Catalina Sky Survey

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Template:Short description Template:Infobox astronomical survey

Minor planets discovered: 25602<ref name="MPC-Discoverers" />
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Catalina Sky Survey (CSS; obs. codes: 703 and G96) is an astronomical survey to discover comets and asteroids. It is conducted at the Steward Observatory's Catalina Station, located near Tucson, Arizona, in the United States.

CSS focuses on the search for near-Earth objects, in particular on any potentially hazardous asteroid that may pose a threat of impact. Its counterpart in the southern hemisphere was the Siding Spring Survey (SSS), closed in 2013 due to loss of funding. CSS supersedes the photographic Bigelow Sky Survey.

Mission

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Number of NEOs detected by various projects:
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The NEO Observations Program is a result of a United States 1998 congressional directive to NASA to begin a program to identify objects Template:Convert or larger to a confidence level of 90% or better. The Catalina Sky Survey, located at the Mount Lemmon Observatory in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, carries out searches for near-earth objects (NEOs), contributing to the congressionally-mandated goal.

In addition to identifying impact risks, the project also obtains other scientific information, including: improving the known population distribution in the main belt, finding the cometary distribution at larger perihelion distances, determining the distribution of NEOs as a product of collisional history and transport to the inner Solar System, and identifying potential targets for flight projects.

Techniques

The Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) uses three telescopes, a Template:Convert f/1.6 telescope on the peak of Mount Lemmon (MPC code G96), a Template:Convert f/1.7 Schmidt telescope near Mount Bigelow (MPC code 703), and a Template:Convert f/2.6 follow-up telescope also on Mount Lemmon (MPC code I52). The three telescopes are located in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona. The CSS southern hemisphere counterpart, the Siding Spring Survey (SSS), used a Template:Convert f/3 Uppsala Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. The 1.5-meter and 68-cm survey telescopes use identical, thermo-electrically cooled cameras and common software written by the CSS team. The cameras are cooled to approximately Template:Convert so their dark current is about 1 electron per hour. These 10,560×10,560-pixel cameras provide a field of view of 5 square degrees with the 1.5-m telescope and nearly 20 square degrees with the Catalina Schmidt. Nominal exposures are 30 seconds and the 1.5-m can reach objects fainter than 21.5 V in that time.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The 1-meter follow-up telescope uses a 2000×2000-pixel CCD detector which provides a field of view of 0.3 square degrees. Starting in 2019, CSS started using the Template:Convert Kuiper telescope situated on Mt. Bigelow for targeted follow-up for 7–12 nights per lunation.

CSS typically operates every clear night with the exception of a few nights centered on the full moon. The southern hemispheres' SSS in Australia ended in 2013 after funding was discontinued.<ref name=guard-closure>Template:Cite news</ref>

Discoveries

In 2005, CSS became the most prolific NEO survey, surpassing Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) in total number of NEOs and potentially hazardous asteroids discovered each year since. As of 2020, the Catalina Sky Survey is responsible for the discovery of 47% of the total known NEO population.<ref>NEO discovery statistics Template:Webarchive from JPL. 

Shows the number of asteroids of various types (potentially hazardous, size > 1 km, etc.) that different programs have discovered, by year.</ref>

Notable discoveries

Minor planet Discovery date Description
Template:Mpl May 6, 2006 Nearly missed the Moon and the Earth on May 9–10, 2006, and may impact the Earth on May 3, 2073.<ref name=impact>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Mpl November 20, 2007 Nearly missed Mars on January 9, 2008 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=NEO0109>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:Mpl October 6, 2008 Struck Earth on October 7, 2008 <ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Mpl December 12, 2012 Currently a temporary co-orbital of Venus.<ref name=dynamics>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Template:Mpl January 1, 2014 Struck Earth on January 2, 2014.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Farnocchia2016">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Marcos2016">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Template:Mpl June 2, 2018 Struck Earth on June 2, 2018.<ref name="JPL-new-discovery">Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Mpl September 4, 2024 Struck Earth on September 4, 2024.<ref name=Tingley>Template:Cite web</ref>

List of comets discovered

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List of discovered minor planets

For a complete listing of all minor planets discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey, see the index section in list of minor planets.

CSS/SSS team

The CSS team is headed by D. Carson Fuls of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory of the University of Arizona.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The full CSS team is: Template:Div col

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SSS

Educational outreach

The CSS has helped with Astronomy Camp by showing campers how they detect NEOs. They even played a role in an astrophotography exercise with the 2006 Adult Astronomy Camp ending up with a picture that was featured on Astronomy Picture of the Day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Catalina Outer Solar System Survey

The Zooniverse project Catalina Outer Solar System Survey<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a citizen science project and is listed as a NASA citizen science project.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In this project, the volunteers search for trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) in pre-processed images of the Catalina Sky Survey. Computers can detect the motion of TNOs, but humans must check whether this motion is real.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Upon agreement with the volunteers, they will be cited as "measurers" in the submission of the astrometry to the Minor Planet Center.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The project already found previously known TNOs, including 47171 Lempo, Template:Mpl, and Template:Mpl.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Daily Minor Planet

The Zooniverse project The Daily Minor Planet<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a citizen science project that is funded by a grant from NASA.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In this project volunteers search for asteroids in images from the Catalina Sky Survey's 1.5-m survey telescope. Computer algorithms detect the motion of asteroids, but volunteers must check whether this motion is of a real object.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Volunteers can be cited as "measurers" in the submission of the astrometry to the Minor Planet Center.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The project has already found several new near earth objects, including 2023 VN3, 2023 TW, 2024 SN3, 2025 HD3, and 2025 KU1.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

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References

<references> <ref name="MPC-Discoverers">Template:Cite web</ref> </references>

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