In the News:
"Hubble harvests distant solar system objects"
Quote:
The team developed software to analyze hundreds of Hubble images hunting for such streaks. After promising candidates were flagged, the images were visually examined to confirm or refute each discovery.
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They found 14 objects, including one binary (two TNOs, Trans Neptunian Objects),orbiting each other like a miniature Pluto-Charon system). All were very faint, with most measuring magnitude 25-27 (more than 100 million times fainter than objects visible to the unaided eye).
By measuring their motion across the sky, astronomers calculated an orbit and distance for each object. Combining the distance and brightness (plus an assumed albedo or reflectivity), they then estimated the size. The newfound TNOs range from 25 to 60 miles (40-100 km) across.
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This initial study examined only one-third of a square degree of the sky, meaning that there is much more area to survey ...
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All done by sifting through the Hubble data using "clever techniques".
Interesting.
Cheers
