Research project
Observing Asteroids
Tracking numbered asteroids with the 0.7 m CDK700 telescope
Institution
Department of Physics, Pusan National University
Collaboration
Miryang Arirang Astronomical Observatory (MAAO, MPC P71)
Timeline
2022.08 - 2022.11
Project Overview
This was an undergraduate observing project carried out with PNU Skyship, an astronomy club at Pusan National University. We used the 0.7 m PlaneWave CDK700 telescope at the Miryang Arirang Astronomical Observatory (MAAO) — IAU MPC observatory code P71 — to track and image already numbered asteroids.
My role was the club's observation lead: I helped coordinate the observing schedule and carry out the actual observations. Serious data analysis such as orbit determination and simulation was one of the goals of this project, but it never went as far as an actual paper. The value lay in the experience itself — observing already-known asteroids, reporting them to the IAU MPC, and operating the P71 observation system firsthand.
Observation Equipment: CDK700 @ MAAO (P71)
The PlaneWave Instruments CDK700 is a research-grade telescope with a 700 mm Corrected Dall-Kirkham (CDK) primary mirror. At MAAO it is paired with an SBIG STX-16803 CCD for a field of view of about 27.9′ × 27.9′, and is operated as a robotic 0.7 m system, as reported in Lim et al. (PASP 2024).
What I Did
Observation planning
Looked up the published ephemerides of target asteroids, picked observable windows, and coordinated the schedule with MAAO.
Telescope observation
Operated the CDK700 to track the target field and acquired time-series images. Identified the target asteroid by the point that moved relative to the background stars across frames.
Tools Used
- Telescope control: PlaneWave Interface (PWI)
- Image inspection: FITS viewers such as SAOImage DS9
- Ephemeris references: JPL Horizons, IAU Minor Planet Center
What I Took Away
- Hands-on familiarity with running a 0.7 m research telescope (slew, track, expose) at an undergraduate level.
- Learned how to use ephemerides to plan observing windows and how to spot a moving Solar System body in a sequence of images.
- Built up club-level observation experience centered on actually catching an already-known object, rather than on the observational data itself.
References
The Robotic MAAO 0.7m Telescope System: Performance and Standard Photometric System
Lim, G. et al.
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 136, 055001 (2024), arXiv:2404.15884
IAU Minor Planet Center — Observatory Codes
IAU Minor Planet Center
minorplanetcenter.net
JPL Horizons System
NASA / JPL Solar System Dynamics
ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons