OCA-DLR Asteroid Survey
Encyclopedia
The OCA-DLR Asteroid Survey (ODAS) was a European scientific project to search for asteroid
s and comet
s. This project was the joint work of the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA) in France and the Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) in Germany
. They operated in cooperation with a global effort regarding Near-Earth object
s that was begun by the Working Group on Near-Earth Objects, a component of the International Astronomical Union
.
This project began October 1996 and ceased observations in April 1999 for a refurbishing. However the telescope has not been reopened since that time.
Survey observations were made during the 15 days each month when moon light was at a minimum, during the first and last quarters of the lunar month. The operation used a 90cm Schmidt telescope located near Nice, France. A combination of a CCD
camera and a software package were used for automated detection of moving objects.
Throughout its tenure, the project was responsible for the discovery of 708 asteroids and one new comet. Of these five were found to be near earth asteroids and 8 were Mars
-crossing asteroids.
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
s and comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s. This project was the joint work of the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA) in France and the Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. They operated in cooperation with a global effort regarding Near-Earth object
Near-Earth object
A near-Earth object is a Solar System object whose orbit brings it into close proximity with the Earth. All NEOs have a perihelion distance less than 1.3 AU. They include a few thousand near-Earth asteroids , near-Earth comets, a number of solar-orbiting spacecraft, and meteoroids large enough to...
s that was begun by the Working Group on Near-Earth Objects, a component of the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
.
This project began October 1996 and ceased observations in April 1999 for a refurbishing. However the telescope has not been reopened since that time.
| New Near-Earth Asteroids Discovered by O.D.A.S. |
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|
Survey observations were made during the 15 days each month when moon light was at a minimum, during the first and last quarters of the lunar month. The operation used a 90cm Schmidt telescope located near Nice, France. A combination of a CCD
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
camera and a software package were used for automated detection of moving objects.
Throughout its tenure, the project was responsible for the discovery of 708 asteroids and one new comet. Of these five were found to be near earth asteroids and 8 were Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
-crossing asteroids.