A Semi-Automated Survey of the Outer Solar System
C. Trujillo, D. Jewitt (Institute for Astronomy, Univ. Hawaii), J. Luu (Astronomy Department, Harvard Univ.), J. Chen (Institute for Astronomy, Univ. Hawaii)
We have begun a survey for moving objects in the outer solar system with the University of Hawaii (UH) 8192 X 8192 charge coupled device (CCD). With a plate scale of 0.135 arc sec per pixel, we can typically image over 4 square degrees per night to a limiting magnitude of 22.5 in a special ``V+R'' broadband filter. With this high data collection rate, finding moving objects by eye in real time becomes impractical. We have therefore developed a robust computer program called Moving Object Detection Software (MODS) that allows fast identification of moving objects. With MODS, we are conducting the largest deep survey of the outer solar system to date. Our survey is sensitive to Trojan asteroids, Centaurs, Kuiper Belt Objects and other slow moving objects with projected velocities in the range 2 to 24 arc sec per hour. In this talk we will illustrate the use of MODS.