The Outer Solar System Origins Survey: I. Design and First-Quarter Discoveries

Understand

We report the discovery, tracking and detection circumstances for 85 trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) from the first 42 deg$^{2}$ of the Outer Solar System Origins Survey (OSSOS).

• This ongoing $r$-band Solar System survey uses the 0.9 deg$^{2}$ field-of-view MegaPrime camera on the 3.6 m Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.
• Our orbital elements for these TNOs are precise to a fractional semi-major axis uncertainty $<0.1\%$.
• We achieve this precision in just two oppositions, as compared to the normal 3-5 oppositions, via a dense observing cadence and innovative astrometric technique.