Dave or anyone, I have been using a subset of the 2MASS catalog as the onboard astrometric (and radiometric) star catalog for a space-based infrared sensor. My...
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Brian Skiff
bas@...
Apr 1, 2010 9:08 pm
In re the question about whether there's a match-up of 2MASS versus other catalogues to get proper motions, that is essentially what has been produced by the...
The MPC has issued the following statement in MPC 69147. Just a heads-up that now there is no point in submitting two-night discoveries, as they won't be...
A pretty low blow. Sometimes technology really hampers the quality of life that we should expect in our 80-or-so short years. But, for gosh sakes, we need to...
I'm really glad to see this discussion of which star catalogues are best for measuring asteroids today (as well as objects newly identified on decades-old...
Believe me, the MPC guys don't joke around. Here is the link: http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/2010/MPC_20100330.pd f Andrew ... From:...
The short answer to your question is: at the Hipparcos epoch the differences in position are trifling. However at current epochs the differences are...
This is certainly my understanding. However I should add that astrometry from asteroidal occultations is in a different category. Because it is reported as an...
So here's a logistical question: how quickly do the surveys send their MBA ONS identifications to MPC? Amateurs might still have an advantage, if only because ...
Robert, Our survey telescopes turn in the "incidental astrometry" observations at the end of each observing night. NEO observations go in as soon as they are...
OK guys; we all knew this was coming. I (an amateur) had some fun trying for a few MB discoveries now and then. Lately, however, between the really dramatic ...
23315
Andrea Milani
milani@...
Apr 2, 2010 6:56 am
I am sorry, but this list has a short "memory". In 2007 we (Milani, Gronchi and Knezevic) published a paper on EMP proposing a new definition of discovery...
Hello all, the dust/debris structure is still constant, 1'03" in PA 286.5 details of the image of April, 1 under: ...
23317
Jean-Claude MERLIN
jcmerlin@...
Apr 2, 2010 10:44 am
Hi all, I've always sent new personal designations for every object every night. Don't see what's up. Let the MPC make the identifications and avoid confusion...
23318
Andrea Milani
milani@...
Apr 2, 2010 2:19 pm
The NEODyS team is interested in a significant orbit improvement for the asteroid 2005 YU55. This object is observable now, and will be more and more easy to...
Just this morning, a new iPhone app was released by the LSST Corporation that allows amateurs, professionals, and armchair enthusiasts to monitor the stream of...
Hi Andrea, "...After that [2005 YU55] will soon disappear (too near to the Sun)..." Indeed, it will transit the Sun on May 2. Sadly, the apparent diameter...
Until I read MPC 69147, I had assumed that the time used by MPC to assign priority to observations was the time of receipt of the "Observations" email or the...
Hi all - The latest official estimate from NASA: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=asteroid-impact-climate-change Actually, at current...
... Call me skeptical, I'm still waiting.... http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/03/23/tantric-guru-in-india-fails-to-kill-skeptic/ ...
Hmmm.... yes, I think a transit is a bit out of phase angle range (as the one who computed the constants of the H-G system). Don't feel bad, it took the MPC a...
23325
Dave Tholen
tholen@...
Apr 3, 2010 12:30 am
... It's not clear what significance of the angular distance from the Sun was intended. A tiny telescope (one-inch) is sufficient to resolve the object and...
... Nobody is going to disagree with you there, Dave. ******************************************************************* Alan W. Harris Senior Research...
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Dave Tholen
tholen@...
Apr 3, 2010 1:10 am
... Looking at the code, I see that the phase correction is clamped at 750 magnitudes, so the fact that YU55 bottomed out at 66.93 must mean that my minimum...
Hi Dave, "...I decided to try a different case...the Moon on 1991 July 11 at the time of the total solar eclipse as seen from Mauna Kea." That _would_ be an...
... Excuse my ignorance, but should not the full Earth be -17.0 by this calculation if it is brighter? Clear and dark skies! - Bert ... Bert Stevens ...
23331
Dave Tholen
tholen@...
Apr 3, 2010 2:40 am
... Well, I was thinking in terms of the generic "Sun, object, observer" geometry, not specifically someone on Earth, but the point is well taken. So here's an...
