2019 Astro Events
Jan 1 Tue evening - Occultation of 12.5 by Fidelio, from north of Santa Cruz. 80% odds from Locatelli Meadow in BD, much less from home. 0.43 drop for 6 sec. Planning and Results page Results: Got a successful event recorded!
Jan 15 Tue eve 6:15pm - Occultation of 13.0 combined (0.7 drop) by binary asteroid Antiope from Santa Cruz . Planning page ; Results: Rained out
Jan 20 Sun eve - Total Lunar eclipse graze from Pt Reyes of 7.8 star during totality. I've booked a bed at the hostel for Saturday night. Planning page. Change of plan due to weather. I'm staying home where prospects are better. Results: Got some photos from Dave&Diane's, hoping for SCTC friends to join. Rain till start, but clear for totality.
Mar 11 - Mon eve 10:50pm Occultation of 6.7 by Eros, from Alum Rock. Planning and Results page . Results: Kirk joined me, used "2nd Unit" to get a good 1.4s recording, I was a mile away, got 1.6s by audio/WWV, at Alum Rock Park
Mar 13 - Wed morn 6am - Occultation of 12.0 by Toni, from Santa Cruz . Planning page . Results: Was not able to ID the star field, hurt by lack of UCAC4 . Too bad; clear skies, equipment worked.
Mar 19 Tue - Sandy Faber lecture - 5:30pm in Silicon Valley campus of UCSC. I can't go; Astro 7 interferes. Extra Credit opportunity for intrepid students! Looks like a great lecture from one of our greatest living astronomers. Results: Very good. Look for podcast on the web.
Apr 5-7: Astro 25 to Sequoia National Park, highlight is Graze of 7.6 star 13s of 3+ moon, alt=9, sun-8. From 3 Rivers a few miles from Potwisha Campground. Results: Had clear skies, good hike to Marble Falls, graze watched visually.
Apr 26-28 Fri-Sun: Astro 27 class to Laguna Mtn and Pinnacles National Park. Results: two clear dark nights, great hike to Laguna Falls, and through the Bear Gulch caves at Pinnacles.
May 16 Thur eve 6:15-8:15pm - my public talk on "Climate Abandoned: Will Human Civilization and its Thermodynamics Permit Sustainability and Climate Stability?" and web page
Jun 18 Tue morn 12:39am - Occultation of 13.3 by 11.7 Eurynome, from Santa Cruz. But only 0.2 mag drop, not possible visually. . Planning and Results page . Results: A successful recording, from Mtn Charllie Monument. But too dim and too noisy. Just can't get a 13.3 star with only 2-frame integration and 6 degrees from a full moon.
Jun 24 12:11am Monday morning, Occultation of 11.8 star by Caltech, 2.9 drop, odds 31% from home, but only 37% from centerline at Pinnacles. Fog danger, might go into mtns for it. Planning and Results page Results: I drove to Upper Meadow of UCSC and successfully taped a miss. Almost identical track, Jerry B also recorded a miss. The path south-shifted says Ted.
Jun 29 Sat 2am - Occultation of 13.2 star by 1999 XA160 with me on centerline, but 24% odds. 2s duration. If not foggy, worth a try. see OW. UCAC4 stars not plotted in this area, though. Planning and Results Page Results: Slept through the alarm! I did still wake up, but only 22 minutes before the event. I JUST missed getting the recording started. However, I verified that with clear skies it's possible to see 13.3 magnitude with 1/2-1 sec integrations, at 30 deg altitude.
Jul 3 Wed eve 9:21pm - Occultation by Rosalinde of 10.1 star. Sun -13, otherwise looks very good event. 37% odds from home. Centerline 40% odds. Cabrillo Observatory slightly worse than home. Near Eta Aquila. Planning and Results page Results: clear from home, but equipment problems and no data. Kirk from UCSC had a probable miss, starting data just before predicted central occn.
July 7 Sun 2am - Occultation of 11.4 by Gaussia, from Santa Cruz. Good rank, deep drop. If clear, should try for 2nd chord. Planning and Results page Results: Got a 4 sec occn at Locatelli Ranch. Kirk B was at Martin Rd in BD, but had video equpment trouble and no data.
Jul 23 Tue 10:26pm - Occultation of 13.0 star (r=12.1) by 11.8 Siegena, from Central CA, Monterey at northern limit. Drop 0.29, or 0.42 in r band. 14 sec duration. Long integration should see it. Planning and Results Page Results: I had a miss from deeper inside the northern limit, but I've not analyzed Kirk's tape yet. Very likely a miss as he was farther north by 11 miles.
