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*NEW* UPDATE: 2003 OCT 10, 22:27 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 Oct 18 UT, the 40 km diameter asteroid (219) Thusnelda will occult an 11.0 mag star in the constellation Taurus for observers along a path across W Canada, Hawaii and New Zealand. Within New Zealand the path crosses or passes very close to Wellington, the Wairarapa, Palmerston North and Whakatane.
In the case of an occultation, the combined light of the asteroid and the star will drop by 1.5 mag to 12.1 mag (the magnitude of the asteroid) for at most 6.6 seconds.
This update is based on UNSO/Flagstaff astrometry for the asteroid kindly provided by Ron Stone, historical astrometry from the MPC files (via AstDys), and the following catalogs for the star position: UCAC.
Additional details of this and other events are available at Steve Preston's website at http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/
EVENT DETAILS SUMMARY :Important Note regarding Accuracy:
The uncertainty interval in path widths given above (and shown as a 1-sigma uncertainty ellipse on the plot) refers to RMS deviation and is applied as a +/- range. In other words, a path uncertainty of 1.0 path widths means that the actual center of the asteroid's shadow path should fall within plus or minus 1 path width of the plotted path center. However path errors larger than 1 sigma have been observed so observers should be alert for primary occultations within plus or minus 3 sigma of the updated path.
Further, almost all asteroidal satellites discovered so far have been found within 10 diameters of the asteroid (since this distance is deep enough within the gravitational well to be stable over long timescales). Therefore, if monitoring for secondary events, observing out to about 10 path-widths either side of the predicted track remains worthwhile.
We therefore recommend that you monitor for events if your observing location is up to +/- 10 path-widths from the predicted track. If not monitoring for occultations by secondary bodies you should observe from locations within 3 sigma of the nominal path.
In terms of time, the predictions are now usually accurate to about +/- 0.3 minute so you should be most attentive during the predicted minute of the event. However if intending to catch a potential satellite occultation you should start observing at least 10 times the predicted central duration before the predicted closest approach time for your location, and continue for a similar period afterwards.
Occultation of TYC 0681-00641-1 by 219 Thusnelda on 2003 Oct 18
Distance from center of occultation path - in km
Km Location Longitude Latitude h m Alt
113 Dunedin 170 30 -45 53 13 54.6 27.42
91 Tauranga 176 09 -37 41 13 53.1 36.50
87 Picton 174 01 -41 17 13 53.8 32.60
81 Christchurch 172 38 -43 31 13 54.2 30.17
81 Blenheim 173 57 -41 31 13 53.8 32.37
81 National Park 175 24 -39 10 13 53.4 34.93
78 Raetihi 175 17 -39 25 13 53.4 34.67
73 Wanganui 175 02 -39 56 13 53.5 34.12
70 Ohakune 175 24 -39 24 13 53.4 34.72
60 Rotorua 176 16 -38 09 13 53.2 36.11
58 Kaikoura 173 41 -42 24 13 54.0 31.49
48 Taupo 176 06 -38 41 13 53.3 35.57
45 Waiouru 175 41 -39 28 13 53.4 34.74
40 Marton 175 23 -40 04 13 53.5 34.10
33 Paraparaumu 174 59 -40 53 13 53.7 33.24
30 Wellington 174 46 -41 17 13 53.7 32.81
26 Taihape 175 48 -39 41 13 53.4 34.57
25 Otaki 175 09 -40 46 13 53.6 33.39
23 Levin 175 17 -40 36 13 53.6 33.58
20 -- Northern limit --
11 Whakatane 177 00 -37 57 13 53.1 36.50
8 Palmerston North 175 38 -40 21 13 53.6 33.91
