Speaker
Description
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) collects astrometric and photometric data on minor planets, with its catalog currently containing over 450 million data points for nearly 1.4 million objects. Photometric measurements are submitted in various bands and converted to the Johnson-Cousins V-band using band-specific conversion constants. The absolute magnitude H, a proxy for object size, is calculated using a least-squares fit based on the Bowell et al. (1989) equation. This fit incorporates known geocentric and heliocentric distances, phase angle, and converted V-band magnitudes, with a fixed slope parameter of 0.15. We will discuss the benefits of submitting data in ADES format, such as higher photometric precision and uncertainties, as well as future improvements, including the integration of Muinonen's HG1G2 system, fitting the slope parameter (G, G12), and deriving uncertainties for H and possible G. Additionally, we will address potential errors, data rejections due to significant magnitude offsets, objects that have no H derived due to no photometric data and the recent transition to using OrbFit for H calculations.
