Asteroid Detection Dashboard

Monitor and analyze near-Earth object detection systems

LINEAR Survey System

LINEAR Survey System

Description

Large-scale automated survey using CCD cameras to detect moving objects

Capabilities

Detects objects down to 18th magnitude

Coverage

Northern hemisphere sky survey

Status

Active since 1998

Online

LINEAR Survey System — More Details

  • Location: Lincoln Laboratory Experimental Test Site, near Socorro, New Mexico
  • Instruments: 1.0 m and 0.5 m telescopes with CCD arrays and automated pipelines
  • Method: Difference imaging and tracklet linking to identify moving objects over time
  • Notable: Pioneered large-scale automated NEO discovery; thousands of object detections
  • Use Case: Rapid nightly surveys with automated scheduling and candidate vetting
2,500+
Asteroids Discovered
18.0
Magnitude Limit
95%
Sky Coverage