Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: We identify effectively single-visit imaging hidden within the deep co-added images of the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Early Data Preview 2 (EDP2). These shallow regions contain only one or two contributing visits, providing access to single-visit-depth imaging ahead of the full Data Preview 2 (DP2) release in late 2026. We develop a workflow to locate known small Solar System bodies in these data, using our Ponder orchestrator with the Sorcha survey simulator to predict their positions and the Rubin Science Platform (RSP) to identify shallow coadds and extract image cutouts. Because cometary activity and near-Earth-object (NEO) trails produce extended morphologies, both remain identifiable in these shallow coadds. From approximately 700 comet and active-object cutouts, we identify 59 activity detections spanning 32 objects. We discover activity in 2025 NC6, previously unknown to be active; identify the first reported pre-perihelion activity of 2008 QZ44; and independently rediscover known comets 243P/NEAT and 510P/Boattini through their activity. We also recover 336 NEO cutouts, including 29 with predicted trails longer than 25 pixels. We provide accompanying galleries and tabular data, and highlight 99P/Kowal 1, 510P, and 303P/NEAT as targets for immediate follow-up. Shallow coadds are a relatively unexplored facet of Rubin data with applications beyond the Solar System examples presented here: regions with varying numbers of contributing visits will persist throughout the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Language: English
Topic: Astro and Planetary Science
Subfield: Space and Planetary Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington Research Foundation, University of Washington, European Commission, Queen's University Belfast, Office of Science, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Awards: G1229526393, NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab): Management and Operations of Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Construction of Vera C. Rubin Observatory under the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) Account, Final Design, Construction and Operations of Vera C. Rubin Observatory, G2371548206, G262532246, G303061748, G4235786860, G4508498098, G4654690619, NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), G495301720, G498139845, G5570207115, Astrophysics Center for Multimessenger studies in Europe, G7434835749, G8382000481, G8945569637
OpenAlex ID: W7214603395