RASNZ Occultation Section - Veritas Occultation Update

ASTROMETRIC UPDATE:
OCCULTATION BY (490) VERITAS - 2003 AUG 22

[Edwin Goffin's Prediction + Finder Charts]

UPDATE: 2003 JUL 22, 04:41 UT

THE UPDATED PATH

(Note: The time given in the line below is for the midpoint of the path as it crosses the Earth - please see the minute markers on the map to determine the approximate the time for your location)

On 2003 Aug 22 UT, the 115 km diameter asteroid (490) Veritas will occult a 11.2 mag star in the constellation Serpens for observers along a path running north/south across Australia. NOTE: Adelaide is within the path.

In the case of an occultation, the combined light of the asteroid and the star will drop by 2.5 mag to 13.6 mag (the magnitude of the asteroid) for at most 24.2 seconds.

This update is based on UNSO/Flagstaff astrometry for the asteroid kindly provided by Ron Stone, historical astrometry from AstDys, and the UCAC catalog for the star position.

Additional details of this and other events are available at Steve Preston's website at http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/

EVENT DETAILS SUMMARY :

Event Rank : 92
(The event Rank is a measure of the likelihood of observing an event, and is equal to
the probability of at least one successful observation by a team of two observers spaced 1/8 path
width just inside opposite sides of the predicted path).
Date and approx. UT time of event : 2003 Aug 22, 11:06 - 11:15 UT
(Refer to map(s) for your own location)
Magnitude of target star : 11.2
Magnitude drop [mag] : 2.5
Estimated maximum duration [s] : 24.2
Phase of moon, angular distance : 28 % sunlit, 165° distance
Sun : 122° distance
Rough path description : Australia, Japan, NE Russia

Data for the target star :

Name : TAC +12#06671
Constellation : Serpens
J2000 position [h,m,s ; °,',"]: RA: 18 07 15.0756 DE: -12 18 48.708
Position source : Pos: UCAC2, pm: UCAC2, pi:
Standard error : RA,DE ["]: ( .023, .021 )
V mag [mag] : 11.2
Remarks : (none)

Data for the minor planet :

Number, name : (490) Veritas
Approx. diameter [km] : 115
Approx. diameter [arcsec] : .064
Source of used astrometry : FASTT Astdys
Number of used observations : 476
Number of rejected observations : 57
Time covered by the observations : 1902 Sep 07 - 2003 Jul 06
1 sigma uncertainty ellipse (major, minor, PA) : 0.021, 0.017, 88°
Remarks :
Update computed by : Steve Preston, Medina, Washington, USA. (OrbFit).

The Occultation Path :

Approximate projected width [km] : 115
Uncertainty interval [path widths] : +/- 0.48 (1 sigma)
Uncertainty interval approx RA,DE ["] : (+/- .031 +/- .027) (1 sigma)
Uncertainty ellipse (major, minor, PA) : ( .031", .027", 89° ) (1 sigma)
Remarks :
Path Co-ordinates :

                  Centre              Star  Star   Sun      Path Limits           Error Limits
  E. Longitude   Latitude      U.T.    Alt    Az   Alt    Limit 1    Limit 2    Limit 3    Limit 4
      o  '  "     o  '  "    h  m  s     o     o     o    o  '  "    o  '  "    o  '  "    o  '  "
                                                        Longitude  Longitude  Longitude  Longitude
    138 57  1   -13  0  0   11  5 14    86   279   -36  138 25  7  139 28 56  138 25  7  139 28 56
    138 53 53   -14  0  0   11  5 37    86   293   -36  138 21 51  139 25 56  138 21 51  139 25 56
    138 50 50   -15  0  0   11  6  0    85   304   -36  138 18 39  139 23  2  138 18 39  139 23  2
    138 47 54   -16  0  0   11  6 24    85   313   -36  138 15 34  139 20 15  138 15 34  139 20 15
    138 45  4   -17  0  0   11  6 47    84   320   -36  138 12 33  139 17 35  138 12 33  139 17 35

