Stefan Kürti´s Astro Web

Discoveries of new asteroids in SkyMorph archive

Database of NEAT images - SkyMorph

SkyMorph is a database of images got in Near Earth Tracking Program (NEAT) publicly accessible via internet. Selected areas od sky were repeatedly photographed in several periods of time, so astronomers could search for changes on sky during elapsed time - you can search for moving objects - asteroids or comets, and you can also search for novaes or supernovaes. Images archived in SkyMorph database were taken on two observatories: Haleakala, Maui, Hawai Islands and Mt. Palomar, Arizona, USA.

In SkyMorph database are presently stored many thousand images. Inspite of the time elapsed from their original capture, in this archive there is still hidden a big amount of uncatalogized asteroids.

And I am searchig for such an unnoticed objects by professionals. I try to get at least three positions from different nights in order to get a provisional designation for them. In the table below you can find a list of new discovered asteroids by this way.

Discovery credit

From the beginning of SkyMorph there was a rule, which said that credit received the discoverer of asteroid in NEAT archive. In those times many amateur astronomers were a real hunters and some of them discovered hundreds of new asteroids. But after the rule changed in 2003, they lost their motivation to go on.

I learned about SkyMorph database in the beginning of 2006. It took me a few months to learn how to search for a new asteroids. I made my first discovery in May 2006. Since then I regurarly search in NEAT images and the number of my discoveries is growing ...

Naming of numbered asteroids

I took the credit rule as a matter of fact and it had no effect on my hunting. This was for me a good relax and great fun. In summer 2008 after two minor planets from my discoveries got permanent number I contacted NEAT people. They accepted names I suggested for those two asteroids - (182 592) Jolana and (183 294) Langbroek! Another 2 minor planet were named after my proposal in December 2009 - (194 262) Nové Zámky and (213 636) Gajdoš. In 2010 August another three naming proposal were accepted - Magyarics (203 773), Bödök (210 939) a Lemarchal (213 637).

Acknowledgement: on the first place I thank to Marco Langbroek and his perfect "Guide" that he taught me how to work with SkyMorph, my thanks goes also to others who helped me with my questions and problems during my "learning" period: they were Quanzhi Ye, Krisztián Sárneczky, Rob Matson and Andrew Lowe.

List of my asteroids discoveries from NEAT archive

Notes:

U - Uncertainty parameter - is an integer between 0 to 9, where 0 indicates a very small uncertainty and 9 an extremely large uncertainty for a minor planet orbital solution.

+ provisional credit assigned to other designation
* the discovery credit given to other observatory along with permanent number assigning

"Lost asteroids" - I listed in the table all objects I identified on NEAT images and sent their data to MPC.

They received provisional designation, but later some of them turned out as precovery observations to already known minor planets. You can find them in column "Notes" labeled as + .

Since 2010 October based on new crediting rules some discovery credit were assigned to other observer/observatory. In the table are labeled as * .

I do not count in the table my independent discoveries of known objects. Although I identified them as an unknown asteroids, MPC recognized them as already known asteroids.

Precoveries of MP observed in a single opposition