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PLANETARY OCCULTATIONS: 2006 RESULTS


This page provides an overview of all events observed during the year where a positive occultation was recorded. Full details of other observational attempts are published in the Section's Circulars.

(1180) Rita occultation - 2006 December 10
(795) Fini occultation - 2006 November 11
(204) Kallisto occultation - 2006 November 18
(983) Gunila occultation - 2006 October 26
(393) Lampetia occultation - 2006 October 23
(754) Malabar occultation - 2006 October 04
(688) Melanie occultation (3 misses) - 2006 October 03
(958) Asplinda occultation - 2006 August 15
Charon occultation - 2006 July 26
(131) Vala occultation - 2006 July 1
(659) Nestor occultation - 2006 June 30
(776) Berbericia occultation - 2006 June 29
(3202) Graff occultation - 2006 June 27
(35) Leukothea occultation - 2006 June 26
Pluto occultation - 2006 June 12
(112) Iphigenia occultation - 2006 May 10
(336) Lacadiera - 2006 May 1
(148) Gallia - 2006 April 8
(4) Vesta - 2006 March 29
(10) Hygiea - 2006 March 2
(914) Palisana - 2006 February 20
(925) Alphonsina - 2006 February 18
(9) Metis - 2006 February 11
(238) Hypatia - 2006 January 4

[Results from previous years]
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OBSERVED OCCULTATIONS 2006


Occultation of TYC 1248-00504-1 by (1180) Rita - 2006 December 10:

Please refer to the separate Rita results page.

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Occultation of 2UCAC 44958518 by (795) Fini - 2006 November 11:

Please refer to the separate Fini results page.

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Occultation of TYC 0665-00914-1 by (204) Kallisto - 2006 November 18:

Please refer to the separate Kallisto results page.

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Occultation of TYC 5711-00736-1 by (983) Gunila - 2006 October 26:

Please refer to the separate Gunila results page.

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Occultation of TYC 0190-01563-1 by (393) Lampetia - 2006 October 23:

Please refer to the separate Lampetia results page.

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Occultation of TYC 4885-00181-1 by (754) Malabar - 2006 October 04:

Please refer to the separate Malabar results page.

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Occultation of TYC 5688-00496-1 by (688) Melanie - 2006 October 03:

( 3 clear misses ) Please refer to the separate Melanie results page.

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Occultation of TYC 6907-00294-1 by (958) Asplinda - 2006 August 15:

Please refer to the separate Asplinda results page.

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Occultation of UACA2 20741230 by (131) Vala - 2006 July 1:

Please refer to the separate Vala results page.

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Occultation of TYC 6854-00630-1 by (659) Nestor - 2006 June 30:

Please refer to the separate Nestor results page.

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Occultation of TYC 5608-00388-1 by (776) Berbericia - 2006 June 29:

Please refer to the separate Berbericia results page.

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Occultation of HIP 82979 by (3202) Graff - 2006 June 27:

Please refer to the separate Graff results page.

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Occultation of UCAC2 16456646 by (35) Leukothea - 2006 June 26:

Please refer to the separate Leukothea results page.

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Occultation of UCAC2 20901961 by (112) Iphigenia - 2006 May 10:

Please refer to the separate Iphigenia results page.

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Occultation of UCAC2 27487159 by (336) Lacadiera - 2006 May 1:

View the Updated Prediction

A 5.3 second occultation was observed by Diana Watson in Whakatane, NZ.

Observational Data:

Observer's Name                  : Diana Watson
Aperture (cm)                    : 20
Focal length (cm)                : 200
Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian)       : Celestron 8
Magnification                    : 160 times
Observing site name              : Whakatane
Longitude (DD MM SS ; East +ve)  : 176 51 50.7
Latitude (DD MM SS ; South -ve)  : -37 55 18.5
Height above Sealevel (metres)   : 2.8 metres
Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949): WGS84
Height Datum (if known)          : MSL
Sky Transparency (Delete two)    : Fair 
Star Image Stability (Delete two): Good
Other Conditions:  
     (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.): Lot of cloud around, hence moisture 
                                   disturbance of the air. 
Time Source (e.g. WWVH, GPS)     : WWVH
Recording method (e.g. tape)     : tape recorder
Could you see the Asteroid?      : Yes
Approx. Limiting Magnitude       : 13 when no cloud
                                          | Estimated  |
                           Universal Time | Reaction   | Accuracy, Remarks
                              h  m  s     | Time (sec) | 
Started Observing          : 07:00:00.0
Star and Object Merged     : 07:02:00.0   by this time
Disappearance At           : 07:11:18.1
Reappearance At            : 07:11:23.4   
Star and Object Separated  : 07:19:00.0  by this time 
Stopped Observing          : 07:20:00.0