-4 Featherston 175 20 -41 06 13 53.7 33.14
-12 Greytown 175 27 -41 05 13 53.7 33.19
-16 Carterton 175 32 -41 02 13 53.7 33.25
-20 -- Southern limit --
-21 Martinborough 175 28 -41 14 13 53.7 33.05
-21 Dannevirke 176 06 -40 12 13 53.5 34.18
-21 Masterton 175 39 -40 56 13 53.6 33.38
-33 Cape Palliser 175 25 -41 35 13 53.7 32.72
-47 Waipawa 176 35 -39 57 13 53.4 34.54
-52 Napier 176 55 -39 29 13 53.3 35.06
-55 Hastings 176 51 -39 39 13 53.4 34.89
-72 Wairoa 177 25 -39 03 13 53.2 35.59
-102 East Cape 178 33 -37 41 13 52.9 37.16
-103 Gisborne 178 01 -38 40 13 53.1 36.10
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
141 33 51 -68 0 0 13 56 30 1 50 -12 140 49 0 142 18 5 140 49 0 142 18 5
144 30 46 -67 0 0 13 56 30 2 47 -13 143 50 0 145 11 5 143 50 0 145 11 5
Latitude Latitude Latitude Latitude
145 0 0 -66 49 17 13 56 29 3 47 -14 -66 34 29 -67 4 5 -66 34 29 -67 4 5
146 0 0 -66 26 31 13 56 29 3 46 -14 -66 11 30 -66 41 33 -66 11 30 -66 41 33
147 0 0 -66 2 41 13 56 28 4 45 -14 -65 47 26 -66 17 56 -65 47 26 -66 17 56
148 0 0 -65 37 42 13 56 28 4 44 -15 -65 22 13 -65 53 12 -65 22 13 -65 53 12
149 0 0 -65 11 32 13 56 27 5 43 -15 -64 55 47 -65 27 16 -64 55 47 -65 27 16
150 0 0 -64 44 6 13 56 26 6 42 -16 -64 28 6 -65 0 6 -64 28 6 -65 0 6
151 0 0 -64 15 20 13 56 24 6 41 -16 -63 59 4 -64 31 36 -63 59 4 -64 31 36
152 0 0 -63 45 10 13 56 23 7 40 -17 -63 28 37 -64 1 43 -63 28 37 -64 1 43
153 0 0 -63 13 31 13 56 22 8 39 -17 -62 56 41 -63 30 21 -62 56 41 -63 30 21
154 0 0 -62 40 18 13 56 20 8 39 -18 -62 23 10 -62 57 26 -62 23 10 -62 57 26
155 0 0 -62 5 25 13 56 18 9 38 -18 -61 47 59 -62 22 53 -61 47 59 -62 22 53
156 0 0 -61 28 48 13 56 15 10 37 -19 -61 11 2 -61 46 35 -61 11 2 -61 46 35
157 0 0 -60 50 19 13 56 13 11 36 -19 -60 32 13 -61 8 26 -60 32 13 -61 8 26
158 0 0 -60 9 53 13 56 10 11 35 -20 -59 51 26 -60 28 21 -59 51 26 -60 28 21
159 0 0 -59 27 22 13 56 7 12 34 -20 -59 8 33 -59 46 12 -59 8 33 -59 46 12
160 0 0 -58 42 40 13 56 3 13 33 -21 -58 23 29 -59 1 52 -58 23 29 -59 1 52
161 0 0 -57 55 38 13 55 59 14 33 -22 -57 36 4 -58 15 13 -57 36 4 -58 15 13
162 0 0 -57 6 10 13 55 55 15 32 -22 -56 46 12 -57 26 8 -56 46 12 -57 26 8
163 0 0 -56 14 5 13 55 50 16 31 -23 -55 53 43 -56 34 29 -55 53 43 -56 34 29
164 0 0 -55 19 17 13 55 44 17 30 -24 -54 58 30 -55 40 6 -54 58 30 -55 40 6
165 0 0 -54 21 36 13 55 38 18 29 -24 -54 0 24 -54 42 50 -54 0 24 -54 42 50
166 0 0 -53 20 53 13 55 31 20 28 -25 -52 59 15 -53 42 33 -52 59 15 -53 42 33
167 0 0 -52 16 59 13 55 23 21 28 -26 -51 54 53 -52 39 5 -51 54 53 -52 39 5
168 0 0 -51 9 43 13 55 15 22 27 -27 -50 47 11 -51 32 17 -50 47 11 -51 32 17
169 0 0 -49 58 58 13 55 5 23 26 -28 -49 35 59 -50 21 59 -49 35 59 -50 21 59
170 0 0 -48 44 34 13 54 55 25 25 -29 -48 21 7 -49 8 2 -48 21 7 -49 8 2
171 0 0 -47 26 21 13 54 44 26 25 -29 -47 2 28 -47 50 17 -47 2 28 -47 50 17
172 0 0 -46 4 13 13 54 31 28 24 -30 -45 39 52 -46 28 36 -45 39 52 -46 28 36
173 0 0 -44 38 1 13 54 18 29 23 -31 -44 13 14 -45 2 52 -44 13 14 -45 2 52
174 0 0 -43 7 40 13 54 2 31 23 -32 -42 42 27 -43 32 57 -42 42 27 -43 32 57
175 0 0 -41 33 5 13 53 46 33 22 -33 -41 7 26 -41 58 47 -41 7 26 -41 58 47
176 0 0 -39 54 11 13 53 28 34 21 -34 -39 28 8 -40 20 17 -39 28 8 -40 20 17
177 0 0 -38 10 58 13 53 8 36 21 -35 -37 44 32 -38 37 28 -37 44 32 -38 37 28
178 0 0 -36 23 26 13 52 47 38 20 -36 -35 56 38 -36 50 18 -35 56 38 -36 50 18
179 0 0 -34 31 38 13 52 24 40 20 -37 -34 4 30 -34 58 50 -34 4 30 -34 58 50
180 0 0 -32 35 40 13 51 59 42 19 -38 -32 8 14 -33 3 10 -32 8 14 -33 3 10
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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