The path across the Sierra. The blue lines bracket the nominal path as the asteroid glides over the star. The red lines bracket the area within which the odds of the occultation happening, is 66%. Our site is the red cross, at Potswisha camp.
On Saturday night at 7:53pm, the small asteroid Sternburga will pass in front of the bright star HIP34002 as seen from a path xxx miles wide which crosses the United States from California to Virginia. The star is magnitude 6.0, one of the brightest occultations anywhere in 2010. There will be a number of observers attempting to get timings of this event from different tracks along this path. We will try to be the first. However, it'll be tough! This occultation will last for only xxx seconds for a centrally located observer, and will occur while the twilight is still strong. We'll have only a few minutes to locate the star and get data-taking started, once it's dark enough to do. The star is high in the sky, and we'll have our 10" LX200 scope with it's computerized pointing to try and get the target quickly. I will have video recording equipment, but it's quite possible we'll only have time to do the event visually, shouting "D!" and "R!" when the star disappears and reappears. But wait! It's tougher than this, even. We'll be very close to the centerline of the predicted path, but the orbit of the asteroid and accuracy of the star position are such that the estimated odds of the path crossing our location is only 31%. If we succeed, gang, it'll be a great victory!
The path across the Sierra. The blue lines bracket the nominal path as the asteroid glides over the star. The red lines bracket the area within which the odds of the occultation happening, is 66%. Our site is the red cross, at Potswisha camp. |
Link to Steve Preston's prediction set