Predicting Where to Observe Next

To make another observation, astronomers need to predict where the asteroid will be located at a time in the future. They will then point their telescope at this location and take a series of images. If the asteroid is there, it will be noticeable because the asteroid’s location will change from one image to the next. Astronomers will then measure the location of the asteroid in each image, and will record the time when each image was taken.

Suppose you are an asteroid specialist at another observatory doing follow-up observations of a new asteroid that Rubin Observatory has discovered. You are in charge of deciding where the next observation should be made.

The Orbit Viewer now shows the actual location of the asteroid for the three previous observations, the possible orbits of the asteroid, and four possible observing locations (A, B, C and D) for the asteroid.