Orbit Determination of Near-Earth Asteroid 12538 (1998 OH)
Abstract
The future of the asteroids in our Solar System is uncertain. Extrapolating from the premise of Chaos Theory, it is very difficult for astronomers to predict what will happen to these countless planetesimals drifting through empty space over the course of millions of years; in other words, minute changes in the initial conditions of the asteroid's orbital elements imply significant changes in the future fate of these small, rocky bodies. Our study is based on the Near-Earth asteroid 12538 (1998 OH). Using the astronomical images obtained from our observation shifts, we applied manifold methods and implementations in order to determine, calculate, simulate, and define the orbit of our asteroid outlined and explained in detail over the course of the report. Our results did not exactly match the expected values derived from the JPL Horizons website. We calculate the uncertainties and deviations from the expected values and reached a conclusion insofar as to whether our results are truly reliable and representative calculations or not. We furthered our study by discussing what could have caused such discrepancy of results in the first place and put forward what measures could have been undertaken to improve the study for future test cases.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #235
- Pub Date:
- January 2020
- Bibcode:
- 2020AAS...23527704W