The University of Hawaii NEO Follow-Up Program
Abstract
At the University of Hawaii, we carry out NEO follow-up observations for orbital refinement. We regularly observe eight nights a month using the University of Hawaii 88-inch (UH88) telescope and utilise Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope queue time for recovery of targets with large ephemeris uncertainties. Our focus is follow-up of Virtual Impactors and faint asteroids with magnitudes V>21. The combination of excellent atmospheric conditions on Mauna Kea and long integration times allow us to observe asteroids as faint as V=25. Recent extensive improvements to our workhorse UH88 telescope have included renovations to the telescope exterior, software upgrades, and the commissioning of the new monolithic STA-1600 10K CCD. Recent observational highlights include astrometry of 2017 JB2 during its diurnal retrograde loop and photometric observations 2016 HO3 which was measured to have a synodic period of 27.90 minutes.
- Publication:
-
AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #49
- Pub Date:
- October 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017DPS....4911102F