observatory...
near Brooklyn, Indiana
Brooklyn, Indiana
Brooklyn is a town in Clay Township, Morgan County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,598 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Brooklyn is located at ....
. The program was initiated by Frank K. Edmondson
Frank K. Edmondson
Frank K. Edmondson was an American astronomer.-Life and career:Edmondson was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in Seymour, Indiana...
of Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
in 1949 and continued until 1967. It had four objectives:
- recovering asteroids that were far from their predicted positions;
- making new orbital calculations or revising old ones;
- deriving magnitudesApparent magnitudeThe apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
accurate to about 0.1 mag; and - training students.
When the observatory's 36-inch (0.91-meter) reflecting telescope
Reflecting telescope
A reflecting telescope is an optical telescope which uses a single or combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century as an alternative to the refracting telescope which, at that time, was a design that suffered from...
proved unsuitable for searching for asteroids, postdoctoral fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
James Cuffey
James Cuffey
James Cuffey was an American astronomer. He specialized in photoelectric photometry and held the patent on the Cuffey Iris Photometer, an instrument used in stellar photographic photometry....
arranged the permanent loan of a 10-inch (0.254-meter) lens from the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
. Mounted in a shed near the main observatory, the instrument using the borrowed lens was responsible for all of the program's discoveries.
By 1958, the program had produced 3,500 photographic plates showing 12,000 asteroid images and had published about 2,000 accurate positions in the Minor Planet Circular
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory , which is part of the Center for Astrophysics along with the Harvard College Observatory ....
. When the program ended, it had discovered a total of 119 asteroids. The program's last unnamed discovery, 30718 Records
30718 Records
30718 Records is a main-belt asteroid discovered on September 14, 1955 by the Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory, Brooklyn, Indiana. The name honors Brenda Records, who served as office manager for the Indiana University Department of Astronomy for over 20 years.- External links :*....
, made in 1955, was not named until 2008, when its orbit was finally calculated and confirmed.
The program ended when the lights of the nearby city of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
became too bright to permit the long exposures required for the photographic plates.
The program's nearly 7,000 photographic plates are now archived at Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965....
.
Asteroids discovered by the Indiana Asteroid Program
Source: IAU Minor Planet Center: Discovery Circumstances of Numbered Minor Planets
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