precovery
Precovery is a term used in astronomy to describe the process of recovering an asteroid or comet that was discovered at a previous time, but had not been cataloged or given a permanent designation. Precovery images are typically obtained from historical astronomical surveys or archives, such as those from the Palomar Observatory or observations made by the Catalina Sky Survey.
The use of precovery dates back to the early 20th century, when astronomers began to recognize the
Precovery is essential for a number of reasons. It can help to better understand an asteroid's or
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) have been particularly instrumental in