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The first asteroid was discovered in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi, but there were still fewer than 1,000 known at the start of the 1900s. Since then, asteroid discovery has advanced significantly with the addition of large telescopes and digital, wide-field cameras — with almost 1,000,000 being found in the last 15 years alone. The discovery of asteroids that approach or cross Earth’s orbit – known as Near Earth Asteroids – adds new urgency to this mission, as some of these asteroids have the potential to pose an impact risk to Earth. Several ongoing and upcoming surveys such as the Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time will make a major contribution to understanding these risks. Dr. Jones will discuss how these telescopes will find these asteroids and what we are learning from their discovery. She will also discuss her work with the B612 Asteroid Institute, supporting research to determine the risk of potential Earth-impacting asteroids.
Dr. Lynne Jones is the Performance Scientist for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time, currently in Victoria, BC. She was part of the Survey/Detection panel of the 2010 NRC Committee to Review Near-Earth-Object Survey and Hazard Mitigation Strategies. As part of her work with LSST, Dr. Jones evaluates the scientific performance of LSST observing strategies, including the potential for studying small bodies with this next-generation telescope. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, conducting surveys to discover some of the faintest known (at the time) TransNeptunian Objects. Dr. Jones also serves as an advisor at the B612 Asteroid Institute.
