Virtual Observatories

How can we find a faint, currently undetected body that could be a binary companion? Through the use of a Virtual Observatory (VO). A VO is a collection of interacting astronomical databases (data grid) accessed by specifically created software tools, run on powerful computers by specially trained experts. A Virtual Observatory is a “virtual telescope” capable of processing many years of archived astronomical data for patterns or tracks of faint orbiting bodies.

An example of the power of a Virtual Observatory is the discovery of the Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) 2001 KX76. In a month and a half, 18 years of past data were analyzed by Astrovirtel (European Virtual Observatory) to discover the orbit of KX76. There had been many faint images of KX76, but it was the power of a Virtual Observatory that “recognized” the orbital pattern of the KBO.

The following URL has more information on virtual observatories.

http://www.post-gazette.com/healthscience/20011119nvo1119p2.asp