The search for vulcanoids in the 2008 total solar eclipse

Interior to Mercury’s orbit is a dynamically stable region where a population of small, asteroid-like bodies called Vulcanoids has been hypothesized to reside. The Vulcanoid Zone (VZ) extends inward from about 0.18 au to about 0.08 au. During the Total Solar Eclipse (TSE) in 2008, a search for Vulcanoids was completed. Although no Vulcanoids was detected to a moving object detection limit of V=12.8, the search was far more comprehensive than previous searches.