From Observation to Precise Astrometry and Error Estimation

Asteroid detection and precise astrometry are tools incredibly important in astronomy, with applications ranging from planetary defense to the study of the origin of the Solar System. Thisthesis presents a pipeline used for asteroid observation, detection, and photometric reduction,focusing on obtaining obseravatory codes for the telescopes operated by the Aristotle Universityof Thessaloniki (AUTH). The methodology integrates target selection, data acquisition, platesolving, photometry, and astrometric error estimation all fit to meet the requirements of the Minor Planet Center (MPC) Target selection is operated using an API from the JPL, which helps us determine which asteroids are observable to our location. Orbital element extraction using database provided by the MPC, as well as plate-solving techniques either locally Astrometry.net or with an online API. Additionally, the thesis introduces the Asteroid Detector for AUTH, an open-source code designed for easy and robust asteroid detection, photometry, and MPC-compliant datasubmission. The study evaluates residuals comparing the software to commercial products. Results from observations of numbered asteroids and Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) show that the pipeline’s efficiency, with residuals consistently below 1 arcsecond—fulfilling MPC criteria.Lastly, when comparing the photometric results, our pipeline fare better than the commercial one.