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The LCOGT NEO Follow-up Network

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2016

Tim A. Lister ,
S. Greenstreet ,
E. Gomez ,
E. Christensen  and
S. Larson
Tim A. Lister
Affiliation:
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT), 6740 Cortona Drive Suite 102, Goleta, CA 93117, USA email: [email protected]
S. Greenstreet
Affiliation:
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT), 6740 Cortona Drive Suite 102, Goleta, CA 93117, USA email: [email protected]
E. Gomez
Affiliation:
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT), 6740 Cortona Drive Suite 102, Goleta, CA 93117, USA email: [email protected]
E. Christensen
Affiliation:
Catalina Sky Survey, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, 1629 E University Blvd Tucson, AZ 85721-0092, USA
S. Larson
Affiliation:
Catalina Sky Survey, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, 1629 E University Blvd Tucson, AZ 85721-0092, USA
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Abstract

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Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) has deployed a homogeneous telescope network of nine 1-meter telescopes to four locations in the northern and southern hemispheres, with a planned network size of twelve 1-meter telescopes at 6 locations. This network is very versatile and is designed to respond rapidly to target of opportunity events and also to perform long term monitoring of slowly changing astronomical phenomena. The global coverage of the network and the apertures of telescope available make LCOGT ideal for follow-up and characterization of Solar System objects (e.g. asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects, comets, Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)) and additionally for the discovery of new objects.

We are using the LCOGT network to confirm newly detected NEO candidates produced by the major sky surveys such as Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) and PanSTARRS (PS1&2) and several hundred targets are now being followed per year. An increasing amount of time is being spent to obtain follow-up astrometry and photometry for radar-targeted objects and those on the Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS) or Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM) lists in order to improve the orbits, determine the light curves and rotation periods and improve the characterization. This will be extended to obtain more light curves of other NEOs which could be targets. Recent results have included the first period determinations for several of the Goldstone-targeted NEOs. We are in the process of building a NEO follow-up portal which will allow professionals, amateurs and Citizen Scientists to plan, schedule and analyze NEO imaging and spectroscopy observations and data using the LCOGT Network and to act as a co-ordination hub for the NEO follow-up efforts.

Keywords

astrometryminor planetsasteroidstelescopestechniques: photometric
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 10 , Issue S318: Asteroids: New Observations, New Models , August 2015 , pp. 321 - 323
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2016 

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