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A TNO Survey Project with the 2.2m Telescope at ESO La Silla

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2016

Hermann Boehnhardt
Affiliation:
European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Santiago de Chile
Olivier Hainaut
Affiliation:
European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Cordova 3107, Santiago de Chile

Abstract

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We propose a wide-shallow TNO search to be done with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) instrument at the 2.2m MPG/ESO telescope in La Silla/Chile. The WFI is a half-deg camera equipped with an 8kx8k CCD (0.24 arcsec/pixel). It was used in 1999 to run a pilot project for a TNO search. Using the images of typically 24mag limiting brightness and an automatic detection software (developed at ESO Chile) it was possible to discover 6 TNOs in a small search area of 1.5 sdeg. The project is now continued on a somewhat larger scale in order to discover more TNOs in a systematic way and to reach operational status for a full on-line detection of the objects as well as astrometric and photometric reduction at the telescope. The final goal is to perform a survey of a major part of the sky (typically 2000 sdeg in and out of the ecliptic) down to 24mag. Follow-up astrometry and photometry of the expected more than 3000 discovered objects will secure their orbital and physical characterisation for synoptic dynamical and taxonomic studies of the transneptunian population.

Type
II. Joint Discussions
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Pacific 2002