Abstract
The U.S. Naval Observatory has begun a program of ephemeris improvement and reference frame determination from the main belt asteroids. The program is, currently, starting out with a limited set of observations of the larger asteroids to determine the equator and equinox corrections for the USNO W1J00 transit circle observations catalog, and, if possible, improve the orbits of these asteroids based on this limited set of observations. For this project, transit circle observations of the Sun and the planets Mercury through Jupiter, are also being used to determine the equator, equinox, and ephemeris corrections, the next goal is to improve the orbits of the larger asteroids in the optical reference frame using observation series that cover a much longer period of time. This will allow the exploration of the differences between the dynamical reference frame based on radar observations of main belt asteroids and its relation with the optical reference frame. Other goals include the exploration of the mass distribution in the main asteroid belt from high precision observations, and the effect of this mass on the ephemerides of the major planets.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Ash, M. E.: 1965, ‘Generation of Planetary Ephemerides on an Electronic Computer’,Lincoln Laboratory Technical Report No. 391
Institute for Theoretical Astronomy: 1980,Ephemerides of Minor Planets for 1981 (Institute for Theoretical Astronomy: Leningrad, U.S.S.R.)
Høg, E.: 1986, ‘Internal Refraction in Meridian Circles’, H. K. Eichorn and R. J. Leacock eds.,Astrometric Techniques. Pergamon Press, Utrecht
Smith, C: 1986, ‘On Desiderata for Star Catalogs for the Remainder of the Twentieth Century: A Report on Catalog Work Now in Progress at the U.S. Naval Observatory’, H. K. Eichorn and R. J. Leacock eds.,Astrometric Techniques. Pergamon Press, Utrecht, 669
Standish, E. M.: 1987, ‘Ephemerides Comparison - PEP740 vs. DE118,’Interoffice Memorandum 314.6-799, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena
Yeomans, D. K., Chodas, P. W., Keesey, M. S., Ostro, S. J., Chandler, J. F., and Shapiro, I. I.: 1992,Astron. J.,103, 303
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hilton, J.L., Seidelmann, P.K. The asteroid ephemerides program at the U.S. Naval Observatory. Earth Moon Planet 71, 199–206 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612958
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612958