The Minor Planet Survey supplements the asteroid data given in the Asteroid and Comet Survey; comets are not included in IMPS. All asteroids with reasonably-well-known orbits as of December 1990 are covered. In particular, IMPS updates the processing of asteroids numbered 1 through 3318, extends this processing to asteroid number 4679 and to 2,632 additional asteroids with preliminary (two or more opposition) orbits.

IMPS processed only IRAS survey observations; Low-Resolution Spectrometer, Serendipitous, and Additional Observations data were not processed.

Note that, as with the Asteroid and Comet Survey, the IMPS databases are fundamentally different from those databases produced for fixed sources. Asteroids move and their apparent emission levels can vary by large amounts. Consequently, different methods and criteria were used for processing potential asteroid sightings. These differences are described in the document referred to below.

The IMPS Database includes machine-readable versions of all catalogs published in the IRAS Minor Planet Survey (1992). In addition, a number of products too large to include as printed catalogs are available only in machine-readable form, viz., the osculating orbital elements and the IMPS Sightings Database.

Note: This catalog is also available on the ADC Selected Astronomical Catalogs, Volume 2 CD-ROM and via the ADC FTP server.

Reference:
IRAS Minor Planet Survey, 1992, ed. E.F. Tedesco (Phillips Laboratory Technical Report No. PL-TR-92-2049. Hanscom Air Force Base, MA) [22MB PDF]

Version and release date: 1992 Dec

• Request the IRAS Minor Planet Survey from the ADF
• See the format of the IMPS files