The Jarnac Comet Survey is a unique approach to the detection and discovery of small solar system bodies. While superficially similar to other NEO surveys, it emphasizes comets, combining deep CCD imaging, automated operation, and a near-sun survey strategy optimized for comet detection.

We expect to discover a statistically significant sample of faint comets in the inner solar system to extend the size-frequency distribution for comets to small sizes where it is now poorly known. Current models of solar system formation differ on whether the comet size distribution continues to higher numbers as size decreases, or turns down due to physical effects resulting in short lifetimes for the smallest cometary bodies in the early solar system (Stern and Weissman 2001). The results of JCS will provide an important constraint to this problem.

In addition, comets play an important role in the near-earth impact hazard (Harris 1999). JCS will better determine the severity of the hazard from comets as impacting bodies. As well, an improved knowledge of the population of small comets passing through the inner solar system is essential for future target selection for NASA missions (Davis et al. 1997).

Technologically, the survey will bring established hardware and software options together into one integrated system for automated and remote observations. While automated and remote observatories are established in the astronomical communtity, they have historically relied on expensive custom hardware and software to complete the task. Many of these components are beginning to be made commercially available in the form of sub-meter class telescopes, large format CCD camera systems (up to 4000 pixel square arrays) and software that will integrate with this hardware to allow fully automated operations and accessibility via the internet. We have already begun to demonstrate these operations at the Jarnac Observatory with the automation of a 0.2-m telescope and CCD camera.

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