Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program
| see Template:Section link |
The Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program (SCAP) was an astronomical survey to search for near-Earth objects. It was conducted during the 1990s, at the Xinglong Station in Xinglong County, Chengde, Hebei province, China<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and resulted in the discovery of more than a thousand numbered minor planets.<ref name=MPCdiscoverers20170112/>
Funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the survey is sometimes also called BAO Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program and NAOC Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program, referring to the Beijing Astronomical Observatory (BAO) and National Astronomical Observatory of China (NAOC), respectively.Template:Citation needed
The instrument that SCAP used to detect near-Earth objects was a 60/90 cm Schmidt telescope. Equipped with a 2048×2048 CCD camera, this telescope was installedTemplate:When at the BAO Xinglong station in Hebei province, China.Template:Citation needed
In a conversation with Space.com contributor Michael Paine, SCAP head Jin Zhu said that the program's allotted time to use the Schmidt telescope was significantly reducedTemplate:When to make room for the observatory's other projects.Template:Citation needed
DiscoveriesEdit
From 1995 to 1999, SCAP detected one new comet and 2460 new asteroids and observed 43860 other asteroids, making it the fifth largest asteroid observation project at that time. Five of the asteroids it discovered were NEAs, two of which were considered potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs). In 2002, an NEA was discovered near Earth's moon.Template:Citation needed
Notable objectsEdit
| Name | Provisional designation | Discovery date | Remarks | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7072 Beijingdaxue | 1996 CB8 | February 3, 1996 | asteroid named after Peking University | Template:MPC |
| 7800 Zhongkeyuan | 1996 EW2 | March 11, 1996 | asteroid named after the Chinese Academy of Sciences | Template:MPC |
| 13651 | 1997 BR | January 20, 1997 | first potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) discovered by SCAP | Template:MPC |
| 29552 Chern | 1998 CS2 | February 15, 1998 | asteroid named after the Chinese mathematician Chern Shiing-shen | Template:MPC |
| 31065 Beishizhang | 1996 TZ13 | October 10, 1996 | asteroid | Template:MPC |
| 136849 | 1998 CS1 | February 9, 1998 | potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) | Template:MPC |
| Zhu-Balam | C/1997 L1 | June 3, 1997 | comet named after SCAP head Jin Zhu and co-discoverer Dave Balam (Univ. of Victoria) | Template:MPC |
List of discovered minor planetsEdit
| Template:Mp | 29 September 2000 | Template:Small |
| Template:Mp | 22 August 1998 | Template:Small |
| Template:Mp | 14 October 1995 | Template:Small |
| Template:Mp | 18 October 1996 | Template:Small |
| Discoveries are credited with "Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program" by the Minor Planet Center | ||
|---|---|---|
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- WELCOME TO Xinglong Station of NAOC webpage for the station where SCAP was conducted. It also shows a picture of the Schmidt telescope that SCAP used in its research.
- BAO ASTEROID OBSERVATIONS: From Astrometry To Physical Researcj
- Bigger Telescopes Seek Killer Asteroids – a Space.com special report by Michael Paine on the search for near-Earth asteroids
- Asteroid Named to Mark CAS AnniversaryTemplate:Dead link - a Beijing Review article by Li Rongxia on asteroid 7800
- China Builds New Observatory To Detect Near-Earth Asteroids – a Spacedaily.com article by Wei Long on the Purple Mountain Observatory. The SCAP is briefly mentioned here.
- § 1.8 New Asteroids – Discovering and Cataloging describes the groups involved with asteroid detection. SCAP is briefly mentioned here.