astronomy

OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey

OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey rather than just read about it. In short: The OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey (ODAS) was an astronomical survey to search for small Solar System bodies focusing on near-Earth objects in the late 1990s. This European scientific project was a collaboration between the French Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

Key takeaways

OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey (ODAS) was an astronomical survey to search for small Solar System bodies focusing on near-Earth objects in the late 1990s. This European scientific project was a collaboration between the French Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The survey is credited for the discovery of one comet and more than 1000 minor planets during 1996–1999.

Description ODAS operated in cooperation with a global effort regarding near-Earth objects that was begun by the "Working Group on Near-Earth Objects", a component of the International Astronomical Union. The project began October 1996 and ceased observations in April 1999 for a refurbishing. However the telescope has not been reopened since that time. Survey observations were made during the 15 days each month when moon light was at a minimum, during the first and last quarters of the lunar month. The operation used a 90 cm Schmidt telescope of the OCA at Calern, near the city of Nice in southeastern France. A combination of a CCD camera and a software package were used for automated detection of moving objects. Throughout its tenure, the project observed a total of 10,523 objects, made a total of 44,433 positional measurements, and was responsible for the discovery of more than a thousand asteroids according to the new rules issued by the MPC in October 2010. (The rules redefines who discovered a particular object. Previously, ODAS accounted for a total of 1020 asteroid discoveries). Among the discoveries are also 5 near-Earth asteroids and 8 Mars-crossers (without considering said rule). ODAS also recovered several objects that were previously lost and discovered the comet 198P/ODAS The discovered NEO's were 189011 Ogmios, (452307) 1997 XV11 (recovery), 16912 Rhiannon, 1998 SJ2, and 1998 VD31.

List of discovered minor planets

ODAS is credited by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) with the discovery of more than a thousand numbered minior planets during 1996–1999. The published list on ODAS project website may significantly differ from the MPC, as newly numbered bodies have been added, while other bodies are not (anymore) credited to ODAS. For example, the discovery of the two listed asteroids on the ODAS website, (129562) 1997 CJ23 and (164798) 1999 JC1, are now officially credited to Spacewatch and CSS, respectively.

See also List of minor planet discoverers § ODAS Spaceguard List of near-Earth object observation projects

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey

In research: OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Asteroid surveys, Astronomical surveys, Discoveries by ODAS, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey in simple terms?

Why does OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on OCA–DLR Asteroid Survey.