Observations of Near-Earth Optical Transients with the Lomonosov Space Observatory

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of space-based wide-field optical cameras in detecting near-Earth objects, revealing a significant number of known satellites and uncatalogued objects, highlighting the potential for future space monitoring.

Contribution

First implementation of space-based optical monitoring of near-Earth space using large-aperture cameras and robotic systems, showing high detection efficiency and potential.

Findings

84% of images identified as known satellites or debris

16% of images related to uncatalogued objects

Demonstrated high efficiency of space-based optical detection

Abstract

The results of observations with the MASTER-SHOK robotic wide-field optical cameras onboard the Lomonosov Space Observatory carried out in 2016 are presented. In all, the automated transient detection system transmitted 22 181 images of moving objects with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 5 to the Earth. Approximately 84% of these images are identified with well-known artificial Earth satellites (including repeated images of the same satellite) and fragments of such satellites (space debris), according to databases of known satellites. The remaining 16% of the images are relate to uncatalogued objects. This first experience in optical space-based monitoring of near-Earth space demonstrates the high efficiency and great potential of using large-aperture cameras in space, based on the software and technology of the MASTER robotic optical complexes (the Mobile Astronomical System of TElescope-Robots (MASTER) global network of robotic telescopes of Lomonosov Moscow State University).