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B. Gladman (Obs. Nice), JJ Kavelaars (McMaster Univ.), M. Holman (S.A.O.), P. Nicholson (Cornell), J-M. Petit, H. Scholl (Obs. Nice), J.A. Burns (Cornell)
We have conducted a wide-field search for new satellites of Uranus and Neptune covering most of the Hill spheres of both planets. Our search was motivated by the discovery of the first 2 irregular satellites of Uranus in 1997 (Gladman et al 1997, Nature, v 392, 897) during a cursory CCD search of the surroundings of the planet; clearly a more complete survey of the environs of both planets with modern instrumentation on a 4-meter class telescope was warrented. In our recent survey we examined the regions around both Uranus and Neptune using data obtained in July 1999 using the wide-field CFH12K mosaic on the 3.5-meter Canada France Hawaii Telescope. The coverage within this area is almost complete: at least 95 percent of the region within 1 degree and exterior to a box 6 arcmin in diameter centered on each planet has been covered to magnitude roughly R=23.5. We have at least one new candidate satellite of Uranus and have discovered many new trans-neptunian objects as a by-product of our search. Recovery observations are scheduled for August 1999 from the Palomar 5-meter and Apache Point 3.5-meter telescopes. The current status of this program will be reported.