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ASTROMETRIC UPDATE:
OCCULTATION BY (309) FRATERNITAS - 2001 OCTOBER 25

[Prediction using OCCULT software + finder charts]

The prediction given by OCCULT clips the far northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand before running the length of Victoria including metropolitan Melbourne.


UPDATE: 20 October 2001

THE UPDATED PATH

Fraternitas Update

This updated path lies around one path width to the south of that given by Occult and around one minute later. The new path crosses the far northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand including Mangonui at 12:20 UT. Across the Tasman Sea, the path crosses the Gippsland coast near Sale at 12:31 UT running west including most the major LaTrobe Valley towns, the southern half of metropolitan Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and Geelong around 12:32 UT.

The error band for this calculation indicates that occultations may be visible as far south as Auckland (12:20 UT) while Canberra is an outside chance around 12:29 UT.

The most difficult aspect of this event is the relatively faint magnitude of the target star - 12.0 - and the fact that a 63% moon will be only 35 degrees from the field.

Calculation Source

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 and Bill Owen of Table Moutain Observatory, California, USA supplemented with data from the AstDys database. The UCAC position of the target star has been used.

Additional details of this and other events are available at Steve Preston's website at
http://www.oz.net/~stevepr/Asteroids/asteroid.htm

EVENT DETAILS SUMMARY:

The Occultation Path: Data for the target star: Data for the minor planet:

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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