LCO Outbursting Objects Key (LOOK) Project

June 30, 2021

We are interested in determining the frequency and nature of outbursts on small bodies across the Solar System. The LCO Outbursting Objects Key (LOOK) Project has two main objectives: 1) We will use the telescopes of the LCO Network to systematically monitor a sample of Dynamically New Comets (from the Oort cloud) over the whole sky. By studying this population's brightness and morphology changes as they pass through the inner Solar System, we can assess their evolutionary state (primitive vs. processed), identify targets for immediate or future follow-up (e.g., outburst vs. ambient coma composition), and, ultimately, better understand the behavior of these distant members as remnants of the early formation of the Solar System. It will also allow us to optimize the science return of the ESA Comet Interceptor mission and other future missions and gain a greater understanding of the interstellar objects that are just beginning to be discovered. 2) We will use the alerts and other data from the existing sky surveys such as ZTF, PanSTARRS1 & 2, Catalina and ATLAS to search for outburst activity in small bodies (comets, asteroids, centaurs) and rapidly respond to these outbursts with the telescopes of the LCO Network. This will enable us to better understand the nature of the outburst process, their frequency and magnitude distribution, and its evolution with time. Moreover, this will allow us to gain a better understanding of the physics of activity and outbursts on small bodies and the distribution of volatiles across the Solar System. This program exploits the synergy between current and future wide field surveys such as ZTF, PanSTARRS and LSST and rapid-response telescope networks such as LCO. Techniques, data reduction and analysis software developed during this Key Project and implemented on the ZTF survey and previous LCO programs will be an excellent “scale model” and testbed for what will be needed for the much larger number of objects coming from LSST. We've also teamed up with the Faulkes Telescope Project's Comet Chasers educational outreach program to provide a source of interesting targets for school children to follow up.