<p>Specialty hardware will be able to do it, as might clever programming if you have a commercial, computerized mount and feel like hacking away. Either way, an ordinary mount will be able to follow targets in the asteroid belt easily -- their motion across our sky isn't actually very fast. What I'm about to write really only applies to NEOs.</p>

<p>With NEOs, the problem isn't just the apparent speed of the objects across our sky, it's that the objects are usually in irregular orbits while moving at that speed. This is in addition to the apparent motion due to the rotation of the earth.</p>

<p>To track these objects you'd have to project the position of the object onto our sky, using the object's ephemeris data as your starting point, then add the apparent motion due to the rotation of the earth. That position could be calculated by the mount or calculated by a computer tethered to it, which would send updated pointing directions to the mount. The specifics on how to do this depend on your hardware. It's not a small project.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-22T14:46:12.727Z
Figure that the LX5 drives on Meade telescopes from the 80s had adjustable speeds. The dial controlling the speed had markings for solar, sidereal and lunar. But for all of those objects, the dominant motion wasn't the motion perpendicular to the ecliptic plane -- it was the rotation of the Earth.
blamblambunny
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-22T14:54:29.853Z
So, it is easy to lose a new NEO? The motion of our earth dominates, 1degree/4min. Hardwares can figure out the orbit type given several positions?
questionhang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-22T15:00:30.167Z
Well, the hardware could figure it out if you reversed the process and tracked the object by hand, then fed those pointing positions to a computer. But why not let the JPL do it for you? :) http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?ephemerides
blamblambunny
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-22T15:05:53.773Z
For new objects, how can we avoid to lose them?
questionhang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-22T15:10:40.703Z
I think you might be asking a slightly different question than what I originally thought. Would you update your question so it's clearer?
blamblambunny
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-22T18:14:03.997Z
I worked at JPL on this very project about 5 years ago. We sent all of the data we collected to the Minor Planet Center - (http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/mpc.html), which keeps a continuously updated catalogue of bodies and their orbital positions. These positions are used to calculate the orbital paths and velocities. 

NEO data is slightly different, however still included in these catalogues. There are several teams across the world that monitor all known NEO activity, as well as constantly look out for new objects.
LaserYeti
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-23T12:21:43.280Z
@joemadeus It is better now?
questionhang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-23T12:24:47.657Z
@LaserYeti I am asking a technical problem in fact. If we have database for an object(i call it an old object) with an regular object, how does a telescope track it technically? If the object is new, how to catch up with it?  Besides, I believe asteroids may collide with each other. Their orbits may change.
questionhang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-23T18:51:28.813Z
@questionhang if you know the object, and have an idea where it should be, there are programs that will create pointing plots for you for each object. Then you just input the coords, and adjust to center the object. If it is new, it won't match up with any of the known objects in the area and it gets flagged for follow-up. Collisions aren't as big of a problem as you imagine, the relative velocities (over all) are small compared to one another with regards to objects in the asteroid belt. Off hand I don't know the number, but I'd imagine somewhere around 5km/s it isn't like scifi.
LaserYeti
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-22T14:44:07.537Z
2016-12-22T14:58:56.860Z
2016-12-22T14:58:56.860Z
blamblambunny
<p>Fast-moving objects near our earth have different paths in the sky. They are different with stars far away. </p>

<p><strong>For telescopes, when we do not know an object's orbit, catching up with its orbit and not losing it is a problem ? How to figure out a new object's orbit parameters quickly before we lose it? For an old object with an irregular orbit, can a telescope track it?</strong> </p>

<p>The typical speed in the asteroid belt may be smaller than 1"/min? But there may be faster objects. Then the paths are not so simple and regular.</p>

<telescope><asteroids>
How to track asteroids or NEOs?
questionhang
# How to track asteroids or NEOs?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-12-22)

Fast-moving objects near our earth have different paths in the sky. They are different with stars far away.

**For telescopes, when we do not know an object's orbit, catching up with its orbit and not losing it is a problem ? How to figure out a new object's orbit parameters quickly before we lose it? For an old object with an irregular orbit, can a telescope track it?**

The typical speed in the asteroid belt may be smaller than 1"/min? But there may be faster objects. Then the paths are not so simple and regular.

**Tags:** telescope, asteroids


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-12-22. Score: 2

Specialty hardware will be able to do it, as might clever programming if you have a commercial, computerized mount and feel like hacking away. Either way, an ordinary mount will be able to follow targets in the asteroid belt easily -- their motion across our sky isn't actually very fast. What I'm about to write really only applies to NEOs.

With NEOs, the problem isn't just the apparent speed of the objects across our sky, it's that the objects are usually in irregular orbits while moving at that speed. This is in addition to the apparent motion due to the rotation of the earth.

To track these objects you'd have to project the position of the object onto our sky, using the object's ephemeris data as your starting point, then add the apparent motion due to the rotation of the earth. That position could be calculated by the mount or calculated by a computer tethered to it, which would send updated pointing directions to the mount. The specifics on how to do this depend on your hardware. It's not a small project.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Figure that the LX5 drives on Meade telescopes from the 80s had adjustable speeds. The dial controlling the speed had markings for solar, sidereal and lunar. But for all of those objects, the dominant motion wasn't the motion perpendicular to the ecliptic plane -- it was the rotation of the Earth.  
> **username_0**: So, it is easy to lose a new NEO? The motion of our earth dominates, 1degree/4min. Hardwares can figure out the orbit type given several positions?  
> **username_1**: Well, the hardware could figure it out if you reversed the process and tracked the object by hand, then fed those pointing positions to a computer. But why not let the JPL do it for you? :) http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?ephemerides  
> **username_0**: For new objects, how can we avoid to lose them?  
> **username_1**: I think you might be asking a slightly different question than what I originally thought. Would you update your question so it's clearer?  
> **username_2**: I worked at JPL on this very project about 5 years ago. We sent all of the data we collected to the Minor Planet Center - (http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/mpc.html), which keeps a continuously updated catalogue of bodies and their orbital positions. These positions are used to calculate the orbital paths and velocities.   NEO data is slightly different, however still included in these catalogues. There are several teams across the world that monitor all known NEO activity, as well as constantly look out for new objects.  
> **username_0**: @joemadeus It is better now?  
> **username_0**: @username_2 I am asking a technical problem in fact. If we have database for an object(i call it an old object) with an regular object, how does a telescope track it technically? If the object is new, how to catch up with it?  Besides, I believe asteroids may collide with each other. Their orbits may change.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 if you know the object, and have an idea where it should be, there are programs that will create pointing plots for you for each object. Then you just input the coords, and adjust to center the object. If it is new, it won't match up with any of the known objects in the area and it gets flagged for follow-up. Collisions aren't as big of a problem as you imagine, the relative velocities (over all) are small compared to one another with regards to objects in the asteroid belt. Off hand I don't know the number, but I'd imagine somewhere around 5km/s it isn't like scifi.  

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