[LVAS] Fwd: Spread word about the Apr. 5/6 brightest asteroidal occ'n ever predicted for N. America

Mon Mar 29 20:04:43 PDT 2010

Dave,

Thanks. Too bad I have to work that day!

Fred

> Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:16:38 -0700
> To: lvas at lvlug.org
> From: Yahoo at awit.com
> Subject: [LVAS] Fwd: Spread word about the Apr. 5/6 brightest asteroidal occ'n ever predicted for N. America
> 
> Just received this notice about a bright star (mag 2.5) occultation 
> by an asteroid (mag 14.7) at 3:21 am PDT on the morning of Tuesday 
> April 6. This will be a NAKED EYE event - You'll be able to see this 
> 2nd magnitude star vanish for several seconds.
> 
> I'm still analysing this, to figure out where I plan to go 
> watch. Here 
> (http://www.poyntsource.com/New/Google/20100406_20757.HTM) is an 
> interactive google map of the path. The green line is the 
> center. Here 
> (http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/2010_04/0406_824_20757.htm) is 
> additional info.
> 
> 
> 
> >X-Auth-ID: dunham
> >X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 7.1.0.9
> >Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:57:05 -0400
> >To: EBE918 at aol.com
> >From: David Dunham <dunham at starpower.net>
> >Subject: Spread word about the Apr. 5/6 brightest asteroidal occ'n ever
> > predicted for N. America
> >X-Junkmail-Whitelist: YES (by domain whitelist at mr02.lnh.mail.rcn.net)
> >
> >I attach maps & sky charts for this event for Nevada;
> >see the Web site mentioned below for explanations.
> >_______________________________________
> >
> > The occultation of Zeta Ophiuchi by (824) Anastasia on Monday
> >night/early Tuesday morning, April 5/6, is the brightest asteroidal
> >occultation ever predicted for North America involving an asteroid
> >this large. This is a naked-eye event that could be seen by many
> >thousands in and near the predicted path. The International
> >Occultation Timing Asssociation (IOTA) encourages as many as
> >possible to try to see and time this occultation, to obtain as
> >detailed an outline of the asteroid as possible, to accurately
> >measure its size and shape. Not just amateur astronomers, but anyone
> >with the most rudimentary knowledge of the sky, can find the 2.5-
> >mag. star with simple full-sky charts that I've prepared and that
> >Brad Timerson has placed on a Web page about this event at
> >http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/observations/NA/Anastasia/ .
> >Also on that Web site is information about how the occultation can
> >be timed with simple techniques, ranging from just watching and
> >counting to video recording the event with camcorders.
> >
> > Those in the region of possible visibility, extending from
> >southern California to Alberta, are encouraged to pass this
> >information on to their friends, and especially to distribute it on
> >astronomical society list servers so that nearly everyone in
> >organized astronomy clubs throughout the region can learn of this
> >rare event. Hopefully, information about this will be distributed
> >by local media, at least in the form of short messages, like the
> >first paragraph above pointing to the Web site where detailed
> >information is available. For general consumption, I've used the
> >more familiar "eclipse" rather than "occultation" in most places on
> >the Web site, but do explain that "occultation" is the astronomical
> >term used for the phenomenon.
> >
> > I give parts of the information on the Web site below; you are
> >encouraged to visit it yourself to learn details of the event and
> >how it might be observed. The full-sky charts were produced on the
> >http://www.heavens-above.com Web site and edited to emphasize the
> >information needed for this event. At the end of this message, I
> >give a short paragraph that you might use to send to your friends
> >and even local media, to encourage others to visit the Web site and
> >try to observe this unique event.
> >_________________
> >
> >Some of the information from the Web site:
> >
> >The eclipse of the star Zeta Ophiuchi will last up to 8 seconds in a
> >25-mile-wide path from the Los Angeles area to Edmonton, Alberta
> >
> >ANYONE in the path can help accurately measure the size and shape of
> >the asteroid by making simple observations of the eclipse
> >
> >The International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) seeks as
> >many observations of the eclipse as possible
> >
> >Seeing a star suddenly vanish, then abruptly reappear several
> >seconds later when a faint asteroid passes in front of it, is a
> >startling sight that will always be remembered. Millions of people
> >will have a chance to see such an event before sunrise early Tuesday
> >morning, April 6th.
> >
> >Anyone who can see and count, lives in or near the eclipse path, and
