Observations Of near-Earth Objects Research Articles

KLENOT - Near Earth and other unusual objects observations

The KLENOT project is a project of the Klet Observatory, Czech Republic, devoted to astrometric observations of Near-Earth objects, distant objects and comets. The improved effort of the large NEO surveys resulting in an increasing number of newly discovered NEOs calls for continuous follow-up astrometry to secure an accurate orbit determination of discovered bodies first in discovery opposition and then during next apparitions. Considering this urgent need of astrometric follow-up, the fact that many of these targets are fainter then magnitude 20.0 V and our results and experience in minor planet and comet CCD astrometry done at Klet since 1993, we decided to bring into operation a new 1-m class facility working on a permanent basis - the KLENOT telescope. The regular observing of the telescope started in March 2002 (the MPC code 246). Beside methods and techniques we use for follow-up astrometry we present most important results of the project.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html

Observations of near-Earth objects by the Japanese infrared survey mission ASTRO-F

The infrared astronomical satellite ASTRO-F, which has a 67 cm cooled telescope, will be launched in early 2004 and it will carry out all sky survey observation. The obtained data will be used to study various fields of astronomy, such as formation and evolution of galaxies, star formation, interstellar matter, brown dwarf, and dark matter. In addition to these, ASTRO-F also observes objects in the solar system, such as asteroids, comets, and interplanetary dust. In this paper, we investigated the possible observation for Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), especially Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs), by ASTRO-F. The definition of NEA is the asteroids whose perihelion distance is less than 1.3 AU. At the beginning of 2002, there were about 1750 NEAs. Among these NEAs, about 250 are numbered asteroids and about 1500 are unnumbered ones. At first we studied the number of NEAs that ASTRO-F can observe during the first survey period of six months in 2004. The result is that 140 NEAs (48 numbered and 92 unnumbered asteroids) will be observed if we assume that the limiting magnitude of the observation is 20 in V band. Next we checked infrared observations in the past for these 140 NEAs and found that most of them do not have infrared data. ASTRO-F has a capability to observe at 1.8–5, 5–12, 10–26, and 50–200 μm. Using these data, we can obtain the albedo and the size of these NEAs. We think that these data will be useful not only in the scientific researches but also in the hazard analysis of asteroid collision.

The Near-Earth Objects Follow-up Program: IV. CCD Photometry in 1996–1999

Lightcurve observations of 16 near-Earth objects (NEOs) and 2 Mars-crossers in 1996–1999 from three observational sites are presented. Eight objects were observed shortly after their discovery within the follow-up program of NEO observations. We were able to determine rotation periods for 14 asteroids. For 8 objects (5626, 5732, 1998 FM5, 1998 FX2, 1998 UT18, 1998 VO33, 1999 RQ36, 1999 US3) our determinations constitute new results while in the remaining 6 cases (3200, 4341, 7025, 7822, 11066, 1992 QN) we could improve or confirm previously published periods. We also put constraints on the spin vector of 3200 Phaethon.