Despite some relatively humble beginnings asteroid science has become one of
the most exciting research areas in modern astronomy. The scope of
recent work is spectacular, ranging from new estimates of the near-Earth
asteroid population to the discovery of the distant trans-Neptunian asteroid
population and the results from NEAR's visit to an asteroid. These discoveries have implications both practical (ensuring the safety of life on Earth) and
abstract (discovering the formation history of the solar system).
I will discuss the general process of asteroid surveys of all types while
focusing on the accomplishments and capabilities of the Spacewatch Project,
an asteroid survey group created by Drs. Tom Gehrels and Robert McMillan
at the University of Arizona. Spacewatch operates two complementary telescopes
(of 0.9 meter and 1.8 meter apertures) at the Steward Observatory on Kitt
Peak. Spacewatch's unique combination of sky coverage, temporal sampling and
object sensitivity has allowed us to contribute to almost all modern
statistical studies of asteroids. A series of improvements are planned
over the summer which should boost our output considerably.
I will then present my results on outer solar system
science from Spacewatch data, including an ongoing effort to survey for
large trans-Neptunian asteroids and for very distant planetary-sized
objects hypothesized to exist in the outer solar system.