Determination of Orbital Elements and Ephemerides using the Geocentric Laplace’s Method
This paper presents a methodology for Initial Orbit Determination (IOD) based on a modification of the Laplace’s geocentric method. The orbital elements for Near-Earth asteroids (1864) Daedalus, 2003 GW, 2019 JA8, a Hungaria-type asteroid (4690) Strasbourg, and the asteroids of the Main Belt (1738...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Korean Space Science Society
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO202027265523619.page |
| Summary: | This paper presents a methodology for Initial Orbit Determination (IOD) based on a modification of the Laplace’s geocentric
method. The orbital elements for Near-Earth asteroids (1864) Daedalus, 2003 GW, 2019 JA8, a Hungaria-type asteroid (4690)
Strasbourg, and the asteroids of the Main Belt (1738) Oosterhoff, (2717) Tellervo, (1568) Aisleen and (2235) Vittore were
calculated. Input data observations from the Minor Planet Center MPC database and Astronomical Observatory of the
Technological University of Pereira (OAUTP; MPC code W63) were used. These observations cover observation arcs of less
than 22 days. The orbital errors, in terms of shape and orientation for the estimated orbits of the asteroids, were calculated.
The shape error was less than 53 × 10–3 AU, except for the asteroid 2019 JA8. On the other hand, errors in orientation were less
than 0.1 rad, except for (4690) Strasbourg. Additionally, we estimated ephemerides for all bodies for up to two months. When
compared with actual ephemerides, the errors found allowed us to conclude that these bodies can be recovered in a field
of vision of 95’ × 72’ (OAUTP field). This shows that Laplace’s method, though simple, may still be useful in the IOD study,
especially for observatories that initiate programs of minor bodies observation. |
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| ISSN: | 2093-5587 2093-1409 |