Description
The Kleť Observatory is a research institution belonging to few natural science centers of Southern Bohemia in the Czech Republic, supported by the South Bohemian Region and various grants. The observatory is situated south of the top of Klet mountain (at altitude of 1070 m), southwest from the town of České Budějovice. There are one hundred and fifty clear nights per year with a good astronomical seeing on the average, as shows data from photographic observations of minor planets and comets since 1968. The Headquarter of Kleť Observatory is located at the Observatory and Planetarium in České Budějovice.
Competences and capabilities
Ground segment for Space Safety Programme -Near Earth Objects (NEO):
- Confirmatory observations of newly discovered NEO candidates, especially fainter and fast moving objects as well as NEO candidates having larger ephemeris uncertainty (both lim. mag. about V = 22 mag. and larger FOV are benefits of 1-m KLENOT Telescope)
- Recoveries of NEOs in the second opposition
- Follow-up astrometry of poorly observed
- NEOs - Virtual ImpactorsĒ and PHAs, target of space missions or radar targets
- Cometary features. Analysis of possible cometary activity of newly discovered bodies.
- Search for new asteroids as a by-product.- Educational and public outreach activities in related field (asteroid hazard, space safety)
Major Space Projects & References
- Near Earth Object follow-up astrometry as the Cooperating Sensor of ESA-SSA-NEO segment (2014- 2017 ESA contract).
- Observational support from collaborating observatories with DEIMOS SPACE S.L.U, Madrid, Spain as the main contractor with ESA - further subcontractors are from Germany and Spain (since 2019). Observation statistics:
- 2019 together 1394 positions of 154 NEOs (14 Atens, 81 Apollos, 59 Amors; incl.11 PHAs) • 2018 together 2051 positions of 172 NEOs (18 Atens, 90 Apollos, 64 Amors; incl.17 PHAs)
- 2017: together 2865 positions of 274 NEOs (22 Atens, 148 Apollos, 104 Amors; incl.15 PHAs)
- 2016: together 3765 positions of 324 NEOs (40 Atens, 142 Apollos, 142 Amors;incl.24 PHAs)
- 015: together 2350 positions of 231 NEOs (21 Atens, 124 Apollos, 86 Amors;incl.17 PHAs)
- Ticha, J., Tichy, M.,Honkova, M. KLET OBSERVATORY PREPAREDNESS AND PLANS FOR PLANETARY DEFENCE (Proceedings 1st NEO and Debris Detection Conference, 22 January 2019 - 24 January 2019, Darmstadt, Germany, published by ESA Space Safety Programme Office)
- Ticha, J., Tichy, M., Kocer, M.: KLENOT NEO FOLLOWUP PROGRAM IN EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK (2015 IAA Planetary Defense Conference, Frascati, Italy, 2015)
Space Related Equipment, Labs & Certificates
- 1.06-m KLENOT telescope with 4-lenses corrector to obtain a plane FOV 0.63 x 0.63 degrees, computer controlled equatoreal mount, equipped with CCD camera
- FLI ProLine 230. Limiting magnitude of mV=22.0mag.
- The hardware and software equipment for KLENOT project consists of local network, servers and workstations for operating CCD camera, instantaneous visual detection, image processing, data reduction, identification of moving objects, ephemeris calculations and orbit computations. The Klet Software Package has been continually upgraded.
- In order to increase tracking accuracy of the KLENOT telescope mount the main gearbox was upgraded. New feature: HW + SW system for sidereal off-set tracking was installed in order to increase limiting magnitude of observed moving objects.