Asteroids and Comets

1
Asteroid Albedos Consequences for Detection by
NEA Survey Programs Contributed by Eric B.
Grosfils Pomona College
2
Astronomy Sky Surveys

• Great idea! But not so simple in practice
• Its a big solar system out there!
• Trade off between detection size limit and survey
  speed/effectiveness.
• Asteroids are dark much like asteroid Eros (10
  km x 30 km) shown here (it really is here, even
  if you cannot see it)
• with albedos of a few percent, think looking for
  lumps of coal set against the black vastness of
  space!

Eros Albedo 5
3
Astronomy Sky Surveys
10
4
Astronomy Sky Surveys
20
5
Astronomy Sky Surveys
30
6
Astronomy Sky Surveys
40
7
Astronomy Sky Surveys
50