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The Catalina Sky Survey: NEO Follow-up

The Catalina Sky Survey: NEO Follow-up. Eric J. Christensen + CSS Team LSST All Hands Meeting : 14 August 2012. CSS Overview. Funded by NASA’s NEOO program 100% dedicated to NEO survey + follow-up Assets : 3 survey telescopes + 1 follow up telescope

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The Catalina Sky Survey: NEO Follow-up

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  1. The Catalina Sky Survey:NEO Follow-up Eric J. Christensen + CSS Team LSST All Hands Meeting : 14 August 2012

  2. CSS Overview • Funded by NASA’s NEOO program • 100% dedicated to NEO survey + follow-up • Assets: 3 survey telescopes + 1 follow up telescope • Cadence: 4 x 30 s images, deltaT ~10 min. • Filters: none • NEO candidates are pipeline-generated, human-validated in near-real time

  3. IAU Minor Planet Center • Accepts and publishes astrometry of minor planets (“broker”, “subscriber” + “publisher”) • Calculates and publishes orbits of minor planets and comets • Provides tools and services for observers (NEOCP + Blog, MPCES, MPChecker)

  4. Lifecycle of a NEO discovery • Initial detection of NEO candidate • Astrometry reported to Minor Planet Center TP49ECD C2012 08 07.69817 23 41 59.33 -32 55 39.4 18.4 V E12 TP49ECD C2012 08 07.70977 23 41 51.87 -32 55 28.4 18.2 V E12 TP49ECD C2012 08 07.72124 23 41 44.46 -32 55 17.4 18.1 V E12 TP49ECD C2012 08 07.73264 23 41 37.17 -32 55 06.1 18.1 V E12 • Public posting on NEO Confirmation Page • Follow-up: confirmation and orbit refinement • Designation+ publication (MPECs) • Additional follow-up for orbit refinement

  5. Stages of Follow-up • Astrometric follow-up is useful at different times • Same-night: reality check + orbit refinement • Subsequent night(s): leading to “discovery” • Post-discovery: • Same + subsequent apparitions (recovery) • Refines orbit, prevents NEOs from becoming lost

  6. CSS Follow-up : now • Same-night follow-up often conducted on survey telescope(s) • NEO candidates posted <15 min after reporting • Bright objects (< V~20) usually followed by other observing stations, often amateurs • Faint object follow-up conducted on our 1.5-m, or by others on 1 - 2-m class telescopes

  7. CSS Follow-up : soon • 1-m telescope under commissioning • 30 arcmin circular FOV, BVRI filters • Robotically operated, queue scheduled – programmed during day by human • Will accept, prioritize, and execute requests, return data to requestor

  8. CSS Follow-up : soon • Initial stages of collaboration with Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network • Geographic distribution of LCOGT is ideal for on-call NEO follow-up • Access to near-Sun regions 3-4x per day • 24-hour monitoring of incoming impactors

  9. We are investing in follow-up infrastructure in anticipation of increased discovery rate • Larger cameras for survey telescopes: 1 funded, 1 proposed

  10. We are investing in follow-up infrastructure in anticipation of increased discovery rate • Larger cameras for survey telescopes: 1 funded, 1 proposed 0.7-m Schmidt FOV: 19.4 sq. deg. 1.5” pixels * Proposed * 0.7-m Schmidt FOV: 8.1 sq. deg. 2.5” pixels Current 1.5-m FOV: 5.0 sq. deg. 0.77” pixels * Funded * 1.5-m FOV 1.2 deg 1.0” pixels Current

  11. Questions?

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