Multiple terrestrial and space-based telescopes have been proposed for detecting and tracking near-Earth objects (NEOs). Detailed simulations of the search performance of these systems have used complex computer codes that are not widely available, which hinders accurate cross-comparison of the proposals and obscures whether they have consistent assumptions. Moreover, some proposed instruments would survey infrared (IR) bands, whereas others would operate in the visible band, and differences among asteroid thermal and visible light models used in the simulations further complicate like-to-like comparisons. I use simple physical principles to estimate basic performance metrics for the ground-based Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and three space-based instruments - Sentinel, NEOCam, and a Cubesat constellation. The performance is measured against two different NEO distributions, the Bottke et al. distribution of general NEOs, and the Veres et al. distribution of Earth impacting NEO. The results of the comparison show simplified relative performance metrics, including the expected number of NEOs visible in the search volumes and the initial detection rates expected for each system. Although these simplified comparisons do not capture all of the details, they give considerable insight into the physical factors limiting performance. Multiple asteroid thermal models are considered, including FRM, NEATM, and a new generalized form of FRM (GFRM). I describe issues with how IR albedo and emissivity have been estimated in previous studies, which may render them inaccurate. A thermal model for tumbling asteroids is also developed and suggests that tumbling asteroids may be surprisingly difficult for IR telescopes to observe.
NEOExchange -- An online portal for NEO and Solar System science
Las Cumbres天文台(LCO)在四个地点部署了一个由十台相同的1米望远镜组成的网络。LCO网络的全球覆盖面和灵活性使其成为发现、跟踪和定性所有太阳系天体特别是近地天体的理想之选。我们介绍了“近地天体观测组织后续网络”,该网络利用近地天体观测组织机器人望远镜网络和在线云门户近地天体交换网站,对近地天体进行光度表征和光谱分类,并对已确认的近地天体和未确认的候选近地天体进行后续天体测量。后续的天体测量、光度测量和光谱定性工作侧重于行星雷达设施将要观测的近地天体目标和国家大气和卫星遥感系统清单上的近地天体目标。天体测量学使我们能够改进目标轨道,使雷达观测具有短弧或大轨道不确定性的物体成为可能,还使我们能够探测和测量Yarkovsky效应对近地物体的影响。光度和光谱数据使我们能够确定光变曲线的形状和幅度,测量旋转周期,确定分类学分类,并改善这些目标的整体表征。我们介绍了近地天体交换后续门户网站和所采用的方法,这种方法使软件能够在任何地方打包和部署,包括在场外云服务中。这使专业人员、业余爱好者和民间科学家能够利用LCO网络规划、安排和分析近地天体成像和光谱数据,并充当近地天体后续工作的协调中心。我们举例说明这些能力的第一阶段确定雷达为目标的近地天体和它的使用计划和执行多站点测光和光谱观测(66391)1999 KW 4,最近的行星防御演习活动的主题。
Thermal and Optical Characterization of Near-Earth Objects: Science Commissioning of the Recently Upgraded Mid-Infrared Camera MIRSI on the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility
NEOROCKS project: surface properties of small near-Earth asteroids
我们介绍了观测方案的新成果,该方案是近地天体项目的一部分,旨在增进对近地天体物理特性的了解,以利于行星防御。在2021年6月至2022年4月期间,使用上普罗旺斯天文台(法国)的1.2米望远镜在约翰逊-瓦兰测光系统的BVRI滤波器中进行测光观测。我们获得了42个近地天体的新表面颜色。基于测量的颜色,我们将20个对象分类为S-复合体,9个为C-复合体,9个为X-复合体,2个为D-型,一个对象为V-型,还有一个对象未分类。对于所有观测到的天体,我们估计了它们的绝对星等和直径。将这些新的观测结果与NEOROCKS项目中先前获得的数据相结合,将我们的数据集扩展到93个对象。数据集中直径D<500米的大多数天体属于一组硅酸盐天体,这可能与观测偏差有关。基于MOID和$Δ$ V值,我们选择了14个可以由航天器访问的对象。值得注意的是,我们发现D型小行星(163014)2001 UA 5和A型小行星2017 SE 19作为可能的太空任务目标特别感兴趣。
The debiased compositional distribution of MITHNEOS: Global match between the near-Earth and main-belt asteroid populations and excess of D-type Near-Earth Objects
Compositional distributions and evolutionary processes for the near-Earth object population: Results from the MIT-Hawaii Near-Earth Object Spectroscopic Survey (MITHNEOS
Mid-IR Observations of IRAS, AKARI, WISE/NEOWISE and Subaru for Large Icy Asteroid (704) Interamnia: a New Perspective of Regolith Properties and Water Ice Fraction
Astrometric and Photometric Investigations of 2009 WZ104 Near Earth Asteroid
2009年11月25日,美国亚利桑那州莱蒙山天文台的68厘米施密特卡特琳娜巡天望远镜发现了WZ 104小行星。新物体的观测结果得到了Schiaparelli天文台(意大利)60厘米反射镜和Alter Saltzberg天文台(奥地利维也纳)35厘米施密特-卡塞格伦望远镜的证实。这颗小行星被认为是潜在的危险近地小行星。最小轨道相交距离为0.0304 a.e.。自2009年底以来,普尔科沃天文台(俄罗斯)的MTM-500 M 50厘米弯月望远镜和ZA-320 M 32厘米镜面天体照相机继续对2009 WZ 104小行星进行观测。这些观测是在近地天体调查方案的框架内进行的。为调查确定了以下任务:获得天体测量和测光(BVRI波段)系列观测,根据观测数据改进小行星轨道,确定其分类类别和绝对星等,调查其旋转动力学,估计其物理参数。这颗小行星属于小行星群中的Aten。
Shape and Rotational Motion Models for Tumbling and Monolithic Asteroid 2012 $\mathrm{TC_4}$:High Time Resolution Lightcurve with the Tomo-e Gozen Camera
Comparing Observed Stellar Kinematics and Surface Densities in a Low Latitude Bulge Field to Galactic Population Synthesis Models
我们提出了一个分析银河核球恒星从哈勃太空望远镜(HST)宽视场相机3(WFC 3)观测的Stanek窗口(l,b=[0.25,-2.15]),从两个时代大约相隔两年。该数据集邻近临时宽视场红外巡天望远镜(WFIRST)微透镜场。在I $\approx$ 21处测量了大约115,000颗V波段低至28等和I波段低至25等的恒星的自行,精度为0.5 mas yr $^{-1}$(20 km s $^{-1}$)。对纵向自行$μ_l$的切割使我们能够分离星盘和球丘星群,并产生只包含球丘的恒星计数,这些恒星计数是根据自行切割的光度完整性和效率进行校正的。在外地的运动分散和表面密度进行比较,附近的SWEEPS视线,发现一个略大于预期的恒星密度梯度。所观察到的球星计数和运动学的贝桑松,银河系和GalMod银河系人口合成模型进行了进一步比较。我们发现,大多数模型低估低质量的隆起星的$\sim$ 33%以下的主序列关闭,并在更红的J和H波段的$\sim$ 70%以上。在考虑银河系模型中的不准确性的同时,我们给出了WFIRST微透镜任务对系外行星产量的影响。