2021/10/26 by Mark R. Giovinazzi, Cullen H. Blake, Pedro H. Bernardinelli
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #Aerospace engineering #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrometry #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Epoch (astronomy) #Geodesy #Geology #Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies #Lagrangian point #Observatory #Orbit (dynamics) #Parallax #Physics #Solar System #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph.EP
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/1538-3873/ac2e0e
11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
arxiv created 2021/10/26 · openalex publication_date 2021/11/01 · arxiv updated 2021/11/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
Space-based observatories at the second Sun–Earth Lagrange Point (L2) offer a unique opportunity to efficiently determine the orbits of distant solar system objects by taking advantage of the parallax effect that arises from nearly simultaneous ground- and space-based observations. Given the typical orbit of an observatory about L2, the observational baseline of ∼1.5 × 10 6 km between L2 and Earth results in an instantaneous parallax of ∼10''–100'', even for the most distant of detectable trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) in our solar system. Current ground-based strategies for measuring the orbits of TNOs are very expensive and require multiple years of observations. We show that the direct constraint on the distance to a TNO, afforded by near-simultaneous ground- and space-based observations, allows us to confidently determine orbits with as few as three ground-based observations spanning 24 hr combined with a single observational epoch from an observatory orbiting L2.