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I hope that I did see something and not imagine it! Expecting to!
Felt that there was a slow dimming for about 3 to 5 secs, that is when I started to time it. 
But it seemed to brighten almost instantly. If a positive result feel that the accuracy is lacking!

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Occultation of TYC 0760-02408-1 by (148) Gallia - 2006 April 8:

Please refer to the separate Gallia results page.

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Occultation of TYC 1897-00966-1 by (4) Vesta - 2006 March 29:

Please refer to the separate Vesta results page.

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Occultation of TYC 6859-01229-1 by (10) Hygiea - 2006 March 2:

Please refer to the separate Hygiea results page.

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Occultation of TYC 4801-01258-1 by (914) Palisana - 2006 February 20:

Please refer to the separate Palisana results page.

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Occultation of TYC 6887-00865-1 by (925) Alphonsina - 2006 February 18:

Please refer to the separate Alphonsina results page.

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Occultation of TYC 0862-00695-1 by (9) Metis - 2006 February 11:

Please refer to the separate Metis results page.

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Occultation of TYC 4945-01016-1 by (238) Hypatia - 2006 January 4:

Please refer to the separate Hypatia results page.

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Occultation of TYC 6874-00694-1 by (54) Alexandra - 2005 October 27:

Please refer to the separate Alexandra results page.

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Occultation of TYC 1223-01266-1 by (19) Fortuna - 2005 October 25:

Please refer to the separate Fortuna results page.

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Occultation of TYC 0652-00699-1 by (100) Hekate - 2005 September 3:

View the Updated Prediction

An occultation of indeterminate duration was observed by Ross Skilton at Tayforth, NZ.

Observational Data:

Observer's Name                  : Ross Skilton
Aperture (cm) 			 : 20
Focal length (cm) 		 : 203
Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian) 	 : SCT
Magnification 			 : 12.5mm and widefield adapt giving about 100x 
Observing site name 		 : Tayforth
Longitude (DD MM SS ; East +ve)  : 174 59 55.6 East
Latitude (DD MM SS ; South -ve)  : -39 54 55.7 South
Height above Sealevel (metres)   : 56
Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949): WGS84
Height Datum (if known) 	 : MSL
Sky Transparency (Delete two) 	 : Good 
Star Image Stability (Delete two): Good 
Other Conditions: 			
(Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.)	 : Still;dark
Time Source (e.g. WWVH, GPS) 	 : WWVH for video 
Recording method (e.g. tape) 	 : VCR failed. Switched to visual timing but missed timing with stopwatch
Could you see the Asteroid? 	 : No
Approx. Limiting Magnitude 	 : 13
                                          | Estimated  |
                           Universal Time | Reaction   | Accuracy, Remarks
                              h  m  s     | Time (sec) | 
   COLUMN FORMAT TO USE--->  __:__:__._        _._       _________________)
Started Observing 	   : 13:41:20 approx +/- 5 sec
Disappearance At 	   : In Progress
Reappearance At 	   : Missed timing reappearance 

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: 
VCR failed. Switched to visual timing but missed timing with stopwatch. Definite occultation at Tayforth though.

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Occultation of TYC 1818-01272-lu by (712) Boliviana - 2005 August 30:

A 6.9 sec occultation was timed by Steve Hayward at Yimnalem, Papua New Guinea.

