Palomar Distant Solar System Survey

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The Palomar Distant Solar System Survey (PDSSS) was a wide-field survey aimed at finding distant trans-Neptunian objects. [1] It used the robotic 1.2 m Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory and the QUEST large-area CCD camera in 2007 and 2008.

The survey was designed to identify putative members of a Sedna-like population with perihelia greater than 45 AU. The limiting magnitude of this study was 21.3 in the R-band; it was sensitive out to distances of 1000 AU, and 12,000 square degrees of sky were searched. This observing program was responsible for the discovery of 25 minor planets including trans-Neptunian objects and centaurs. [1] (309239) 2007 RW10 [2] and Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà ((229762) 2007 UK126) [3] were among the objects discovered by this survey. It redetected Sedna but no other objects in Sedna-like orbits were identified. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classical Kuiper belt object</span> Kuiper belt object, not controlled by an orbital resonance with Neptune

A classical Kuiper belt object, also called a cubewano ( "QB1-o"), is a low-eccentricity Kuiper belt object (KBO) that orbits beyond Neptune and is not controlled by an orbital resonance with Neptune. Cubewanos have orbits with semi-major axes in the 40–50 AU range and, unlike Pluto, do not cross Neptune's orbit. That is, they have low-eccentricity and sometimes low-inclination orbits like the classical planets.

A trans-Neptunian object (TNO), also written transneptunian object, is any minor planet in the Solar System that orbits the Sun at a greater average distance than Neptune, which has an orbital semi-major axis of 30.1 astronomical units (AU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sedna (dwarf planet)</span> Dwarf planet

Sedna is a dwarf planet in the outermost reaches of the Solar System, orbiting the Sun beyond the orbit of Neptune. Discovered in 2003, the planetoid's surface is one of the reddest known among Solar System bodies. Spectroscopy has revealed Sedna's surface to be mostly a mixture of the solid ices of water, methane, and nitrogen, along with widespread deposits of reddish-colored tholins, a chemical makeup similar to those of some other trans-Neptunian objects. Within the range of uncertainties, it is tied with the dwarf planet Ceres in the asteroid belt as the largest dwarf planet not known to have a moon. Its diameter is roughly 1,000 km. Owing to its lack of known moons, the Keplerian laws of planetary motion cannot be employed for determining its mass, and the precise figure remains as yet unknown.

<span class="nowrap">(55565) 2002 AW<sub>197</sub></span> Classical Kuiper belt object

(55565) 2002 AW197 (provisional designation 2002 AW197) is a classical, non-resonant trans-Neptunian object from the Kuiper belt in the outermost region of the Solar System, also known as a cubewano. With a likely diameter of at least 600 kilometers (400 miles), it is approximately tied with 2002 MS4 and 2013 FY27 (to within measurement uncertainties) as the largest unnamed object in the Solar System. It was discovered at Palomar Observatory in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scattered disc</span> Collection of bodies in the extreme Solar System

The scattered disc (or scattered disk) is a distant circumstellar disc in the Solar System that is sparsely populated by icy small Solar System bodies, which are a subset of the broader family of trans-Neptunian objects. The scattered-disc objects (SDOs) have orbital eccentricities ranging as high as 0.8, inclinations as high as 40°, and perihelia greater than 30 astronomical units (4.5×109 km; 2.8×109 mi). These extreme orbits are thought to be the result of gravitational "scattering" by the gas giants, and the objects continue to be subject to perturbation by the planet Neptune.

<span class="nowrap">(42301) 2001 UR<sub>163</sub></span>

(42301) 2001 UR163 (provisional designation 2001 UR163) is a resonant trans-Neptunian object and possible dwarf planet located in the outermost region of the Solar System. The object measures approximately 352 kilometers (220 miles) in diameter with a high albedo and stays in an uncommon orbital resonance (4:9) with Neptune. It was discovered on 21 October 2001 by astronomers of the Deep Ecliptic Survey program at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, United States. As of 2021, it has not been named.

(309239) 2007 RW10 (provisional designation 2007 RW10) is a temporary quasi-satellite of Neptune. Observed from Neptune, it would appear to revolve around it over one Neptunian year but in reality, it orbits the Sun, not Neptune.

(613766) 2007 NC7 (provisional designation 2007 NC7) is a trans-Neptunian object and centaur from the outer Solar System, approximately 106 kilometers in diameter. It was first observed on 11 July 2007, by American astronomers Megan Schwamb, Michael Brown and David Rabinowitz at Palomar Observatory in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">229762 Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà</span> Trans-Neptunian object

229762 Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà (provisional designation 2007 UK126) is a trans-Neptunian object and binary system from the extended scattered disc, located in the outermost region of the Solar System. It was discovered on 19 October 2007 by American astronomers Megan Schwamb, Michael Brown, and David Rabinowitz at the Palomar Observatory in California and measures approximately 600 kilometers (400 miles) in diameter. This medium-sized TNO appears to be representative of a class of mid-sized objects under approximately 1000 km that have not collapsed into fully solid bodies. Its 100-kilometer moon was discovered by Keith Noll, Will Grundy, and colleagues with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2008, and named Gǃòʼé ǃHú.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detached object</span> Dynamical class of minor planets

Detached objects are a dynamical class of minor planets in the outer reaches of the Solar System and belong to the broader family of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). These objects have orbits whose points of closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) are sufficiently distant from the gravitational influence of Neptune that they are only moderately affected by Neptune and the other known planets: This makes them appear to be "detached" from the rest of the Solar System, except for their attraction to the Sun.

