Welcome to MinorPlanet.Info
This web site serves as a gateway to the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) web site in addition to many other subsites, external sites, and pages that concern research on asteroids (the "minor planets").
Use the links at left to navigate to the subsites.
Latest Announcements
New Ephemeris Generator
The Ephemeris Generator page under Observing Guides is no longer a fixed
list but is accessed through a form that allows you to set filters to a given month for the previous, current, and next year by magnitude and/or declination and then
queries a database table. The ephemeris list now includes flags
(columns) for each asteroid that indicate if a notification and/or
submission has been posted to the CALL site, regardless of the age of
the posting, as well as LCDB period/amplitude data if available.
Whenever
a notification or submission to the CALL site is added, edited, or
deleted, the database table with the opposition data for the current
month is automatically updated. Therefore, anytime an ephemeris list is
generated, it reflects the current status from the CALL site.
SkyWatch Update
SkyWatch under Observing Guides is now a dynamic and interactive page. New information includes the current position of the Sun/Moon, sun and moon rise/set, phases of the moon for the entire year, and current planet positions along with rise/transit/set times. You can enter your longitude/latitude/UT offset to compute times for your location. Those settings are remembered the next time you visit the SkyWatch page.
Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL)
The CALL web site provides pages to where you can "reserve" an asteroid for observation. This lets other observers know that you are working it and either find another target or to request a collaboration in order to gather more data sooner. You can also submit the results of your asteroid lightcurve observations so that they are available to others prior to formal publication. The CALL site includes subpages that provide lists of targets for upcoming and recent past 3-month periods and other sites dedicated to asteroid lightcurve efforts.
The Minor Planet Bulletin
The Minor Planet Bulletin is the journal for amateurs (and even professionals) to publish individual lightcurves (one at a time or in bulk). The Bulletin is indexed by the ADS and found in the libraries of major observatories and institutions around the world. Since the early 21st century, the MPB has published the vast majority of new asteroid lightcurves.
The Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB)
The asteroid lightcurve database (LCDB; Warner et al., 2009, Icarus 202, 134-146) is a compilation of published results that now includes period/amplitude parameters for more than 4,000 asteroids. In addition to a ZIP file download that contains pre-generated files, the LCDB pages include a query page where you can generate custom reports.
The December 2011 release of the LCDB is now available.
A link on the LCDB page takes you to the LCDB References page the includes BibCode hyperlinks into the NASA/SAO Astrophysical Data System (ADS). In many cases, you can download a copy of the original paper from the ADS page.
