The Search for Unidentified Near-Earth Asteroids

Poster Image
Event poster; details follow in description
Poster Session
A
Poster Number
06
Project Author(s)
Ian Wakeling
Institution
Southwestern Oregon Community College | OrION Internship - SOCC
Project Description

In collaboration with the International Astronomical Space Collaboration (IASC) and the Minor Planetary Center (MPC), the third year of our asteroid detection project saw continued success with the analysis and reporting of near-Earth object detections based on comparison of PAN-STARRS observations. Over the last year, a team of four members used data from the PAN-STARRS telescopes to cross-reference the MPC’s asteroid database and analyze various known and unidentified objects to confirm their position and velocity. This process involved careful consideration of an object’s signal to noise ratio, light intensity, and visual observation of its physical characteristics. Reports of these “Faint” Detections would then be sent to the MPC for further confirmation of their existence. Across the project’s lifetime, our team recorded 240+ preliminary detections of near-Earth asteroids. In the last year alone, more than 50 of these detections have been attributed to our team members. Additionally, we had 2 provisional discoveries with credit given to past team members. With the continued support of the IASC team and the MPC, more of these detections should move into provisional discovery status over the coming year. Special thanks to Ryan DeVore for his contributions and discoveries over the last 12 months.