2000
DOI: 10.1029/2000ja000019
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An optical search for small comets

Abstract: Abstract. We have conducted an extensive optical search for small comets with the characteristics proposed by Frank et al. [1986] and Frank and Sigwarth [1993, 1997]. The observations were made using the 0.5-m reflector of the Iowa Robotic Observatory between September 1998 and June 1999. The search technique consisted of tracking a fixed point in the ecliptic plane at +9 ø geocentric solar phase angle. The telescope scan rate was chosen to track objects moving prograde at 10 km s -1 relative to the Earth at … Show more

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Cited by 7 publications
(22 citation statements)
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“…Instead Mutel and Fix [2003] executed a qualitative ''visual inspection'' of three small comet trails and declared them faulty by their appearance in the images. This inspection was similar to that published in their original paper on this topic [Mutel and Fix, 2000].…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 85%
“…Instead Mutel and Fix [2003] executed a qualitative ''visual inspection'' of three small comet trails and declared them faulty by their appearance in the images. This inspection was similar to that published in their original paper on this topic [Mutel and Fix, 2000].…”
Section: Discussionsupporting
confidence: 85%
“…The range for the previous searches with the Spacewatch Telescope is also identified inFigure 3. The value given byMutel and Fix [2000] from their equation (6) for the volume at a distance of 55,000 km is 7.9 x 1017 m 3, whereas the correct volume is only 4.1 x 10 z6 m 3 at this distance as shown in our The effective volume for the detection of small comets with the Iowa Robotic Observatory (IRO) as a function of distance from the telescope to the position of the small comet. This "tuning" distance is that for the telescope field-of-view at rest relative to a small comet with speed of 10 km/s perpendicular to the line-of-sight of the telescope.…”
mentioning
confidence: 76%
“…Successful optical sightings with the Spacewatch Telescope have been previously published [Yeates, 1989;Sigwarth, 1989;Frank et al, 1990;Frank and Sigwarth, 1993]. Mutel and Fix [2000] claim that ff the numbers of small comets as reported from these previous Spacewatch Telescope surveys do indeed exist, then their IRO survey should have detected 65 small comets on the average, but they find none. Unfortunately, Mutel and Fix [2000] have severely overestimated the volume of space which is viewed by the IRO during their search.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
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