Science

Astronomy Of Asteriods
Amenyedu D. Adovor
Dr. Matthew M. Beaky, Faculty Mentor

Since 1801 when the first asteroid was discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi, over 7000 more asteroids have been discovered and documented by the Minor Planet Center. Asteroids are studied for their potential impact hazard when they cross the earth’s orbit and to gain a better understanding of origins and composition of the solar system. CCD astrometry is the method commonly used for observing asteroids. Several images of the same region of the sky are made about one hour apart, and examined for moving objects, which are identified as asteroids. In this research, a CCD camera and digital technology were employed together with the telescope at the Truman State University Observatory to analyze astronomical fields for asteroids. A methodology was established and several computer programs for analyzing CCD images for the presence of asteroids were studied.

Keywords: Giuseppe Piazzi, asteroids, Minor Planet Center, CCD camera, Observatory, astronomical fields , methodology , computer programs

Topic(s):Physics

Presentation Type: Oral Paper

Session: 48-1
Location: VH 1432
Time: 3:45

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