Update - New Data sets available

Greetings from the International Astronomical Search Collaboration

Image Sets Available

Image sets from July 23, 24 and 26 are available in the school folders.  All participating schools have at least one image set to analyze.  Check your folder!!

Noisy Image Sets

On occasion an image set will have a lot of background noise.  When this happens the automated search will give as many as 200 moving objects.  When  you get more than 50 or so moving objects in an automated search, you should skip the automated search and go directly to the manual search.

Also, remember just because something shows up on an automated search does not mean that your students should report it.  Your job as the teacher is to help the students distinguish between a true and false signature.  Never report a false signature (i.e., something that appears to be moving but is not really an asteroid).

If you need help distinguishing between true and false signatures, you can go to http://iasc.hsutx.edu/index_files/Page389.htm where you can download the "Guide on True & False Signatures" for more information.

A true signature will move along a straight line with constant speed and constant brightness (magnitude).  You can have your students lay a ruler or straight edge across the computer screen to check for straight line motion.  Any object that moves along an arc...and not along a straight line...must not be reported.  It is a false signature.

Your students should be carefully examining all objects selected by the automated utility to make sure they are true signatures (i.e., really a moving asteroid).  Also, in a manual search your students should never click on empty red boxes.  There must clearly be an object inside the red box, and on all three of the images in a set.

Questions??

If you have questions about true and false signatures and how to prepare a clean and accurate MPC report, do not hesitate to contact either Ginger Anderson at gingera@bwoodtx.comgingera@bwoodtx.com> or Denise Rothrock at drothrock@madisonvillecisd.org

drothrock@madisonvillecisd.org>.  These two Texas high school teachers have conducted IASC asteroid search campaigns with their students for many years, and have taught IASC workshops for teachers.  They will be able to assist you.

For your students to be successful in a search campaign, you as their teacher must be able to do three things:

1.   Use Astrometrica for automated and manual searches
2.   Distinguish between true and false signatures (only report true signatures)
3.   Prepare a clean and accurate MPC report

If you can do these three things, I promise that your students will make important NEO observations and may even discover new Main Belt asteroids.

Happy Hunting!!

Dr. Patrick Miller