[vsnet-chat 607] Asteroid orbital elements

[bas@lowell.Lowell.Edu (Brian Skiff)]

     I do not know which commercial software was used for the asteroid
checks last weekend, but I do know that Guide (and I think several others)
make use of Ted Bowell's element file (or a subset thereof).  This presently
has orbits for 35,000 asteroids, and includes current and future ephemeris
uncertainties explicitly for each object.  The database is updated _daily_
based on new observations of our own and by others, and the ephemeris
uncertainties are adjusted as well.  The elements always have an epoch of
osculation near the present.
     The complete file is 9.3Mb in size, but 'only' 2.6Mb in compressed form.
It can be freely downloaded from:

http://asteroid.lowell.edu/

...by taking the 'ASTORB' link.
     We do not yet have a search-near-position routine yet implemented at
the Web site, but plan to add this utility in the coming months.  The top 
level URL does have features to make charts for specific targets, plot
ephemeris uncertainties, and to get star-lists from the USNO A1.0 star
catalogue.
     Hope this helps.

\Brian

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