Observations of Artificial Space Objects in Lviv Astronomical Observatory

Abstract

Space debris is the price which humankind must pay for entering space. And as this debris is dangerous in different ways, there must be ways to identify, catalogue, and predict the positions of, these cosmic bodies. That is why it is necessary to observe all artificial cosmic objects that are in space. One way of observing debris is by photometry. Photometric observations give light-curves from which one may deduce information about the position in space, the form, size, and other parameters of the object. Since 1975 a research group at Lviv Astronomical Observatory has been working at the problem of recording light-curves of different artificial cosmic objects. Four electrophotometers were constructed and developed. Many light curves of different artificial objects were measured with these electrophotometers. All light curves are collected in the local computer data bank and are available for use by anybody who needs such information.