Type: Talk
Session: Solar System Science
Author: Bryce Theodore Bolin

Abstract: Near-sun sky twilight observations provide the detection of asteroids interior to the orbit of Venus (Aylos) and the Earth (Atiras) and comets. We present the results of observations with the Palomar 48-inch telescope (P48)/Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) camera in 30 s r-band exposures taken during evening astronomical twilight from 2019 Sep 20 to 2022 March 7 and during morning astronomical twilight sky from 2019 Sep 21 to 2022 Sep 29. More than 21,940 images were taken in evening astronomical twilight within 32 and 66 degrees from the Sun with an average r-band magnitude between 19.0 and 20.0, and more than 24,370 images were taken in evening astronomical twilight within 31 and 65 degrees from the Sun with an average r-band magnitude between 19.0 and 20.5. The morning and evening twilight pointings show a slight seasonal dependence in limiting magnitude and ability to point closer towards the Sun, with limiting magnitude improving by ~0.5 magnitudes during the summer months and Sun-centric distances as small as ~31-32 degrees during the spring and fall months. In total, the \an asteroid, (594913) 'Ayló'chaxnim, and 4 Atira asteroids: 2020 OV1, 2021 BS1, 2021 PB2, and 2021 VR3 were discovered in evening and morning twilight observations. Additionally, discoveries also include 6 long period comets: C/2020 T2, C/2020 V2, C/2021 D2, C/2021 E3, C/2022 E3 and C/2022 P3, and 2 short period comets: P/2021 N1 and P/2022 P2 using artificial intelligence-powered moving object detection pipelines. The P48/ZTF also recovered 11 known Atiras, 1 Aylo, and five comets.