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NASA-Planetary-Science / sbpy

A Python package for small bodies research
https://sbpy.org/
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Adding functionality to unpack MPC's new LSST-era extended packed designation format #388

Open hhsieh00 opened 8 months ago

hhsieh00 commented 8 months ago

Just adding this as a place holder for now. At the LSST Solar System Science Collaboration's Fall 2023 Mini-Sprint, Federica Spoto presented plans for a new packed designation format designed by the MPC for LSST-era small body discoveries in anticipation of the expected dramatic increase in discoveries. This new designation format will be implemented for all new discoveries after a certain point and will not affect any existing designations prior to that point. A suggestion was raised at the Mini-Sprint that sbpy should include this packed designation format in object name resolving functions. I can't find any available online resources describing the planned new format at the moment (presumably because it has not been officially implemented yet), but can get more information later from Federica.

hhsieh00 commented 8 months ago

Not sure how I missed it, but information on the new packed designation format is in fact on the MPC website at https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpcops/documentation/provisional-designation-definition/ (see "Extended Packed Provisional Designation Scheme" at bottom of page).