The digest2 NEO classification code

Abstract

We describe the digest2 software package, a fast, short-arc orbit classifier for small solar system bodies. The digest2 algorithm has been serving the community for more than 13 yr. The code provides a score, D2, which represents a pseudo-probability that a tracklet belongs to a given solar system orbit type. digest2 is primarily used as a classifier for Near-Earth Object (NEO) candidates, to identify those to be prioritized for follow-up observation. We describe the historical development of digest2 and demonstrate its use on real and synthetic data. We find that digest2 can accurately and precisely distinguish NEOs from non-NEOs. At the time of detection, 14% of NEO tracklets and 98.5% of non-NEOs tracklets have D2 below the critical value of D2 = 65.94% of our simulated NEOs achieved the maximum D2 = 100% and 99.6% of NEOs achieved D2 ≥ 65 at least once during the simulated 10-year timeframe. We demonstrate that D2 varies as a function of time, rate of motion, magnitude and sky-plane location, and show that NEOs tend to have lower D2 at low Solar elongations close to the ecliptic. We use our findings to recommend future development directions for the digest2 code.