The original predicted track (no update was available) was as follows:

Boliviana prediction - 2005 August 30

Observational Data:

Observer's Name                  : Steven M Hayward
Aperture (cm)                    : 25
Focal length (cm)                : 112.5
Type (e.g. SCT; Newtownian)      : Newtonian Dobsonian
Magnification                    : 70
Observing site name              : Yimnalem
Longitude (East +ve)             : 144 35 49.2
Latitude (South -ve)             : - 5 08 34.8
Height above Sealevel (metres)   : 1372
Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949): Australian Geodetic Datum 1966
Height Datum (if known)		 : Mean Sea Level
Sky Transparency (Delete two)    : Fair
Star Image Stability (Delete two): Good
Other Conditions:
     (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.): Thin high cloud coming and going
Time Source (e.g. WWV, VNG)      : WWVH
Recording method (e.g. tape)     : Stopwatch set to WWVH
Could you see the Asteroid?      : Yes
Approx. Limiting Magnitude       : 13.5
                                          | Estimated  |
                           Universal Time | Reaction   | Accuracy, Remarks
                              h  m  s     | Time (sec) |
Started Observing          : 19:18:30
Disappearance At           : 19:20:50.8        0.5
Reappearance At            : 19:20:57.7        0.5
Stopped Observing          : 19:24:30
Occultation Duration       : 6.9 sec

Was your reaction time (also known as Personal Equation) subtracted from
any of the above timings?  : Yes
If YES, state value        : 0.5 for both disappearance and reappearance

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: First minor planet success after several years! It was nearly on the predicted time 
- 9 seconds early, so I was poised and ready to hit the stopwatch and am confident it was no more than 
0.5 seconds reaction time. Also put 0.5 for the reappearance because of some slight confusion of mind, 
which I will explain and you might get a chuckle out of if you have the time to read it.

I've been trying to observe several MP events this month, so have several numbers in my mind of some of 
the better ones I wanted to observe. When I went out this morning at 4am I glanced at the Occult prediction 
sheet to confirm the time in my mind, and also glanced at the maximum duration, but in the dim light I 
saw maximum duration as 1.2 seconds rather than 7.2 seconds. There were a lot of thin high clouds blowing 
around, which finally cleared about 4 minutes before time (even though I had been watching the star for 
about 30 minutes through the clouds since it was bright (mag. 10). It blinked off, and I was ready to 
immediately hit the stopwatch again because of the short 1.2 second duration. But it stayed off! During that 
7 seconds my mind thought a lot of things, while also noticing that the rest of the diamond of stars I 
had used for reference were all still there and unchanged, as well as that I could see the minor planet 
in the star's position. So the star finally reappeared and I completed the timing, but thinking a cloud 
must have got in the way somehow. But if so why did it blank out only that one star in a very tight group. 
And was it just a trick of my mind that I thought I could still see the minor planet? I was doing lunar 
occultations also, so didn't go inside for quite awhile. I checked the times, saw that it was 6.9 seconds 
duration, and was preparing to write my report about a false disappearance when I looked at the Occult sheet 
again and saw that it was 7.2 seconds. Only at that point did I finally enjoy my first minor planet success! 
In retrospect, how could I possibly think that a bright (12.7 magnitude) main belt minor planet would only 
produce a 1.2 second occultation? I can only suppose that it has something to do with the combination of a 
human brain and 4am.

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Occultation of TYC 0026-00863-1 by (51) Nemausa - 2005 August 21:

Please refer to the separate Nemausa results page.

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Occultation of UCAC2 27587020 by (24) Themis - 2005 August 17:

View the Updated Prediction

A brief occultation was timed by Steve Kerr at Glenlee, Queensland.

Observational Data:

Observer's Name                  : Steve Kerr
Aperture (cm)                    : 25
Focal length (cm)                : 150
Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian)       : Newtonian
Magnification                    : 83X
Observing site name              : Glenlee
Longitude (DD MM SS ; East +ve)  : +150 30' 01.4"
Latitude (DD MM SS ; South -ve)  : -23 16' 10.1"
Height above Sealevel (metres)   : 50
Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949): WGS 1984
Height Datum (if known)          : AHD
Sky Transparency (Delete two)    : Good
Star Image Stability (Delete two): Moderate
Other Conditions:  
     (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.): VERY Windy, bright moonlight.
Time Source (e.g. WWVH, GPS)     : GPS-KIWI
Recording method (e.g. tape)     : Stopwatch
Could you see the Asteroid?      : Yes
Approx. Limiting Magnitude       : 12.9
                                          | Estimated  |
                           Universal Time | Reaction   | Accuracy, Remarks
                              h  m  s     | Time (sec) | 
Started Observing          : 13:03:00.0
Disappearance At           : 13:05:24.0		0.5
Reappearance At            : 13:05:24.5		- See comments below
Stopped Observing          : 13:07:00.0

Was your reaction time (also known as Personal Equation) subtracted from 
any of the above timings?  : No

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Due to the extreme wind shake on the scope at the time, there
is some lingering doubt about the observation.  The mag drop was expected to
be only 1.1 and I even think that may have been a little optimistic.  However,
there was a rather dramatic fade step at the time noted above.  The star almost
immediately recovered which makes me think that I have seen a very short duration
event - nominally 0.5 second.  The fact that it occurred pretty much exactly
when Steve Preston predicted it for this site is comforting.

