Occultations

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Occultations

• Do you need one more reason to add more toys for
  astronomy?

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What is an Occultation?

• The passage of a celestial body across a line
  between an observer and another celestial object

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Most commonly by the Moonlike this.
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or this.
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Video of a Total Occultation
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What happens near the edge of the Moon?

• An event called a Grazing Occultation occurs. The
  star may trace out a path behind lunar mountains
  and through lunar valleys.
• Useful in determining location of Baileys Beads
  during solar eclipses.
• Useful in determining changes in the Suns
  diameter.

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Predicted profile of a Grazing Occultation
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What other objects could cause occultations?

• Would it be possible to observe the occultation
  of a star by another type of solar system object?
  

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What other objects could cause occultations?

• Would it be possible to observe the occultation
  of a star by another type of solar system object?
  
• How about an ASTEROID?
• Problems size, position of star, position of
  asteroid, brightness difference between them

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The answer.YES!
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• With
• Enough
• Observers

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• Or, this idea by another
• observer

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• And now?
• Moons of
• Asteroids?
• Kalliope and
• Linus
• Satelloids!

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Sowhat do I do?

• Get needed equipment
• your telescope, known position
• shortwave radio, stopwatch
• low-light video camera, radio, VCR
• low-light video camera, GPS time
• inserter, VCR

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Equipment

• Low-light video camera
• Super Circuits PC164C
• 140
• Video Time Inserter
• KIWI-OSD w/GPS receiver
• 250

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Information and Predictions

• IOTA
• www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/iotandx.htm
• Yahoo IOTAoccultations
• http//tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/IOTAoccultation
  s/
• Super Circuits
• www.supercircuits.com
• KIWI-OSD
• www.pfdsystems.com/kiwiosd.html

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Information and Predictions

• Steve Prestons Prediction website
• www.asteroidoccultation.com
• Derek Breit website
• www.poyntsource.com/New/Google.htm
• Asteroid Occultations Report Website
• www.asteroidoccultation.com/observations
• Pages by Brad Timerson
• www.fingerlakessynthetics.com/occultations/GrazeMa
  ps.html
• www.fingerlakessynthetics.com/AstOccult/