Catalina Sky Survey ( CSS ; obs. code : 703 ) is an astronomical survey to discover comets and asteroids . It is conducted at the Steward Observatory 's Catalina Station , located near Tucson, Arizona , in the United States.
15-667: Mount Lemmon Survey (MLS) is a part of the Catalina Sky Survey with observatory code G96 . MLS uses a 1.52 m (60 in) cassegrain reflector telescope (with 10560x10560-pixel camera at the f/1.6 prime focus, for a five square degree field of view) operated by the Steward Observatory at Mount Lemmon Observatory , which is located at 2,791 meters (9,157 ft) in the Santa Catalina Mountains northeast of Tucson, Arizona. It
30-619: A field of view of 5 square degrees with the 1.5-m telescope and nearly 20 square degrees with the Catalina Schmidt. Nominal exposures are 30 seconds and the 1.5-m can reach objects fainter than 21.5 V in that time. The 1-meter follow-up telescope uses a 2000×2000-pixel CCD detector which provides a field of view of 0.3 square degrees. Starting in 2019, CSS started using the 1.54-meter (61 in) Kuiper telescope situated on Mt. Bigelow for targeted follow-up for 7–12 nights per lunation. CSS typically operates every clear night with
45-510: A 0.5-meter (20 in) f/3 Uppsala Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. The 1.5-meter and 68-cm survey telescopes use identical, thermo-electrically cooled cameras and common software written by the CSS team. The cameras are cooled to approximately −100 °C (−148 °F) so their dark current is about 1 electron per hour. These 10,560×10,560-pixel cameras provide
60-507: A 1.5-meter (59 in) f/1.6 telescope on the peak of Mount Lemmon (MPC code G96), a 68 cm (27 in) f/1.7 Schmidt telescope near Mount Bigelow (MPC code 703), and a 1-meter (39 in) f/2.6 follow-up telescope also on Mount Lemmon (MPC code I52). The three telescopes are located in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona. The CSS southern hemisphere counterpart, the Siding Spring Survey (SSS), used
75-450: A role in an astrophotography exercise with the 2006 Adult Astronomy Camp ending up with a picture that was featured on Astronomy Picture of the Day. The Zooniverse project Catalina Outer Solar System Survey is a citizen science project and is listed as a NASA citizen science project. In this project, the volunteers search for trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) in pre-processed images of
90-484: Is a stable L 5 Mars trojan asteroid . The survey also discovered the unusual Aten asteroid 2012 FC 71 , a dynamically cold Kozai resonator , on 31 March 2012. Catalina Sky Survey CSS focuses on the search for near-Earth objects , in particular on any potentially hazardous asteroid that may pose a threat of impact . Its counterpart in the southern hemisphere was the Siding Spring Survey (SSS), closed in 2013 due to loss of funding. CSS supersedes
105-565: Is currently one of the most prolific surveys worldwide, especially for discovering near-Earth objects . MLS ranks among the top discoverers on the Minor Planet Center 's discovery chart with a total of more than 50,000 numbered minor planets. Andrea Boattini and the survey accidentally rediscovered 206P/Barnard-Boattini , a lost comet , on 7 October 2008. The comet has made 20 revolutions since 1892 and passed within 0.3–0.4 AU of Jupiter in 1922, 1934 and 2005. This comet
120-738: The Southern Hemisphere . SSS was jointly operated by the University of Arizona and the Australian National University , with funding from NASA . SSS (IAU observatory code E12) was located at Siding Spring Observatory (IAU observatory code 413) at 31°18′S 149°06′E / 31.3°S 149.1°E / -31.3; 149.1 , approximately 400 km (250 mi) north-west of Sydney at an altitude of about 1,150 metres (3,770 ft). Images of 30 seconds' exposure time were collected using
135-531: The Catalina Sky Survey. Computers can detect the motion of TNOs, but humans must check whether this motion is real. Upon agreement with the volunteers, they will be cited as "measurers" in the submission of the astrometry to the Minor Planet Center . The project already found previously known TNOs, including 47171 Lempo , (445473) 2010 VZ 98 , and (144897) 2004 UX 10 . Siding Spring Survey The Siding Spring Survey ( SSS )
150-499: The congressionally-mandated goal. In addition to identifying impact risks, the project also obtains other scientific information, including: improving the known population distribution in the main belt, finding the cometary distribution at larger perihelion distances, determining the distribution of NEOs as a product of collisional history and transport to the inner Solar System , and identifying potential targets for flight projects. The Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) uses three telescopes,
165-487: The discovery of 47% of the total known NEO population. For a complete listing of all minor planets discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey, see the index section in list of minor planets . The CSS team is headed by D. Carson Fuls of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory of the University of Arizona . The full CSS team is: The CSS has helped with Astronomy Camp by showing campers how they detect NEOs. They even played
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#1732765896740180-402: The exception of a few nights centered on the full moon . The southern hemispheres' SSS in Australia ended in 2013 after funding was discontinued. In 2005, CSS became the most prolific NEO survey, surpassing Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) in total number of NEOs and potentially hazardous asteroids discovered each year since. As of 2020, the Catalina Sky Survey is responsible for
195-579: The photographic Bigelow Sky Survey . The NEO Observations Program is a result of a United States 1998 congressional directive to NASA to begin a program to identify objects 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) or larger to a confidence level of 90% or better. The Catalina Sky Survey, located at the Mount Lemmon Observatory in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson , carries out searches for near-earth objects (NEOs), contributing to
210-421: Was a near-Earth object search program that used the 0.5-metre Uppsala Southern Schmidt Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory , New South Wales , Australia . It was the southern hemisphere counterpart of the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) located in the Santa Catalina Mountains on Mount Bigelow , near Tucson , Arizona , USA . The survey was the only professional search for dangerous asteroids being made in
225-565: Was also the first comet to be discovered by photographic means, by the American astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard , who did so on the night of 13 October 1892. On 12 January 2008, Mount Lemmon Survey discovered the near-Earth asteroid 2008 AO 112 at an apparent magnitude of 21 using a 1.5-meter (59 in) reflecting telescope . 2011 UN 63 was discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 27 September 2009 and it
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