V = H + 5*log(  *r) + f(a) where: V = observed relative magnitude of minor planet H = absolute magnitude of the minor planet  = distance between the minor planet and Earth r = distance between the minor planet and the Sun  = angle between the lines of sight to Earth and the Sun as seen from the minor planet f(  ) is a phase function that depends on the movements of the minor planet It is not a difficult calculation to determine the distances needed. Since H is dependent on both the size and albedo of the object, it would be possible to calculate the albedo of the object if the size were determined by other means (for example, radar). The characteristics of any minor planet are all related by the following formula, A Method for Semi-Automated Minor Planet Detection Michael Sprengeler & Dr. Timothy R. Young University of North Dakota Dept. Of Physics Abstract The goal of NASA's Near-Earth Object Project is to locate and record 90% of Earth-threatening objects in our Solar System in the next decade. Because of this, there is a need for assistance from the observing community at large with the discovery and gathering of data on these objects. A method of semi-automated data collection on NEOs has been developed in the form of a hardware/software combination. Results of our observations using this method will be presented. A series of images taken of minor planet 2 Pallas (marked in leftmost image) taken on the night of 30 June Images were taken through Johnson filters and are labeled. Pallas radiates strongly in the red and infrared bands. Refer to the chart above for Johnson-Cousins filter characteristics. Clear (no filter)RedVisibleBlueInfrared Equipment We are using a Meade 8” Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope at focal ratio f/6.3 (focal length is 1280 mm) along with an SBIG ST-7E CCD, which gives a coverage of about 1.45 pixels per arcsecond. Optimum coverage is about 2 pixels per arcsecond (smaller than that and the field of view becomes too small and the sensitivity of the system drops), so our ratio is a little on the small side. Although we haven’t yet had the chance to try our system on critical objects, we were able to get fairly good images of the asteroid 2 Pallas (see section below). The Johnson filters we have are mounted in an SBIG CFW-8 filter wheel. Motivation Our objective from the beginning has been to do follow-up work on critical and new objects listed by the Minor Planet Center ( The main motivation behind this objective is to automate a process that is time-consuming and something that few are doing. Johnson Filter transmittance functions The images of 2 Pallas (below) are interesting in that the asteroid appears very bright in the red and infrared bands. Pallas is a C-type (C standing for carbonaceous) minor planet, and is similar to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. The C-type asteroids are very dark and are good blackbodies; this is demonstrated well by Pallas as it radiates the energy it gets from the Sun strongly in the long wavelengths. Software We have chosen a software package from Software Bisque that we think suits our needs well. It is comprised of TheSky Version 5, CCDSoft, and Orchestrate.  TheSky is a planetarium program that is used to display the evening sky and aid in locating objects. This program is also used to send commands to the telescope. TheSky can also be used to creat observation lists that can then be exported into Orchestrate.  CCDSoft is the program from Software Bisque that is designed to manage a CCD camera and motorized filter wheel. It also has three features that are very useful for our objective: Photometry, Auto-astrometry, and a Supernova/Minor Planet Search. Photometry and Auto- astrometry are useful for determining the approximate magnitude and position of the minor planet in question, which can then be submitted to the Minor Planet Center. The Supernova/Minor Planet Search is a good way to automate searching for minor planets and other transients in images.  Orchestrate is the program that ties it all together. It uses a script to automate all the functions that a telescope/CCD setup may use. With it, we can write scripts that contain all the information for a night’s observing schedule, including telescope slews, filter changes, exposure lengths, and time delays. Later it may be possible to operate the setup remotely, as Orchestrate utilizes an “Inbox” folder. Scripts can be added to this folder over a LAN and the program automatically loads and begins running them.