 The 1.52-meter telescope facility, one of three telescopes used by the CSS | |
| Alternative names | CSS |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°25′01″N110°43′59″W / 32.417°N 110.733°W /32.417; -110.733 |
| Website | catalina |
| see§ List of discovered minor planets |
Catalina Sky Survey (CSS;obs. codes:703 andG96) is anastronomical survey to discovercomets andasteroids. It is conducted at theSteward Observatory'sCatalina Station, located nearTucson, Arizona, in the United States.
CSS focuses on the search fornear-Earth objects, in particular on anypotentially hazardous asteroid that may pose a threat ofimpact. Its counterpart in the southern hemisphere was theSiding Spring Survey (SSS), closed in 2013 due to loss of funding. CSS supersedes the photographicBigelow Sky Survey.
| LINEAR NEAT Spacewatch LONEOS | CSS Pan-STARRS NEOWISE All others |
The NEO Observations Program is a result of a United States 1998 congressional directive toNASA to begin a program to identify objects 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) or larger to a confidence level of 90% or better. The Catalina Sky Survey, located at theMount Lemmon Observatory in theCatalina Mountains north ofTucson, carries out searches for near-earth objects (NEOs), contributing to the congressionally-mandated goal.
In addition to identifying impact risks, the project also obtains other scientific information, including: improving the known population distribution in the main belt, finding the cometary distribution at largerperihelion distances, determining the distribution of NEOs as a product of collisional history and transport to theinner Solar System, and identifying potential targets for flight projects.
The Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) uses three telescopes, a 1.5-meter (59 in) f/1.6 telescope on the peak ofMount Lemmon (MPC code G96), a 68 cm (27 in) f/1.7Schmidt telescope nearMount Bigelow (MPC code 703), and a 1-meter (39 in) f/2.6 follow-up telescope also onMount Lemmon (MPC code I52). The three telescopes are located in theSanta Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona. The CSS southern hemisphere counterpart, theSiding Spring Survey (SSS), used a 0.5-meter (20 in) f/3Uppsala Schmidt telescope atSiding Spring Observatory in Australia. The 1.5-meter and 68-cm survey telescopes use identical,thermo-electrically cooled cameras and common software written by the CSS team. The cameras are cooled to approximately −100 °C (−148 °F) so theirdark current is about 1 electron per hour. These 10,560×10,560-pixel cameras provide afield of view of 5 square degrees with the 1.5-m telescope and nearly 20 square degrees with the Catalina Schmidt. Nominalexposures are 30 seconds and the 1.5-m can reach objects fainter than 21.5V in that time.[2] The 1-meter follow-up telescope uses a 2000×2000-pixel CCD detector which provides afield of view of 0.3 square degrees. Starting in 2019, CSS started using the 1.54-meter (61 in) Kuiper telescope situated on Mt. Bigelow for targeted follow-up for 7–12 nights per lunation.
CSS typically operates every clear night with the exception of a few nights centered on thefull moon. The southern hemispheres' SSS in Australia ended in 2013 after funding was discontinued.[3]
In 2005, CSS became the most prolific NEO survey, surpassingLincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) in total number of NEOs and potentially hazardous asteroids discovered each year since. As of 2020, the Catalina Sky Survey is responsible for the discovery of 47% of the total known NEO population.[4]
| Minor planet | Discovery date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 JY26 | May 6, 2006 | Nearly missed theMoon and theEarth on May 9–10, 2006, and may impact the Earth on May 3, 2073.[5] |
| 2007 WD5 | November 20, 2007 | Nearly missedMars on January 9, 2008[6][7] |
| 2008 TC3 | October 6, 2008 | Struck Earth on October 7, 2008[8] |
| 2012 XE133 | December 12, 2012 | Currently a temporaryco-orbital ofVenus.[9] |
| 2014 AA | January 1, 2014 | Struck Earth on January 2, 2014.[10][11][12] |
| 2018 LA | June 2, 2018 | Struck Earth on June 2, 2018.[13] |
| 2024 RW1 | September 4, 2024 | Struck Earth on September 4, 2024.[14] |
For a complete listing of all minor planets discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey,see theindex section inlist of minor planets.
The CSS team is headed by D. Carson Fuls of theLunar and Planetary Laboratory of theUniversity of Arizona.[15]
The full CSS team is:
The CSS has helped withAstronomy Camp by showing campers how they detect NEOs. They even played a role in an astrophotography exercise with the 2006 Adult Astronomy Camp ending up with a picture that was featured on Astronomy Picture of the Day.[16]
TheZooniverse projectCatalina Outer Solar System Survey[17] is acitizen science project and is listed as aNASA citizen science project.[18] In this project, the volunteers search fortrans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) in pre-processed images of the Catalina Sky Survey. Computers can detect the motion of TNOs, but humans must check whether this motion is real.[19][20] Upon agreement with the volunteers, they will be cited as "measurers" in the submission of theastrometry to theMinor Planet Center.[21] The project already found previously known TNOs, including47171 Lempo,(445473) 2010 VZ98, and(144897) 2004 UX10.[22]
TheZooniverse projectThe Daily Minor Planet[23] is acitizen science project that is funded by a grant fromNASA.[24] In this project volunteers search forasteroids in images from the Catalina Sky Survey's 1.5-m survey telescope. Computer algorithms detect the motion of asteroids, but volunteers must check whether this motion is of a real object.[25][26] Volunteers can be cited as "measurers" in the submission of theastrometry to theMinor Planet Center.[27] The project has already found several newnear earth objects, including 2023 VN3, 2023 TW, 2024 SN3, 2025 HD3, and 2025 KU1.[28]