    138 42 20   -18  0  0   11  7 10    83   325   -36  138  9 39  139 15  2  138  9 39  139 15  2
    138 39 44   -19  0  0   11  7 33    82   329   -36  138  6 51  139 12 37  138  6 51  139 12 37
    138 37 15   -20  0  0   11  7 56    81   332   -37  138  4 10  139 10 20  138  4 10  139 10 20
    138 34 53   -21  0  0   11  8 20    80   334   -37  138  1 35  139  8 12  138  1 35  139  8 12
    138 32 40   -22  0  0   11  8 43    79   337   -37  137 59  8  139  6 12  137 59  8  139  6 12

    138 30 35   -23  0  0   11  9  6    79   338   -37  137 56 49  139  4 22  137 56 49  139  4 22
    138 28 38   -24  0  0   11  9 28    78   340   -37  137 54 37  139  2 41  137 54 37  139  2 41
    138 26 51   -25  0  0   11  9 51    77   341   -37  137 52 34  139  1 10  137 52 34  139  1 10
    138 25 14   -26  0  0   11 10 14    76   342   -37  137 50 39  138 59 50  137 50 39  138 59 50
    138 23 47   -27  0  0   11 10 37    75   343   -37  137 48 54  138 58 41  137 48 54  138 58 41

    138 22 30   -28  0  0   11 10 59    74   344   -37  137 47 18  138 57 44  137 47 18  138 57 44
    138 21 25   -29  0  0   11 11 22    73   344   -37  137 45 53  138 56 59  137 45 53  138 56 59
    138 20 32   -30  0  0   11 11 44    72   345   -37  137 44 38  138 56 27  137 44 38  138 56 27
    138 19 50   -31  0  0   11 12  6    71   345   -36  137 43 35  138 56  8  137 43 35  138 56  8
    138 19 22   -32  0  0   11 12 28    70   346   -36  137 42 43  138 56  3  137 42 43  138 56  3

    138 19  7   -33  0  0   11 12 50    69   346   -36  137 42  4  138 56 13  137 42  4  138 56 13
    138 19  7   -34  0  0   11 13 12    68   347   -36  137 41 37  138 56 38  137 41 37  138 56 38
    138 19 22   -35  0  0   11 13 34    67   347   -36  137 41 25  138 57 20  137 41 25  138 57 20
    138 19 52   -36  0  0   11 13 55    66   347   -36  137 41 27  138 58 19  137 41 27  138 58 19
    138 20 39   -37  0  0   11 14 17    65   347   -36  137 41 43  138 59 36  137 41 43  138 59 36

    138 21 43   -38  0  0   11 14 38    64   348   -36  137 42 16  139  1 13  137 42 16  139  1 13
    138 23  6   -39  0  0   11 14 59    63   348   -35  137 43  6  139  3  9  137 43  6  139  3  9
    138 24 49   -40  0  0   11 15 20    62   348   -35  137 44 13  139  5 26  137 44 13  139  5 26
    138 26 52   -41  0  0   11 15 40    61   348   -35  137 45 40  139  8  6  137 45 40  139  8  6
    138 29 16   -42  0  0   11 16  1    60   348   -35  137 47 26  139 11 10  137 47 26  139 11 10

    138 32  4   -43  0  0   11 16 21    59   348   -35  137 49 33  139 14 39  137 49 33  139 14 39
    138 35 17   -44  0  0   11 16 41    58   348   -34  137 52  2  139 18 34  137 52  2  139 18 34
    138 38 55   -45  0  0   11 17  1    57   348   -34  137 54 55  139 22 58  137 54 55  139 22 58
    138 43  1   -46  0  0   11 17 21    56   348   -34  137 58 13  139 27 52  137 58 13  139 27 52
    138 47 36   -47  0  0   11 17 40    55   348   -34  138  1 58  139 33 18  138  1 58  139 33 18

    138 52 43   -48  0  0   11 17 59    54   349   -34  138  6 12  139 39 18  138  6 12  139 39 18
    138 58 23   -49  0  0   11 18 18    53   348   -33  138 10 55  139 45 55  138 10 55  139 45 55
    139  4 39   -50  0  0   11 18 37    52   348   -33  138 16 12  139 53 11  138 16 12  139 53 11
    139 11 33   -51  0  0   11 18 55    51   348   -33  138 22  3  140  1  8  138 22  3  140  1  8
    139 19  8   -52  0  0   11 19 14    50   348   -32  138 28 31  140  9 51  138 28 31  140  9 51

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.

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