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Occultation of TYC 6856-01519-1 by (1071) Brita - 2005 August 3:

Please refer to the separate Brita results page.

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Occultation of TYC 7439-00302-1 by (356) Liguria - 2005 July 17:

Please refer to the separate Liguria results page.

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Occultation of 2UCAC 1976 2541 by (1071) Brita - 2005 July 12:

View the Updated Prediction

An uncertain blink was was observed by Clive Rowe in Waddington, NZ. No event was seen by Brian Loader from Darfield.

Observational Data:

Observer's Name                  : Clive Rowe
Aperture (cm)                    : 33 cm
Focal length (cm)                : 150 cm
Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian)       : Newtonian / non-driven equatorial
Magnification                    : 60 x
Observing site name              : Waddington
Longitude (DD MM SS ; East +ve)  : +172 02 02
Latitude (DD MM SS ; South -ve)  : -43 23 58
Height above Sealevel (metres)   : 300
Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949): Garmin GPS
Height Datum (if known)          : _
Sky Transparency (Delete two)    : Fair
Star Image Stability (Delete two): Good
Other Conditions:
  (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.)   : Clear frosty night, no wind, faint
				   ground fog (scattering vertical torchlight)
Time Source (e.g. WWVH, GPS)     : WWVH , 10 MHz  Cs beam clock crystal
Recording method (e.g. tape)     : WWVH tape record count  plus stopwatch
Could you see the Asteroid?      : No
Approx. Limiting Magnitude       : 12.0
                                            | Estimated  |
                             Universal Time | Reaction   | Accuracy, Remarks
                                h  m  s     | Time (sec) |
Started Observing            : 09:30
Star and Object Merged       : na
Disappearance At  approx:    : 11:53:14       VERY uncertain 1/2 to 1 second blink
Estimated Closest Approach   : na
Reappearance At              : 11:53:15          
                             : Watch was stopped, reading 4.3 seconds with about 4 sec 
                             : delay to identify possible event
                             : Uncertain visibility, possible short disappearance
Star and Object Separated    :
Stopped Observing            : 11:56  (target still visible)

Was your reaction time (also known as Personal Equation) subtracted from
any of the above timings?    :
If YES, state value          : >4 second at possible ingress delayed by check on visibility 
                               hence occultation DURATION: 0.5 + 0.5  -0.5 =  0.5 seconds VERY uncertain

If you could tell, in which direction did the asteroid pass relative to
the star (Delete three)      : na

If possible, estimate the DISTANCE OF CLOSEST APPROACH in arc seconds: na
List all Interruptions to Observing:
                FROM          TO            REASON
     Break 1:   11:50         11:50:10      Check time

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:  This was (again) a marginal observation as sky had brightened due to local fog
The mirror was cleaned and collimated the previous day and the field was identified the previous night 
when the sky was darker (heavy frost, no fog).


Observer's Name                  : Brian Loader
Aperture (cm)                    : 25.4
Focal length (cm)                : 250
Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian)       : SCT
Magnification                    : n/a
Observing site name              : Darfield
Longitude (DD MM SS ; East +ve)  : +172° 06' 24.4" E
Latitude (DD MM SS ; South -ve)  :  -43° 28' 52.9" S
Height above Sealevel (metres)   : 210
Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949): WGS84
Height Datum (if known)          : MSL

Sky Transparency (Delete two)    : Good
Star Image Stability (Delete two): Good
Other Conditions:  
     (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.):  nil

TIMINGS:  (PLEASE REPORT IN UNIVERSAL TIME)
Time Source (e.g. WWVH, GPS)     : GPS/KIWI
Recording method (e.g. tape)     : VIDEO
Could you see the Asteroid?      : no
Approx. Limiting Magnitude       : 11.5+ on video
                                          | Estimated  |
                           Universal Time | Reaction   | Accuracy, Remarks
                              h  m  s     | Time (sec) | 
   COLUMN FORMAT TO USE--->  __:__:__._        _._       _________________)
Started Observing          : 11:49
Stopped Observing          : 11:57

Was your reaction time (also known as Personal Equation) subtracted from 
any of the above timings?  : n/a

List all Interruptions to Observing: nil

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:  no event observed.

