A Near-Earth Asteroid Population Estimate from the LINEAR Survey

I estimate the size and shape of the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) population using survey data from the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) project, covering 375,000 square degrees of sky and including more than 1300 NEA detections. A simulation of detection probabilities for different values...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2001-11, Vol.294 (5547), p.1691-1693
Main Author: Stuart, Joseph Scott
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absolute magnitude
Asteroids
Asteroids (minor planets)
Astronomy
Coarse woody debris
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Near Earth objects
Orbits
Particle telescopes
Planets, their satellites and rings. Asteroids
Population Distribution
Population estimates
Population size
Probability
Semimajor axis
Size
Solar system
Telescopes
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Summary:I estimate the size and shape of the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) population using survey data from the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) project, covering 375,000 square degrees of sky and including more than 1300 NEA detections. A simulation of detection probabilities for different values of orbital parameters and sizes combined with the detection statistics in a Bayesian framework provides a correction for observational bias and yields the NEA population distribution as a function of absolute magnitude, semi-major axis, eccentricity, and inclination. The NEA population is more highly inclined than previously estimated, and the total number of kilometer-sized NEAs is 1227-90 +170(1σ).
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1065318