Part 1: queries of individual objects
Navigate to the link to bring up the Solar System Dynamics (SSD) home page. What three types of information are archived on this web site?
Use the menus to navigate to Tools – Small-Body Database Lookup. Enter the number 1 in the search bar. Record the following information: (a) the object’s full name, (b) classification, (c) its semi-major axis length (= its average distance from the Sun; 3 significant figures only, please), (d) orbital period in Earth years (3 sig figs), and (e) discovery circumstances. (f) Choose one other piece of information to write down; define the datum and interpret its value, e.g., if you choose the orbital eccentricity then define orbital eccentricity; its interpretation would be that values close to zero are near-perfect circles.
Repeat the query and record the pertinent information (a through f) for asteroid numbers 624, 2062, 10199, and 50000.
Do some research and define the following types of asteroid in your own words: Near Earth Object (NEO), Main Belt, Jupiter Trojan, Centaur, and Trans-Neptunian Object.
Write a citation to the sources of information you used in Q4. Use the Chicago citation format.
Part 2: data slicing: choosing subsets of data based upon criteria for inclusion or exclusion
In this section you are going to search for all potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) and sort the list by object diameter.
Use the menus to navigate to the Tools – Small-Body Database Query. There are four expandable menus. The first three are for selection criteria, the fourth is to choose output data. Expand the Limit by Object Kind/Group and select the PHA radio button. Then expand the Output Selection Controls and select the boxes next to diameter, object fullname, and IAU name; select Add to move these to the Output Fields box. Finally, select the Get Results button.
How many objects matched the search criteria?
By selecting the “diameter” table header you can sort the table by diameter. What is the diameter of the largest PHA? What is its name? When and how was it discovered (remember to define all acronyms)?
Part 3: open-ended exercise
Invent a question that can be answered using the SSD data archive.
Write a procedure that would explain to someone else how to answer the question using the SSD.
Answer the question.
Grading: 10 points for each of Part 1, 2, and 3. Total points = 30. Passing grade = 18.