FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Re: SMART-1 impact

[Brent A Archinal <barchinal@xxxxxxxx>]

The SMART-1 impact was imaged by the C-F-H telescope at Mauna Kea (see 
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/index.html and the 
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEM2N58ZMRE_0.html link for the 
images) , and it was apparently also imaged by some amateurs as Andrew 
Cooper has noted here.  Several of us from the Coconino Astronomical 
Society tried to observe this from a member's home near Williams, AZ, but 
were clouded out completely.
The story at http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEMV386LARE_0.html notes 
how we here at USGS provided improved topographic information for this 
area of the Moon, after which they raised the SMART-1 orbit by several 
hundred meters so as to avoid a one-orbit earlier than nominal impact 
situation.  This assured the impact would be visible (at ~5:42 UT) from 
the largest number of observatories that were planning to watch it (e.g. 
in and around the Pacific basin).  Too bad it was mostly cloudy in the 
southwest U.S.!

- Brent


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