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Occultation of TYC 0312-00784 by (4672) Takuboku - 2005 June 13:

View the OCCULT Prediction

An approximately 2.7 second occultation was observed from Gore, NZ, by Ross Dickie.

Observational Data:

Observer's Name                  : Ross Dickie
Aperture (cm)                    :  20
Focal length (cm)                :  200
Type (e.g. SCT; Newtownian)      :  SCT
Magnification                    :  133x
Observing site name              :  Gore.
Longitude (East +ve)             :  168° 55' 20.7" E
Latitude (South -ve)             :  -46° 06' 22.4" S
Height above Sealevel (metres)   :  81 metres.
Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949):  NZ1949.
Sky Transparency (Delete two)    :  Good
Star Image Stability (Delete two):  Good
Time Source (e.g. WWV, VNG)      : WWVH 5MHz
Recording method (e.g. tape)     : Memorised stopwatch timed to WWVH 5MHz.
Could you see the Asteroid?      : NO.
Approx. Limiting Magnitude       : 13.0
                                          | Estimated  |
                           Universal Time | Reaction   | Accuracy, Remarks
                              h  m  s     | Time (sec) | 
Started Observing          : 11:49:28
Disappearance At           : 11:51:30.4        1.1 sec P.E. (already subtracted)
Reappearance At            : 11:51:33.1        0.5 sec P.E. (already subtracted)
Stopped Observing          : 11:59:05 
Duration		   : 2.7 sec

Was your reaction time (also known as Personal Equation) subtracted from 
any of the above timings?  : YES, to the D and R.
If YES, state value        : As mentioned above.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

I noted this occultation event visible from southern NZ on the Section's website.  Its predicted
and narrow path was to run vertically through the southern South Island, through Dunedin.  
So in good conditions, I routinely monitored this event involving a 9.3 magnitude star in Virgo, 
beginning from 11:49 UT.  Two minutes later, I noted a disappearance and then timed it with my 
running memorised stopwatch.  Its reappearance occurred 2.1 seconds later (my P.E.s 
unsubtracted), and I continued to monitored the star for 7½ minutes afterward.

My positive event occurred just 21 second after WinOCCULT 3.1.1's predicted time, and its path 
has shifted a little to the west than predicted by WinOCCULT 3.1.1.

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Occultation of UCAC2 25125430 by (74) Galatea - 2005 June 1:

Please refer to the separate Galatea results page.

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Occultation of TYC 7292-01766-1 by (436) Patricia - 2005 May 28:

Please refer to the separate Patricia results page.

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Occultation of UCAC2 28565902 by (585) Bilkis - 2005 May 21:

Please refer to the separate Bilkis results page.

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Occultation of TYC 5179-00043-1 by (904) Rockefellia - 2005 May 13:

Please refer to the separate Rockefellia results page.

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Occultation of TYC 6162-01480-1 by (1961) Dufour - 2005 May 13:

Please refer to the separate Dufour results page.

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Occultation of TYC 0882-00712-1 by (521) Brixia - 2005 May 10:

Please refer to the separate Brixia results page.

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Occultation of UCAC2 15123091 by (545) Messalina - 2005 May 9:

Please refer to the separate Messalina results page.

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Occultation of TYC 7879-02886-1 by (506) Marion - 2005 May 1:

View the Updated Prediction

An approximately 7 second occultation was observed from Waddington, near Christchurch, NZ, by Clive Rowe.