Jul 28 Sun 2:33am - Occultation of 12.7 by Hopmann, same track for Santa Cruz and Patriarch Grove - if you go to Barcroft 30% odds. 19 deg alt in Sagitarrius. Planning and Results Page Results: Kirk tried from Martin Rd, but telescope pointing would not function. No observation, no pix.
July 29 Mon morn 4am - Occultation of 7.4 star by Phaeton, High importance event. Need to get chords in support of Japanese space mission to Phaethon, which is the parent object of the Geminids meteor shower. Old dead comet? Asteroid? Transition object? Planning and Results page Results: Successful 0.48s occultation from my track, a miss from Kirk's successful taping.
Aug 2-4: Fri-Sun - Astro 25 Field Astronomy. Location: Indian Creek Lake near Markleville, Sierras. Results: Great trip! All went well.
Aug 5-9 Mon-Fri - The Galaxy Formation Workshop at UCSC ("JoelFest")
Aug 9 Fri - Occultation of 10.7 star by Eugenia. Results: Clouded out.
Aug 8-11: Thur-Sun - the Galaxy Formation Workshop at UCSC
Aug 21 Wed morn 1:20am - Occultation of 13.2 by Richilde from home Planning and results page Results: Miss successfully recorded from home
Sep 2 Mon morn 4:15am - Occultation of 11.6 by Elizabetha from Bay Area, SC on southern limit. Labor Day holiday. Planning page Results: My iPhone alarm set wrong. Slept through it! But Kirk got it, a miss from Ano Nuevo.
Sep 4 Wed morn 4:47am - Occultation of 8.5 star by Vincentina from Santa Cruz. Good event high rank Planning and Results Page Results: recorded from home, but high clouds interfered. Got the R. reported 9/17
Sept 6 Fri morn 2am - Occultation of 9.0 by Felicia, from Santa Cruz and Sierra, high rank, bright star - right before GraniteMan swim. I'll be at June Lake - not be able to do it. Results: Kirk got a great double occultation event. New satellite, or double-lobed asteroid! I'll review and reduce his tape sometime soon. Results Page reported 9/19.
Sep 20 Fri 9:20pm - Occultation of 12.7 by Pax, from Santa Cruz. Very high odds. 17 degrees, 0.34 mag of extinction, in Ophiuchus, only 10' from 52 Oph, helps a lot in locating it. Planning and Results Page.
Results: I observed from Cabrillo Observatory, and unfortunately used a very high integration due to some trouble with scope drift and re-ID'ing the target. I could have used 32x and maybe even 16x and gotten better time resolution. I had a possible short event, or a miss. Kirk did not succeed with observations. Report sent in.
Sep 25 Wed 2:18am - Occultation of 7.8 star by Griseldis, with Santa Cruz south of the southern limit. ; 10 deg altitude in the east requires strict station site selection. Planning and Results Page
Results: I drove to the Xmas tree farm on top of Bonny Doon and got a good video record at setting 2x (no integration), with a miss. Report sent in.
Sept 27-29 - Astro 25 Field Astro , held at Arroyo Seco canyon in the Big Sur mountains. Results: A great trip, clear skies, good astro from Chris K and Karl with big optics, and good micro-lectures all day Saturday and Sunday at the river swimming holes.
Oct 4 Fri morn 4am - Occultation of 13.5 by asteroid Ruth, from home. Odds 29%. 3.0s duration. Planning and Results Page. Results: I did try it from home. A miss confirmed, and report sent in.
Oct 8 Tue 3:14am - Occultation of 13.5 by Plankia, from Santa Cruz. Best observed either home or Observatory. Planning and Results page. Results: I badly needed sleep. but Kirk got a taping from west side Santa Cruz. Probable miss, but will analyze soon when he gives me his tape.
Nov 2 Sat morn- 2:30am - Occultation of 13.2 by Octavia, from Santa Cruz. 64% odds from home, 68% from centerline. Planning and Results page Results: Looks like Kirk and I both got good recordings, of misses.
Nov 3 Sun eve 11:30pm - Occultation of 13.7 by Erida. Centerline across Santa Cruz. Good odds. May need the 12" for this one. 5.8s duration. 58% odds. Planning and Results Page Results: Got a good record of a ~4 sec occultation from home. Kirk at UCSC had power trouble, no data.
Nov 11 Monday: sunrise to 10am - Transit of Mercury (Veteran's Day holiday at school). Planning and photo page.
Dec 23 Mon morn 12:30am - Occultation of 12.3 by Industria from Santa Cruz . Planning and Results Page Results: Got a successful 7s occultation. Confirmed standard configuration is safe up to 70 degrees at least, and probably 73 degrees barely..