> >is willing to get up in the middle of the night and go outside for
> >about ten minutes, can help us measure the size and shape of the
> >asteroid 824 Anastasia, if the sky is clear. We want as many as
> >possible to try to observe the eclipse since the detail of
> >Anastasia's shape that we can derive is proportional to the number
> >of places from which the eclipse is observed. Opportunities to see
> >eclipses of bright naked-eye stars by asteroids are rare; this is
> >the brightest star to be eclipsed by an asteroid of this size or
> >larger that has ever been predicted for North America. During a
> >similar event in China in 1991, 3000 tried to see the eclipse, but
> >only 4 of them actually saw it, since the predictions then could
> >only predict the eclipse path's location to about 30 path-widths,
> >and the actual path was a little farther from the predicted one than
> >expected. Since then, thanks primarily to the European Space
> >Agency's star-position-measuring spacecraft HIPPARCOS, our
> >predictions have greatly improved; for the Anastasia eclipse, we
> >expect the error to be about 5 path-widths.
> >
> >You don't have to be an amateur astronomer to contribute; the charts
> >on this Web site will allow anyone with only a rudimentary knowledge
> >of the sky to find the star, Zeta Ophiuchi. It is bright enough to
> >see with the naked eye; you don't even need binoculars, although if
> >steadily held, such as against a fence post, they would give a
> >better view. The star is bright enough to record with many
> >camcorders, especially those with "night" modes. Very accurate
> >observations can be made with such camcorders so if you have one,
> >you are encouraged to use it to record the eclipse. Time accurate
> >enough for this event can be obtained from http://www.time.gov .
> >Basically, try to time the eclipse with whatever resources you have,
> >even if that's just your eyes and ability to count.
> >
> >Results from observations that we receive will be posted on IOTA's
> >asteroidal occultation results Web site at
> >http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/observations/Results/index.html .
> >A good example of results of another occultation, of the star HIP
> >13021 by the asteroid 135 Hertha that was observed on December 11,
> >2008, by observers in the path from Oklahoma to southern California,
> >are shown at
> >http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/observations/Results/Data2008/HerthaProfileNEWcolor.jpg 
> >.
> >The figure projects the observed occultation timings onto the plane
> >of the sky at the asteroid, thus revealing the dimensions and
> >peanut-shape of 135 Hertha. Small telescopes were needed to see HIP
> >13021 since it was about 200 times fainter than Zeta Ophiuchi.
> >
> >We look forward to adding your observation to the outline of
> >Anastasia that we hope to obtain following the April 6th eclipse.
> >_____________________________
> >
> >A short version suitable for non-astronomers and the media; in the
> >first sentence, you might replace "a path extending from the Los
> >Angeles area to Edmonton, Alberta" with "our area":
> >
> > Late Monday night/early Tuesday morning, April 5/6, anyone in
> >a path extending from the Los Angeles area to Edmonton, Alberta has
> >a chance to see a naked-eye star suddenly vanish, then abruptly
> >reappear several seconds later as the asteroid 824 Anastasia passes
> >in front of it. The International Occultation Timing Association
> >(IOTA) wants as many as possible to watch this eclipse, timing its
> >length simply by counting, or perhaps video recording it with a
> >camcorder. Anyone with the most rudimentary knowledge of the sky,
> >not just amateur astronomers, can help with this project to map the
> >outline of Anastasia; the detail of the shape that we can measure is
> >proportional to the number of locations from which it can be
> >observed. Descriptions and simple full-sky charts, on a Web page
> >about this event at
> >http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/observations/NA/Anastasia/ ,
> >show how, starting from the rising last quarter Moon, you can easily
> >locate Zeta Ophiuchi, the star that will be eclipsed.
> >_____________________________
> >
> >David Dunham, March 29, 2010
> >President, International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA)
> >Greenbelt, Maryland
> >Phones home 301-220-0415; cell 301-526-5590
> >office e-mail david.dunham at kinetx.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >

_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection.
http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/210850552/direct/01/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lvlug.org/pipermail/lvas/attachments/20100329/9997ead4/attachment.htm 