Discover

'Minor planets discovered: 6'

19521 Chaos	November 19, 1998
28978 Ixion	May 22, 2001
38083 Rhadamanthus	April 17, 1999
	October 21, 2001
53311 Deucalion	April 18, 1999
54598 Bienor	August 27, 2000

The 'Deep Ecliptic Survey' (DES) is a project to find Kuiper belt objects (KBOs), using the facilities of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO).
The principal investigator is Bob Millis.
Since 1998 through the end of 2003, the survey covered 550 square degrees with sensitivity of 22.5. I.e., an estimated 50% of objects of this magnitude have been found.
The survey has also established the mean Kuiper Belt plane and introduced new formal definitions of the dynamical classes of Kuiper belt objects
J. L. Elliot, S. D. Kern, K. B. Clancy, A. A. S. Gulbis, R. L. Millis, M. W. Buie, L. H. Wasserman, E. I. Chiang, A. B. Jordan, D. E. Trilling, and K. J. Meech
''The Deep Ecliptic Survey: A Search for Kuiper Belt Objects and Centaurs. II. Dynamical Classification, the Kuiper Belt Plane, and the Core Population.''
The Astronomical Journal, '129' (2006), pp.
preprint
The remarkable discoveries include
Buie, M W; Millis, R L; Wasserman, L H; Elliot, J L; Kern, S D; Clancy, K B; Chiang, E I; Jordan, A B; Meech, K J; Wagner, R M; Trilling, D E
''Procedures, resources and selected results of the Deep Ecliptic ''
Earth, Moon, and Planets, '92' (June 2003)
Preprint on arXiv

★ 19521 Chaos, 28978 Ixion, large plutinos

★ , the first binary TNO

★ , the first object with perihelion too far to be affected (scattered) by Neptune and a large semi-major axis

★ , remarkable for its semi-major axis of more than 500 AU and extreme eccentricity (0.96) taking the object from the inside of the Neptune's orbit to more than 1000 AU

★ , the first Neptune's Trojan

★ , on one of the most inclined orbit (>68°)

Contents

External links

References

External links

★ http://www.lowell.edu/Research/DES/

References