Observational Data:

Observer's Name                  : Clive Rowe
Aperture (cm)                    : 33 cm
Focal length (cm)                : 150 cm
Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian)       : Newtonian / non-driven equatorial
Magnification                    : 60 x
Observing site name              : Waddington
Longitude (DD MM SS ; East +ve)  : +172 02 02
Latitude (DD MM SS ; South -ve)  : -43 23 58
Height above Sealevel (metres)   : 300
Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949):  Garmin GPS
Height Datum (if known)          : _
Sky Transparency (Delete two)    :  Good
Star Image Stability (Delete two):  Poor
Other Conditions:  
     (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.): Clear night, light wind
Time Source (e.g. WWVH, GPS)     : WWVH
Recording method (e.g. tape)     : WWVH aural count  plus stopwatch  (no tape)
Could you see the Asteroid?      : No
Approx. Limiting Magnitude       : 12
                                          | Estimated  |
                           Universal Time | Reaction   | Accuracy, Remarks
                              h  m  s     | Time (sec) | 
   COLUMN FORMAT TO USE--->  __:__:__._        _._       _________________)

Started Observing          : 08:20  Started field identification approx 1 hour prior occ
Star and Object Merged     : na (not applicable, asteroid not visible)
Disappearance At           : Approx 08:39:20++  (lost count of WWVH time, no tape recorder)
Estimated Closest Approach : na
                (if no D/R)
Reappearance At            : Short bright peak when watch was stopped: 6.0 seconds 
Star and Object Separated  : 
Stopped Observing          : 08:41

Was your reaction time (also known as Personal Equation) subtracted from 
any of the above timings?  : Yes
If YES, state value        : 1.5 second at ingress delayed by check on visibility by 
                             averted vision, approx 0.5 second delay on egress (bright pulse) 
                             hence occultation:
			     DURATION:  6.0 + 1.5 -0.5 = 7 seconds. error. est +- 2 seconds

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:  This was a marginal observation as averted vision was used to see the
target star and this produced additional delays in timing.

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Occultation of TYC 4974-00606-1 by (326) Tamara - 2005 April 13:

Please refer to the separate Tamara results page.

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Occultation of TYC 1950-00182-1 by (110) Lydia - 2005 April 3:

Please refer to the separate Lydia results page.

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Occultation of TYC 6268-00358-1 by (103) Hera - 2005 April 1:

Please refer to the separate Hera results page.

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Occultation of TYC 4978-00870-1 by (326) Tamara - 2005 April 1:

Please refer to the separate Tamara results page.

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Occultation of TYC 1440-00692-1 by (943) Begonia - 2005 March 25:

View the Updated Prediction

An approximately 7.8 second occultation was observed from Glenlee, Queensland, by Steve Kerr. This observation suggests that the predicted path moved slightly to the north.

Observational Data:

Observer's Name                  : Steve Kerr
Aperture (cm)                    : 25
Focal length (cm)                : 150
Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian)       : Newtonian
Magnification                    : 83X
Observing site name              : Glenlee
Longitude (DD MM SS ; East +ve)  : +150 30' 01.4"
Latitude (DD MM SS ; South -ve)  : -23 16' 10.1"
Height above Sealevel (metres)   : 50
Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949): WGS 1984
Height Datum (if known)          : AHD
Sky Transparency (Delete two)    : Good
Star Image Stability (Delete two): Poor
Other Conditions:  
     (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.): Very bright moonlight
Time Source (e.g. WWVH, GPS)     : GPS - KIWI
Recording method (e.g. tape)     : Stopwatch
Could you see the Asteroid?      : No
Approx. Limiting Magnitude       : 11.5
                                          | Estimated  |
                           Universal Time | Reaction   | Accuracy, Remarks
                              h  m  s     | Time (sec) | 
Started Observing          : 11:57:00.0
Disappearance At           : 11:58:49.3        2.0
Reappearance At            : 11:58:57.1        2.0
Stopped Observing          : 12:00:00.0
Duration                   : 7.8 sec

Was your reaction time (also known as Personal Equation) subtracted from 
any of the above timings?  : No

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Very severe light pollution from a full moon only
20° away.  The star was just observable by averted vision meaning that
events shorter than about 3 seconds would have been missed.  Large values
of PE are as a result of simply because it takes a little while to be 
confident that what you are seeing isn't the result of flickering at the
edge of visibility.  I would normally have used a higher magnification if
star visibility was so marginal but due to the sparse field, tracking would
have been difficult and I would probably have lost the field at some stage.

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Occultation of TYC 6859-01202-1 by (144) Vibilia - 2005 March 22:

View the Updated Prediction

An approximately 2.7 second occultation was observed from Brisbane, Queensland, by Peter Anderson.

