The research team composed of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Astronomical Observatory and the Nikolayev Astronomical Observatory in Ukraine used the rotating drift scanning CCD technology developed by the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory to carry out routine observations of NEAs, and achieved precise positioning and orbit determination of NEAs.
Near Earth asteroids refer to those with orbits that are closer to the Earth's orbit. Near Earth asteroids may collide with Earth and cause disasters, so astronomers conduct long-term precise monitoring of these asteroids and follow observations of newly discovered asteroids to quickly calculate their orbital parameters and determine whether they are at risk of colliding with Earth.
On the basis of obtaining high-precision celestial measurement positions of asteroids based on rotational drift scanning CCD technology, this study uses independently developed orbit determination software to accurately determine the orbit of the asteroid and calculate the error of observing near Earth asteroids using rotational drift scanning CCD technology, which is 0.24 "and 0.32" in the right ascension and declination directions, respectively. The observation data used in this work includes over 11000 sets of position information of approximately 500 near Earth asteroids observed by the Xi'an 50cm telescope in China from 2019 to 2023 and the Nikolayev 50cm telescope in Ukraine from 2011 to 2022.
Furthermore, research has found that the observation accuracy of rotational drift scanning CCD technology is not affected by the apparent velocity of near Earth asteroids, making it suitable for observing these rapidly moving targets. Meanwhile, the observation accuracy of this technology is not affected by observation and prediction errors, making it suitable for observing newly discovered near Earth asteroids. The global small aperture telescope observation network constructed based on rotational drift scanning CCD technology is conducive to monitoring near Earth asteroids worldwide, ensuring that the Earth is not threatened by asteroid impacts.
The relevant research results are published in The Astronomical Journal.
Paper link
Principle diagram of rotating drift scanning CCD technology for observing asteroids
