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[134.02] Science Opportunities with the LSST: From Near-Earth Asteroids to High-redshift large-scale structure

M.A. Strauss (Princeton University)

The NAS-sponsored decadal surveys of both the astrophysics and planetary science communities indicated the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) as a high-priority project for the next decade. In brief, it would be a large telescope with a large field of view, and would have the ability to scan the entire visible sky several times a month. The astronomical community is now hard at work to define the detailed science case for this project, as well as examine possible implementations of it. In this talk, I will outline the range of science that such a dedicated large telescope facility would allow. The principal science drivers include (but are not limited to) searches for Near-Earth Asteroids and Kuiper-Belt Objects, weak lensing due to large-scale density fluctuations, and high-redshift supernovae, but the survey also would be able to measure proper motions to high accuracy, study the distribution of stars in the Galactic halo and disk, and produce what will be by far the largest sample of quasar candidates over the sky.

The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: strauss@astro.princeton.edu

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34, #4
© 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.