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H.F. Levison, J.W. Parker (SwRI), B.G. Marsden (CfA)
The SuperNova / Acceleration Probe (SNAP) is a proposed satellite mission to measure the amount and nature of the dark energy in the universe using Type Ia supernovae. As currently planned, SNAP would have a 2-m telescope equipped with a 1 sq. degree imager with a roughly 0.1 arcsec/pixel resolution. SNAP will be able to reach a limiting magnitude of R~27 in a single 5 minute exposure. It should be possible to reach a fainter limit if individual images were coadded using digitial tracking techniques. Thus, a survey of the trans-Neptunian region of the Solar System that covers tens to hundreds of square degrees to a limiting magnitude of R~28 is possible with SNAP. Since the SNAP nominal mission is 3 years, this survey would include follow-up observations of the TNOs it discovers, thus allowing their orbits to be determined.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: hal@gort.boulder.swri.edu