FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Re: NY40 viewing at Lowell

["Howard C. Anderson" <handy13@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your earlier information regarding getting a current element
set for 2002 NY40.   Using that element set and Megastar made it very easy
to capture the asteroid with the ST-7.

I was then able to make a movie from the captured frames.  The movie is 
out at
     http://www.astroshow.com/ccdpho/ccdpho.htm
under "Movies".  The movie includes two telescope positions with the
asteroid crossing the frames at those positions.

I see you were wondering about the brightness variations.  I wondered
also.  I have the original frames that I took.  I assume brightness
information with respect to time could be derived from those frames if
anyone is interested.

Clouds interferred but was able to get pretty good images as it skittered
across the sky. Rather lengthy project to make the movie.  Used almost
everything.  Megastar, CCDSoft, ImCap (which I wrote that controls
LX-200), AIP4Win, Paint Shop Pro, Animation Shop 3, etc.  Megastar really
helped.  I was able to move the telescope remotely (using Megastar for the
coordinates and ImCap to move the telescope) to the next place where the
Asteroid would enter the corner of the frame.  The asteroid would show up
just as predicted.  Left the CCD camera in auto-shoot mode so that it took
5 second exposures then 15 second downloads.  When the asteroid would
leave the current frame, I would move the telescope remotely to the next
appropriate point.  Got more frames than are in the movie but not too many
without clouds.  The 5 second exposures meant that the asteroid left a
short trail since it was really moving fast.  (I was using f/3.3 focal
reducer...)

Thanks,

Howard

Brian Skiff wrote:

>     We had reasonably clear weather and good Saturday night public-viewing
>crowd at Lowell Observatory on Mars Hill tonight.  The main telescopes
>were not nimble enough to track 2002 NY40, but three of the local amateurs
>(Bill Ferris, Brent Archinal, and Padraig Houlahan---"amateurs":  two PhD
>astronomers and one of the better-known amateurs!) had their own Newtonians
>set up on our patio area and picked up the asteroid.  Very easy to see
>once found.  It seemed to me as though the brightness was varying greatly
>over the course of 20 minutes or so, but it could have been illusory due
>to scattered light (Moon and necessary on-site lights).  The three showed
>the asteroid to dozens of people each.  One difficulty was having to change
>the description of the star-field moment-by-moment, and of course to find
>the asteroid if someone bumped the telescope.  Bill, Brent, and Padraig
>had their hands full keeping up with the thing whether their telescopes
>were tracking or not.  Bill seemed less successful with his equatorial
>mount than the others with alt-az mounts.  Had lots of good discussions
>with visitors about impacts, asteroid searches, the ridiculousness of
>blowing up asteroids anytime soon, etc.  Many people got genuinely excited
>being able to see something moving in the sky real-time. having the
>knowledge that this rock was at the distance of the Moon whizzing overhead.
>A "public outreach" success.


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