SHAO Solar System Seminar

Time: July 22 (Tuesday) 14:00
Location: Small Conference Room 3rd floor (#Tencent Meeting：840-5543-5958)
Title: Science of asteroids with Gaia astrometry and surveys
Abstract: The Gaia space mission from ESA has released its latest catalogue FPR in October 2023, containing astrometric data for some 150,000 asteroids. This subset of about half of all the asteroids observed by Gaia, acquired over 5 years, is covering a large range of distances from NEOs to TNOs, and magnitudes down to G≈20.7. The high accuracy of the space-based astrometric data allows to derive very precise orbits, and hence to detect subtle effects, such as photocentre displacements for single and binary objects that were not accessible so far from ground. We will present the mission and catalogues, some results on deriving dynamical and physical properties from orbit determination. We will also present foreseen developments with future Data Releases, and touch upon applications to LSST survey.

Speaker: Prof. Daniel Hestroffer is a senior astronomer at the Laboratoire Temps Espace (LTE) from Paris observatory (France). He joined the Paris observatory after post-doctoral experiences at ESA/ESTEC (The Netherlands) and Turin observatory (OATo, Italy). He has been deputy director of the Astronomy teaching department at Paris observatory, director of the IMCCE institute, and president of the IAU Division on Fundamental astronomy; he is presently director of the CENSUS space pole for nanosatellites from PSL university. Specialist in space astrometry and dynamical planetology of small Solar System bodies (asteroids, irregular satellites, TNOs, comets, binaries, ...), he is member of the International Astronomical union IAU and several societies in astronomy and planetary science. He is the PI of the Birdy nanosatellite developed at CENSUS/Paris observatory, a deep space nanosat concept for reconnaissance or exploration of small Solar System bodies. He participated to the Hipparcos space mission data reduction and analysis, and several observation programmes of Solar System Objects from space and ground. He is now actively involved in the ESA Gaia survey space mission.