On the prospects of Near Earth Asteroid orbit triangulation using the Gaia satellite and Earth-based observations

TL;DR

This paper explores how combining Gaia satellite data with Earth-based observations can improve orbit determination of Near Earth Asteroids, enhancing initial orbit accuracy without extra observational effort.

Contribution

It demonstrates the potential of near-simultaneous Gaia and Earth observations to better constrain NEA orbits, leveraging existing discovery data for improved initial orbit solutions.

Findings

Simultaneous observations from Gaia and Earth effectively constrain NEA orbits.

Linking Gaia alerts with Minor Planet Center data enhances orbit determination.

No additional observational cost is needed for improved orbit solutions.

Abstract

Accurate measurements of osculating orbital elements are essential in order to understand and model the complex dynamic behavior of Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs). ESA's Gaia mission promises to have great potential in this respect. In this article we investigate the prospects of constraining orbits of newly discovered and known NEAs using nearly simultaneous observations from the Earth and Gaia. We find that observations performed simultaneously from two sites can effectively constrain preliminary orbits derived via statistical ranging. By linking discoveries stored in the Minor Planet Center databases to Gaia astrometric alerts one can identify nearly simultaneous observations of Near Earth Objects and benefit from improved initial orbit solutions at no additional observational cost.