Observational Data:

Observer's Name                  : Peter Anderson
Aperture (cm)                    : 41
Focal length (cm)                : 245
Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian)       : Newtonian
Magnification                    : X 198
Observing site name              : Taylor Range Observatory
Longitude (East +ve)             : 152 56 01.4580 
Latitude (South -ve)             : -27 27 47.5562
Deflection of the Vertical Meridian: -5.271 Prime Vertical: 3.189
Please note that this astronomical position has been determined by Qld Dept of 
Natural Resources and is consistent with the Geodetic Datum of Australia (GDA94). 
The physical position of the station has not shifted since establishment in 1980.
(To find the position of the observatory under various datums, refer to my website 
www.uq.net.au/~zzpeande and reference the article 'The problem of Position' under 
'Articles'.)
 
Height above Sea level (metres)  : 176.3
Sky Transparency (Delete two)    : Fair 
Star Image Stability (Delete two): Fair
Other Conditions:  
     (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.): Misty haze throughout particularly low in the 
direction I was looking. I nearly abandoned it earlier but it cleared up somewhat.
Time Source (e.g. WWVH, VNG)     : WWVH
Recording method (e.g. tape)     : Stopwatches and tape recorder
Could you see the Asteroid?      : No
Approx. Limiting Magnitude       : 13.5 to 14.5 around time of observing
                                          | Estimated  |
                           Universal Time | Reaction   | Accuracy, Remarks
                              h  m  s     | Time (sec) | 
Started Observing          : 17 05 00
Disappearance At           : 17 07 16.5    0.8sec	+0.25/-0.15sec taken by surprise 
							a bit and very tired
Reappearance At            : 17 07 19.2    0.3sec	+/- 0.1sec 
Stopped Observing          : 17 10 00

Was your reaction time (also known as Personal Equation) subtracted from 
any of the above timings?  : Yes
If YES, state value        : as above

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Times quoted are the times after PE was deducted. 
I was constantly worried about cloud and mist in this area, but it worked out well.  
I checked the times from the taped comments as well as the stopwatches and they are 
in agreement. 

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Occultation of HIP 82176 by (7) Iris - 2005 February 17:

Please refer to the separate Iris results page.

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Occultation of TYC 0751-01632-1 by (1403) Idelsonia - 2005 January 4:

View the Updated Prediction

An approximately 1.05 second occultation was observed using video from Darfield, NZ by Brian Loader. The predicted path moved south by several track-widths.

Observational Data:

Observer's Name                  : Brian Loader
Aperture (cm)                    : 25.4
Focal length (cm)                : 250
Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian)       : SCT
Magnification                    : n/a
Observing site name              : Darfield
Longitude (DD MM SS ; East +ve)  : +172° 06' 24.4" E
Latitude (DD MM SS ; South -ve)  :  -43° 28' 52.9" S
Height above Sealevel (metres)   : 210
Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949): WGS84
Height Datum (if known)          : MSL
Sky Transparency (Delete two)    : Good
Star Image Stability (Delete two): Fair/Poor
Other Conditions:  
     (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.): nil
Time Source (e.g. WWVH, GPS)     : GPS/KIWI
Recording method (e.g. tape)     : VIDEO
Could you see the Asteroid?      : no
Approx. Limiting Magnitude       : 11.5 on video
                                          | Estimated  |
                           Universal Time | Reaction   | Accuracy, Remarks
                              h  m  s     | Time (sec) | 
Started Observing          : 11:46:20
Disappearance At           : 11:49:49.75   n/a          +/- 0.07s   
Reappearance At            : 11:49:50.8    n/a          +/- 0.1s
Stopped Observing          : 11:51:20
Estimated duration         :  1.05s +/- 0.1s        

Was your reaction time (also known as Personal Equation) subtracted from 
any of the above timings?  : n/a

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: 
An event very close to one second long occurred here.  The power of using a video was demonstrated, 
in that although I saw the event on screen, I was able to play back many times to confirm and extract times.

The star was too faint to use KIWI/OSD or frame counting.  Times had thus to be extracted from video play-back 
by watch. The larger error for the reappearance results from a wider spread of time estimates due to tendancy 
to anticipate the reappearance being so close to the disappearance.

Darfield was about 2.7 sigma south of the predicted southern edge of the path.  The event was also about 4 
seconds earlier than the predicted time of closest approach at Darfield, representing a 0.8 sigma difference 
in time.

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