This Blog is contains advance alerts for main belt asteroid events that may be of interest to select RECON teams where the path crosses their specific observing locations. Teams in the Pacific Northwest will be pleased to see that the majority of the events are favorable to the Oregon and Washington Teams.
Alerts are Not Mandatory
These alerts are not part of the RECON campaign. I have permission to send out these alerts, but they are not mandatory. Should any individual or team in RECON chose to observe these events, it is entirely voluntary. Observing these events will contribute to understanding the main belt asteroids, but it will also provide opportunities for RECON teams to practice their skills and keep interest in observing occultations. Nothing inspires an occultation astronomer more than seeing a star on the video screen wink out as predicted and then suddenly reappear.
Format of Alerts
For events occurring in March, each alert is listed below. For each alert, the path map can be used by observing teams to decide if they should attempt to participate in the event. If your team is not near or within the path, then there is no need to respond to the alert.
For each alert, the following information is listed:
Asteroid (number) and name
Catalog number of star occulted
m = combined magnitude of star and asteroid occulted (this will help to establish the sense-up to use for each event)
altitude @ azimuth of the target star at occultation time
Universal Date and Time of event (may be a day later than calendar Date shown in each title listing)
maximum duration of event in seconds (if you see an event, it will likely be shorter than this)
predicted magnitude drop of event (values < 1 may be difficult to see ‘on-screen’ and may require post-video processing to be detected; values between 1-2 will be visible as a dimming on-screen but the star will not disappear; and values >3 will likely be easy to see as a total disappearance of the star)
Sense up recommendation range
A recommended observing time is provided for each alert. Record video for two minutes before the recommended time and two minutes after the recommended time. Dark and flat recordings are not required for these events.
A path map is shown for each alert.
Teams or individuals who plan to participate in the event should sign up for the event on OccultWatcher. Also, you can send me an email directly at triastro@oregontrail.net and I can communicate directly with team members to provide guidance on camera settings, finder charts, recording times and where to post your videos. In special cases, if there is enough interest, I might post a specific blog highlighting a specific event.
Summary of March Main Belt Asteroid Occultation Events
(527) Euryanthe occults TYC 0863-00353-1; m= 11.9 (combined); 60° @ 233°; 03 Mar; 10:07:49 UT; 4 sec; drop: 2.9; 4x-16x
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_03/0303_527_36450.htm
(147) Protogeneia occults TYC 1223-01956-1; m= 10.3 (combined); 36° @ 265°; 04 Mar; 03:10:58 UT; 3 sec; drop: 4.4; 4x-8x
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_03/0304_147_36453.htm
(268) Adorea occults TYC 1279-02052-1; m= 10.8 (combined); 35° @ 273°; 04 Mar; 05:27:39 UT; 9 sec; drop: 3.3; 4x-8x
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_03/0304_268_36454.htm
(63) Ausonia occults TYC 1873-00163-1; m= 10.8 (combined); 49° @ 275°; 11 Mar; 05:01:56 UT; 7 sec; drop: 1.8
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_03/0311_63_36479.htm
(1261) Legia occults TYC 1884-00657-1; m= 10.4 (combined); 30° @ 282°; 12 Mar; 07:23:51 UT; 4 sec; drop: 5.8; 4x-8x
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_03/0312_1261_37578.htm
(257) Silesia occults TYC 1241-00454-1; m= 9.5 (combined); 37° @ 271°; 18 Mar; 03:02:04 UT; 2 sec; drop: 5.6; 2x
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_03/0318_257_37473.htm
(363) Padua occults 2UCAC 37184759; m= 11.8 (combined); 65° @ 227°; 18 Mar; 08:06:39 UT; 8 sec; drop: 1.5; 8x-16x
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_03/0320_61_37474.htm
(61) Danae occults TYC 1778-01059-1; m= 10.1 (combined); 12° @ 298°; 20 Mar; 04:27:18 UT; 2 sec; drop: 3.3; 4x-8x
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_03/0320_61_37474.htm
(119) Althaea occults 4UC 537-015602; m= 12.4 (combined); 38° @ 266°; 20 Mar; 04:54:27 UT; 3 sec; drop: 1.1; 8x-16x
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_03/0320_119_38018.htm
(1271) Isergina occults TYC 1341-01471-1; m= 11.3 (combined); 57° @ 258°; 25 Mar; 04:15:35 UT; 4 sec; drop: 4.6; 8x
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_03/0325_1271_36518.htm
(394) Arduina occults TYC 0859-00398-1; m= 10.2 (combined); 46° @ 251°; 29 Mar; 09:20:35 UT; 2 sec; drop: 4.5; 4x-8x
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_03/0329_394_37478.htm
(675) Ludmilla occults TYC 0220-00072-1; m= 10.8 (combined); 23° @ 260°; 01 Apr; 08:05:23 UT; 18 sec; drop: 1.8; 4x-8x
http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2016_04/0401_675_36544.htm