<span class="nowrap">(308933) 2006 SQ<sub>372</sub></span> Trans-Neptunian object and highly eccentric centaur

(308933) 2006 SQ372 is a trans-Neptunian object and highly eccentric centaur on a cometary-like orbit in the outer region of the Solar System, approximately 123 kilometers (76 miles) in diameter. It was discovered through the Sloan Digital Sky Survey by astronomers Andrew Becker, Andrew Puckett and Jeremy Kubica on images first taken on 27 September 2006 (with precovery images dated to 13 September 2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gonggong (dwarf planet)</span> Dwarf planet in the scattered-disc

Gonggong is a dwarf planet and a member of the scattered disc beyond Neptune. It has a highly eccentric and inclined orbit during which it ranges from 34–101 astronomical units from the Sun. As of 2019, its distance from the Sun is 88 AU, and it is the sixth-farthest known Solar System object. According to the Deep Ecliptic Survey, Gonggong is in a 3:10 orbital resonance with Neptune, in which it completes three orbits around the Sun for every ten orbits completed by Neptune. Gonggong was discovered in July 2007 by American astronomers Megan Schwamb, Michael Brown, and David Rabinowitz at the Palomar Observatory, and the discovery was announced in January 2009.

(470308) 2007 JH43 (provisional designation 2007 JH43) is a trans-Neptunian object in the outer regions of the Solar System, approximately 500 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 10 May 2007, by the U.S. Palomar Observatory in California. The team of unaccredited astronomers at Palomar consisted of Megan E. Schwamb, Michael E. Brown and David L. Rabinowitz

<span class="nowrap">(528381) 2008 ST<sub>291</sub></span>

(528381) 2008 ST291, provisional designation 2008 ST291, is a 1:6 resonant trans-Neptunian object located in the outermost region of the Solar System that takes almost a thousand years to complete an orbit around the Sun. It was discovered on 24 September 2008 by American astronomers Megan Schwamb, Michael Brown and David Rabinowitz at the Palomar Observatory in California, with no known earlier precovery images.

<span class="nowrap">2012 VP<sub>113</sub></span> Trans-Neptunian object

2012 VP113, also known by its nickname "Biden", is a trans-Neptunian object of the sednoid population, located in the outermost reaches of the Solar System. It was first observed on 5 November 2012 by American astronomers Scott Sheppard and Chad Trujillo at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The discovery was announced on 26 March 2014. The object probably measures somewhere between 300 and 1000 km in diameter, possibly large enough to be a dwarf planet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sednoid</span> Group of Trans-Neptunian objects

A sednoid is a trans-Neptunian object with a large semi-major axis and a high perihelion, similar to the orbit of the dwarf planet Sedna. The consensus among astronomers is that there are only three objects that are known from this population: Sedna, 2012 VP113, and 541132 Leleākūhonua (2015 TG387). All three have perihelia greater than 60 AU. These objects lie outside an apparently nearly empty gap in the Solar System and have no significant interaction with the planets. They are usually grouped with the detached objects. Some astronomers consider the sednoids to be Inner Oort Cloud (IOC) objects, though the inner Oort cloud, or Hills cloud, was originally predicted to lie beyond 2,000 AU, beyond the aphelia of the three known sednoids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Schwamb</span> American planetary scientist

Megan E. Schwamb is an American astronomer and planetary scientist, and lecturer at Queen's University, Belfast. Schwamb has discovered and co-discovered several trans-Neptunian objects, and is involved with Citizen science projects such as Planet Four and Planet Hunters.

(508338) 2015 SO20 is an extreme trans-Neptunian object and extended scattered disc object from the outermost region of the Solar System, approximately 220 kilometers (140 miles) in diameter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">541132 Leleākūhonua</span> Sednoid in the outermost part of the solar system

541132 Leleākūhonua (provisional designation 2015 TG387) is an extreme trans-Neptunian object and sednoid in the outermost part of the Solar System. It was first observed on 13 October 2015, by astronomers at the Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii. Based on its discovery date near Halloween and the letters in its provisional designation 2015 TG387, the object was informally nicknamed "The Goblin" by its discoverers and later named Leleākūhonua, comparing its orbit to the flight of the Pacific golden plover. It was the third sednoid discovered, after Sedna and 2012 VP113, and measures around 220 kilometers (140 miles) in diameter.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Schwamb, Megan E.; Brown, Michael E.; Rabinowitz, David L.; Ragozzine, Darin (2010). "Schwamb et al. 2010". The Astrophysical Journal. 720 (2): 1691. arXiv: 1007.2954 . Bibcode:2010ApJ...720.1691S. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/720/2/1691. S2CID   5853566.
  2. "MPEC 2007-X06 : 2007 RW10, 2007 RG283, 2007 RH283". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  3. "MPEC 2008-D38 : 2007 UK126". minorplanetcenter.net. Retrieved 2024-08-03.