Program: GN-2020A-Q-118

Title:3I – Characterizing the Third Interstellar Object
PI:Karen Meech
Co-I(s): Alessandro Morbidelli, Olivier Hainaut, Jan Kleyna, Jacqueline Keane, Bin Yang, Richard Wainscoat, Marco Micheli, Robert Weryk

Abstract

The discovery of the first Interstellar object (ISO), 1I/2017 U1 `Oumuamua, by Pan-STARRS1 has generated intense scientific interest, and has produced >123 (!!) papers. The discovery of 2I/Borisov on 2019 Aug. 30 has generated intense competition for telescope resources for its characterization. We need to have an active ToO program in place as a guarantee that we can get an immediate initial characterization after discovery of the ISO so that we can inform the DDT proposals that we will submit. Thus, we request ToO time to characterize by getting brightness, astrometry, and surface colors of a newly discovered ISO if the brightness is V < 23.25.

Publications using this program's data