The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (Jan 2023)
Tuning the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Observing Strategy for Solar System Science
- Megan E. Schwamb,
- R. Lynne Jones,
- Peter Yoachim,
- Kathryn Volk,
- Rosemary C. Dorsey,
- Cyrielle Opitom,
- Sarah Greenstreet,
- Tim Lister,
- Colin Snodgrass,
- Bryce T. Bolin,
- Laura Inno,
- Michele T. Bannister,
- Siegfried Eggl,
- Michael Solontoi,
- Michael S. P. Kelley,
- Mario Jurić,
- Hsing Wen Lin,
- Darin Ragozzine,
- Pedro H. Bernardinelli,
- Steven R. Chesley,
- Tansu Daylan,
- Josef Ďurech,
- Wesley C. Fraser,
- Mikael Granvik,
- Matthew M. Knight,
- Carey M. Lisse,
- Renu Malhotra,
- William J. Oldroyd,
- Audrey Thirouin,
- Quanzhi Ye
Affiliations
- Megan E. Schwamb
- ORCiD
- Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast , Belfast BT7 1NN, UK ; [email protected]
- R. Lynne Jones
- ORCiD
- Rubin Observatory , 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; Aerotek, Suite 150, 4321 Still Creek Dr., Burnaby, BC V5C6S, Canada
- Peter Yoachim
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of Washington , 3910 15th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Kathryn Volk
- ORCiD
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, The University of Arizona , 1629 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Planetary Science Institute , 11700 East Fort Lowell, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
- Rosemary C. Dorsey
- ORCiD
- School of Physical and Chemical Sciences—Te Kura Matū, University of Canterbury , Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
- Cyrielle Opitom
- ORCiD
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh , Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ, UK
- Sarah Greenstreet
- ORCiD
- DiRAC Institute and the Department of Astronomy, University of Washington , 3910 15th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Tim Lister
- ORCiD
- Las Cumbres Observatory , 6740 Cortona Dr., Suite 102, Goleta, CA 93117, USA
- Colin Snodgrass
- ORCiD
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh , Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ, UK
- Bryce T. Bolin
- ORCiD
- Goddard Space Flight Center , 8800 Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Laura Inno
- ORCiD
- Science and Technology Department, Parthenope University of Naples , CDN IC4, I-80143, Naples, Italy; INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte , Salita Moraliello, 16, I-80131, Naples, Italy
- Michele T. Bannister
- ORCiD
- School of Physical and Chemical Sciences—Te Kura Matū, University of Canterbury , Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
- Siegfried Eggl
- ORCiD
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL 61801, USA; National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL 61801, USA; IMCCE , Paris Observatory, 77 Avenue Denfert-Rochereau, F-75014 Paris, France
- Michael Solontoi
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics and Engineering, Monmouth College , 700 E. Broadway, Monmouth, IL 61462, USA
- Michael S. P. Kelley
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland , College Park, MD 20742-0001, USA
- Mario Jurić
- ORCiD
- DiRAC Institute and the Department of Astronomy, University of Washington , 3910 15th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Hsing Wen Lin
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Darin Ragozzine
- ORCiD
- Brigham Young University , Department of Physics and Astronomy, N283 ESC, Provo, UT 84602, USA
- Pedro H. Bernardinelli
- ORCiD
- DiRAC Institute and the Department of Astronomy, University of Washington , 3910 15th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Steven R. Chesley
- ORCiD
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology , 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
- Tansu Daylan
- ORCiD
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , 4 Ivy Lane, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Josef Ďurech
- ORCiD
- Astronomical Institute, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University , V Holešovičkách 2, 180 00, Prague 8, Czech Republic
- Wesley C. Fraser
- ORCiD
- Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre, National Research Council , 5071 W. Saanich Rd., Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada
- Mikael Granvik
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 University of Helsinki , Finland; Asteroid Engineering Laboratory, Luleå University of Technology , Box 848, SE-981 28 Kiruna, Sweden
- Matthew M. Knight
- ORCiD
- Physics Department, United States Naval Academy , 572C Holloway Rd., Annapolis, MD 21402, USA
- Carey M. Lisse
- ORCiD
- Space Exploration Sector, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory , 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd., Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Renu Malhotra
- ORCiD
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, The University of Arizona , 1629 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- William J. Oldroyd
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy & Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University , P.O. Box 6010, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
- Audrey Thirouin
- ORCiD
- Lowell Observatory , 1400 W. Mars Hill Rd., Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA
- Quanzhi Ye
- ORCiD
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland , College Park, MD 20742-0001, USA; Center for Space Physics, Boston University , 725 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/acc173
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 266,
no. 2
p. 22
Abstract
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to start the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) in early to mid-2025. This multiband wide-field synoptic survey will transform our view of the solar system, with the discovery and monitoring of over five million small bodies. The final survey strategy chosen for LSST has direct implications on the discoverability and characterization of solar system minor planets and passing interstellar objects. Creating an inventory of the solar system is one of the four main LSST science drivers. The LSST observing cadence is a complex optimization problem that must balance the priorities and needs of all the key LSST science areas. To design the best LSST survey strategy, a series of operation simulations using the Rubin Observatory scheduler have been generated to explore the various options for tuning observing parameters and prioritizations. We explore the impact of the various simulated LSST observing strategies on studying the solar system’s small body reservoirs. We examine what are the best observing scenarios and review what are the important considerations for maximizing LSST solar system science. In general, most of the LSST cadence simulations produce ±5% or less variations in our chosen key metrics, but a subset of the simulations significantly hinder science returns with much larger losses in the discovery and light-curve metrics.
Keywords
- Trans-Neptunian objects
- Asteroids
- Small Solar System bodies
- Near-Earth objects
- Comets
- Interstellar objects
