Many astronomers are interested in finding more Kuiper Belt
objects. The problem is that these objects are very faint because
they are typically found beyond the orbit of planet Neptune, and are
smaller than Pluto. The brightest KBOs have been near 21st magnitude
on their discovery dates.
There are five components to a successful search for KBOs:
a large CCD - the larger the CCD you use, the larger area of sky you can cover.
We use the UH 8192 x 8192 pixel CCD mosaic camera. This detector is a
mosaic of eight 2048 x 4096 pixel CCDs. Simply put, the number of
objects you find is directly proportional to the size of your CCD.
good seeing - The better the seeing, the deeper you can go. We usually get
between 1 arc-sec and 1.5 arc-sec FWHM star images (unguided),
although the atmospheric component of the seeing is between 0.6
arc-sec and 1 arc-sec. Since signal-to-noise is proportional to the
seeing, a factor 2.5 loss in seeing corresponds to a loss of a
magnitude in sensitivity. There are many more faint (smaller) KBOs
than larger ones, so a loss of one magnitude in sensitivity means a
factor of 4 loss of objects.
telescope time - Maybe this is too obvious to be stated, but the
more time you have, the more objects you can find.
automated detection scheme - In the last few years, astronomical
technology has advanced to the point that it is no longer feasible to
look for KBOs by eye alone. In order to fully utilize larger CCDs,
you must begin to automate your detection process. The easiest way to
do this is to use computing power to analyse your data. We have
developed what we call Moving Object Detection Software (MODS), which is
a computer program that helps us analyse our data (see below).
follow-up - KBOs that are found must be followed up. That is,
they must be re-observed within a few nights, then again in about a
month or their orbits will not be known well enough to predict their
future positions. Without orbital information, nothing can be said
about the dynamics of the Kuiper Belt. Currently, the best way we can
explain the origin of the Kuiper Belt is through studying the dynamics
of KBOs.
