Cited by 170Space Satellite Systems and ControlAstro and Planetary ScienceAstronomy and Astrophysical Research

The Pan-STARRS Moving Object Processing System

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Denneau, Larry, Jedicke, Robert, Grav, Tommy, Granvik, Mikael, Kubica, Jeremy, Milani, Andrea, Vereš, Peter, Wainscoat, Richard +36 more·2013·Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Abstract

We describe the Pan-STARRS Moving Object Processing System (MOPS), a modern software package that produces automatic asteroid discoveries and identifications from catalogs of transient detections from next-generation astronomical survey telescopes. MOPS achieves >99.5% efficiency in producing orbits from a synthetic but realistic population of asteroids whose measurements were simulated for a Pan-STARRS4-class telescope. Additionally, using a nonphysical grid population, we demonstrate that MOPS can detect populations of currently unknown objects such as interstellar asteroids. MOPS has been adapted successfully to the prototype Pan-STARRS1 telescope despite differences in expected false detection rates, fill-factor loss, and relatively sparse observing cadence compared to a hypothetical Pan-STARRS4 telescope and survey. MOPS remains highly efficient at detecting objects but drops to 80% efficiency at producing orbits. This loss is primarily due to configurable MOPS processing limits that are not yet tuned for the Pan-STARRS1 mission. The core MOPS software package is the product of more than 15 person-years of software development and incorporates countless additional years of effort in third-party software to perform lower-level functions such as spatial searching or orbit determination. We describe the high-level design of MOPS and essential subcomponents, the suitability of MOPS for other survey programs, and suggest a road map for future MOPS development.

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  • Realistic MOPS simulations show >99% linking efficiency across all classes of solar system objects and at least 93% efficiency for NEOs.

    “Realistic MOPS simulations show > 99% linking ef fi ciency across all classes of solar system objects ( Denneau et al. 2013 ) , and at least 93% ef fi ciency for NEOs ( Vere š & Chesley 2017a, 2017b ) .”

    From LSST: From Science Drivers to Reference Design and Anticipated Data Products (2019) · cites this paper as Denneau et al. 2013

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  1. Burgett, W. S. 2012, Proc. SPIE, 8449, 84490T
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  12. Amico, J. W. Beletic, & J. E. Belectic (Dordrecht: Springer), 395

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Authors
Denneau, L., Jedicke, R., Grav, T., Granvik, M., Kubica, J., Milani, A., Vereš, P., Wainscoat, R., Chang, D., Pierfederici, F., Kaiser, N., Chambers, K. C., Heasley, J. N., Magnier, E. A., Price, P. A., Myers, J., Kleyna, J., Hsieh, H., Farnocchia, D., Waters, C., Sweeney, W. H., Green, D., Bolin, B., Burgett, W. S., Morgan, J. S., Tonry, J. L., Hodapp, K. W., Chastel, S., Chesley, S., Fitzsimmons, A., Holman, M., Spahr, T., Tholen, D., Williams, G. V., Abe, S., Armstrong, J. D., Bressi, T. H., Holmes, R., Lister, T., McMillan, R. S., Micheli, M., Ryan, E. V., Ryan, W. H., & Scotti, J. V.
Affiliations
  • University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US)
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • University of Helsinki (FI)
  • Google (United States) (US)
  • University of Pisa (IT)
  • Space Telescope Science Institute (US)
  • Princeton University (US)
  • University of Arizona (US)
  • Queen's University Belfast (GB)
  • Smithsonian Institution (US)
  • National Central University (TW)
  • Astronomical Research Institute (US)
  • Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (US)
  • New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (US)
Venue
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Published
2013-04
Volume
125
Issue
926
Pages
357-395
ISSN
  • 0004-6280 (ISSN-L)
  • 1538-3873
OpenAlex
W2123353273
Cited by
170
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 2
FWCI
18.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (publishedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast) (submittedVersion)
  • CINECA IRIS Institutial research information system (University of Pisa) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Funders
  • Smithsonian Institution
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NNX08AR22G)
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • University of Hawai'i
  • Queen's University Belfast
  • Durham University
  • Queen's University
  • National Central University
  • Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie
  • Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
  • Science Mission Directorate (NNX08AR22G)
  • Planetary Science Division (NNX08AR22G)
  • Air Force Research Laboratory (F29601-02-1-0268)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Space Satellite Systems and Control
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Astro and Planetary Science
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Instrumentation › Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
Keywords
asteroid discovery, asteroid identification, orbit determination, Pan-STARRS1, moving object detection, false detection rate

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