ASTROMETRIC UPDATE:
OCCULTATION BY (306) UNITAS - 2001 OCTOBER 5
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[Prediction by Edwin Goffin]
[Prediction using OCCULT software]
Goffin's path runs from just north of Rockhampton on the Queensland coast southwest across Australia to the Cape Leeuwin area of far southwest Western Australia. The path given by Occult is virtually identical and around 10 seconds earlier.
UPDATE: 30 September 2001
This prediction update has been computed by Steve Preston of Medina, Washington (state) in the United States based on astrometry from Ron Stone of the US Naval Observatory - Flagstaff Station supplemented with data from the AstDys database. The Tycho 2 position of the target star has been used.
Summary:
This updated path lies around two path widths to the northwest of that given by Goffin with little difference in time. The path now runs from Mackay on the central Queensland coastline (12:50:30 UT) to the southwest across central Australia including Birdsville and Kalgoorlie. In the Perth area, the nominal path covers the Fremantle/Mandurah are at 12:54 UT at a lowish altitude of 17 degrees. All of metropolitan Perth lies within the error margin of this calculation.
Additional details of this and other events are available at Steve Preston's website at http://www.oz.net/~stevepr/Asteroids/asteroid.htm
THE EVENT AT ONE GLIMPSE:
- Date and approx. UT time of event: 2001 October 5: 12:52 UT
- Magnitude of target star: 9.10
- Magnitude drop [mag]: 2.8
- Estimated maximum duration [s]: 5.5
- Path description: See above.
- Goffin's original chart reference: A01_1026
The Occultation Path:
- Approximate width [km]: 46
- Uncertainty [path widths]: +/- 0.75 (1 sigma)
- Map: See below
Data for the target star:
- Name: TYC 0037-00795-1 = PPM 145281 = SAO 110333
- Constellation: Cetus
- J2000 position [h,m,s; o,',"]: 2h 05m 48.5921s; +0o 49' 33.908"
- Position source: Tycho 2
- Estimated accuracy ["]: 0.024" (0.015", 0.019")
- V mag [mag]: 9.10
- B-V [mag]: +0.93
- Remarks:
- The target star is in central Cetus. It lies only one degree north-east of 60 Ceti (magnitude = 5.4) and 2.2 degrees south-east of alpha Piscium (magnitude = 3.8).
Data for the minor planet:
- Number, name: (306) Unitas
- Approx. diameter [km]: 49
- Source of used astrometry: US Naval Observatory - Flagstaff Station (Ron Stone), AstDys
- Number of used observations: 371
- Number of rejected observations: 64
- Time covered by the observations: 1902 03 13 - 2001 09 24
Data for the event:
- UT date and time of least geocentric approach: 2001 October 5: 12:42.7 UT
- Approx. V mag of minor planet at event [mag]: 11.76
- Geocentric parallax of minor planet ["]: 7.07
- Magnitude drop [mag]: 2.8
- Estimated maximum duration [s]: 5.5
- Apparent motion of minor planet ["/h]: 35.72
- Angular distance to moon, phase of moon [deg,%]: 18, 92%
- Update computed by: Steve Preston, Medina, Washington, USA. (OrbFit).
IMPORTANT NOTE!
Astrometric updates such as these should not be taken as definitive, but rather only as an indication of where the true track may lie relative to the original predicted track. Observers must bear in mind that later astrometry, in which the target star is measured in the same field as the asteroid, may still reveal substantial changes to the predicted track and time of the event. For this reason it is most important that observers far from the predicted track still monitor the event.
Use these links for further information:
[Planetary Occultations]
[Using the Predictions]
[Observing Details]
[Timing Details]
[Reporting Details]
[Report Form]
[Asteroid Occultation Results]
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