A Search for Distant Solar System Bodies in the Region of Sedna

TL;DR

This survey used the Palomar Telescope to search a large sky area for distant Sedna-like objects, finding many Kuiper belt objects but no new bodies beyond 70 AU, thus constraining their possible size and distribution.

Contribution

First wide-field survey targeting Sedna-like bodies beyond 70 AU, providing new constraints on their size and spatial distribution.

Findings

Detected 53 Kuiper belt objects and Centaurs, including 25 new discoveries.

No Sedna-like bodies beyond 70 AU were found despite deep sensitivity.

Placed limits on the size and distribution of distant solar system objects.

Abstract

We present the results of a wide-field survey for distant Sedna-like bodies in the outer solar system using the 1.2-m Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory. We searched ~12,000 square degrees down to a mean limiting magnitude of 21.3 in R. A total number of 53 Kuiper belt objects and Centaurs have been detected; 25 of which were discovered in this survey. No additional Sedna-like bodies with perihelia beyond 70 AU were found despite a sensitivity to motions out to ~1000 AU. We place constraints on the size and distribution of objects on Sedna orbits.