Event Details
Orbits of three detached objects, including 15TG387
Below are details for an optional but interesting RECON – Lucky Star collaborative campaign opportunity. Beyond the Kuiper Belt, there is a population of minor planets with highly elliptical orbits called extended scattered disc objects, or detached objects. Sedna is the largest of these discovered to date. The orbits of Sedna and several other detached objects are the basis for predictions that there may be another large planet in the outer solar system, currently dubbed Planet Nine.
One of these is 15TG387, nicknamed The Goblin because it was discovered around Halloween back in 2015. While 15TG387 is currently 80 AU from the Sun (roughly two times farther from us than Pluto), it has an orbit of 34,000 years that will take it out to a maximum distance of over 2,000 AU!
We have the opportunity to join a global campaign involving 15TG387 on Friday evening, October 19, around 22:00 PDT/MST. Occultation prediction uncertainties for the object are high, but there will be observers in South America as well as other IOTA members participating. If successful, this occultation would significantly improve our knowledge of the object’s orbit, which has significant implications for our study of detached objects. The occultation campaign is optional for the RECON network because we were only able to get the announcement out one week prior to the event. However, if you are available the evening of October 19, this is a great opportunity for RECON students, teachers, and community members to join this global research effort. (Note that the information below is not presented in the standard RECON format.)
For all event details (including sense-up) visit: RECON Event Detail Page for 15TG387
Lucky Star prediction: http://lesia.obspm.fr/lucky-star/predictions/single.php?p=9288
Lucky Stars prediction for 15TG387
Pre-Event Checklist
- Complete the RECON Campaign Signup Form for this event. Submissions are updated hourly on our Signup Status Page.
- Plug in your power supply and RECON laptop to make sure both are fully charged well in advance of the event.
- Print this page along with the Detail Page above and practice finding field prior to event.
Feel free to contact the RECON leadership team anytime by emailing tnorecon-org@mailman.boulder.swri.edu.
Observation Protocol
See our Full Campaign Observation Protocol Page for details on files to save:
- Position Video
- Event Video
- Sky Field Video
- Dark Field Video
You should configure VirtualDub to save files sequentially by using “Set Capture File” to save as C:/Users/RECON/Data/YYYYMMDD/YYYYMMDD_01. You should record the filenames and information about each file using the RECON Observation Logsheet.
Finder Charts
Starfield provided by Jerry Bardecker using Guide 9.
Image of Starfield
Starfield image provided by Bryan Dean at 64x.
Starfield image provided by Bill Gimple.
Post-Event Details
If you participate in this optional event, we request that you Report Your Observations. This includes completing the Campaign Observation Report Form (below), saving an electronic version of your log sheet, and uploading both videos and observation log to SwRI in Boulder.
We need all teams to complete the RECON Campaign Observation Report Form within one week of the event. To view reports from teams from throughout the network, check out the Event Reporting Status Page.