2026 Astro Past Events
Jan 6 Tue eve 6:00:00pm - Occcultation of a W=12.5 for 0.7s Star from Santa Cruz. I'm on centerline. Alt=25, Az=49 in Lynxx. Sun= -10. I will have to set up on at Holy Cross Church parking lot. Planning and Results page
Jan 6 Tue eve 11:23pm - Occultation of a 12.1 Star by Asteroid 1999 TT15, from Santa Cruz. Rank is not great, try from home on ~limit line. Alt=59, Az=165. Planning and Results page. Kirk and I both got misses.
Jan 7 Wed eve 9:26:50pm - Occultation of a 12.5 Star for 12.6s by (137) Meliboea. Path includes all of SC County and MIRA. Alt=59. Planning and Results page. Results: I got a positive only for the "R", on a cloudy evening. Kirk got a positive on unattended Astrid at home.
Jan 8 9:21pm - Thur eve, Occultation of a W=10.5 Star for 0.3s by Asteroid 1999RL, from Hwy 17 Summit area - Alt=62 Az=104. Planning and Results page. Results: I got a 0.24s event from Mtn Charlie Ranch. Kirk recorded at the Red Diner on Hwy 17.
Jan 12 Mon eve- 8:30pm - Occultation of a 6.9 mag star for 0.3s by Xerxes, from UCSC and Karl, and Carbonera. Alt=61. Dur=0.6s. This one just appeared in the predictions - a very bright event. I plan to drive up Graham Hill Planning and Results page. Results: I got a 0.70s event at TreeTop Ln, Karl too, from home. Kirk maybe a miss at hay barn UCSC.
Jan 13 Tue eve - 11:54pm - Occultation of an 8.8 Star by Asteroid 4695 P-L, from downtown Santa Cruz. I should be able to get this one from my carport. Dur=0.3s. Planning and Results page. Results: I couuld not ID the star field for this Alt=77 event, with poor GoTo. Kirk got a positive remotely on Astrid at home, but a miss from his UCSC spot.
Jan 14 11:04pm - Occultation of a W=12.4 (combined) star/asteroid by Asteroid Aaltje. Wide path includes Santa Cruz, Carbonera, and Karl. I'm planning on getting this from home, then drive to Pineridge for the 12:30 double feature of the 2002 JY33 asteroid event together with the Dragon capsule fireball re-entry over the skies immediately after the asteroid event. Planning and Results page Results: I got a 2.13s positive from my carport. Kirk too, and Karl. The Valda OCR training session once again succeeded in giving no time stamp errors.
Jan 15 Thur morn 12:31am - Occultation of a 11.0 star for 0.2s by Asteroid 2002 JY33. and Planning and Results page. Results:Recorded at 1x at Pine Ridge cul-de-sac, looked like a miss. Got a few pix of the Dragon capsule firey re-entry just as the recording period for occultation was about to end.
Jan 15 Thur morn 12:33am Thur morn. SpaceX Dragon capsule re-entry. 12:25am Thur morning in NE, fireball then into the SW. Pix Page
Jan 15 Thur eve 9:25:06pm - High value occultation of Jupiter Trojan asteroid Deiphobus. Crosses right over Santa Cruz Mtns vertically. We're all in the path. But the star is faint. W=14.4 combined w/ Deiphobus. The event is 9.2s long, so integration should save the day, but it would be better if we had large scopes on this one. I did not see this on the predictions until tonight - 1 night before the event. Too tight in time to try and get this from MIRA, and our 12" at Cabrillo seems still unlikely to be ready. I have not succeeded in focusing it with the Watec. Planning and Results page. Results: I got success at Pine Ridge cul-de-sac at 32x. Kirk too, from Eco-Reserve. Karl too, from home. All at 32x. Bernard, ??. Results sent in to IOTA and LuckyStar.
Jan 16 Fri eve 7:22pm - Occultation of a 10.9 Star for 0.4s by Asteroid 1994 PC16. From San Adreas/Larkin Valley, and Moran Lake south. Planning and Results page. Results: I observed from the same spot I've used before, on a field at Larkin Valley Rd. Got recording, either a partial occ or miss. Not sure. Kirk from Moran Lake.
Jan 17 Sat 12:22am - Occultation of a 13.4 Star by Asteroid Valda, from coast of Santa Cruz or south of Watsonville. Planning and Results page
Jan 18 Sun eve 8:27pm - Occultation of an 11.4 Star by Assisi, from Graham Hill Rd, Scotts Valley, and just south of Karl. Alt=49 just above Jupiter. Planning and Results page. Results: Kirk, Karl and I all tried this. I got a ~0.5s positive at Treetop Ln, and Kirk the same at "the Berm". Karl, not sure yet.
Jan 18 Sun eve 10pm - Occultation of a 13.1 Star for 1.1s by 1998 BA9, from Karl's place, or north of BD Airfield. Alt=59 in Gemini. I'm not sure I will drive that far to try it. I'm inclined to skip it. But I'll make a planning page if Karl is going to try it. Planning and Results page. I've decided to skip this one. Kirk and Karl both got positives.
Jan 20 Tue eve 7:45pm for my presentation - I will give a Presentation at the on-line Global Star Party on our recent discovery of a new moon around Quaoar..website Link is here . Live simulcast on YouTube (link)
Jan 22 Thur eve 11:17:07pm - Occultation of an 11.2 Star for 0.6s for asteroid 1999 XD40, from western Santa Cruz. Planning and Results page. Results: I drove to the east bike path entrance to Wilder, set up, and got fogged out.
Jan 28 Wed eve 7:56pm - Occultation of a 13.5 Star for 1.0s by 5112 T-2, from Empire Grade and southern Scotts Valley. I plan to try from Twin Gates. Planning and Results page. Results: I got this from Twin Gates, looked like a 1s positive, as Kirk got from "the Berm".
Jan 28 Wed eve 9:33:52pm - Occultation of a W=7.3 Star for 1.2s by 2002 NF39, from Scotts Valley. RUWE=3.95, rank poor, I tentatively plan to drive to Canham Rd in Scotts Valley, Planning and Results page. Results: Got a recording from Canham Rd, a miss. Kirk got shoo'd from his site in SV by cops, no data.
Jan 29 Thur morn -12:39:56am Occultation of a W=7.7 Star by GaiaMoons asteroid (3596) Meriones. From western central California. HIgh value, and looks well suited for small telescopes. Dur=10.3s main body, about 1.5s for moonlet if it exists. RUWE=6.57 which is pretty high. Try from our homes. We could get lucky. Planning Results page. Got a recording from Holy Cross Church, a miss
Jan 30 Fri morn 1:06:09am - Occultation of a 9.6 star by 2002 ER74, from Santa Cruz. My home is on northern limit of a narrow path. Planning and Results page. Results: bright sky and fog made it impossible, tried it from entrance to Neary Park on California St. on centerline. I did not do a recording. But Kirk was in clear spot, got data.
Feb 1 Sun eve 7:09pm - Occultation of a W=12.6 Star by 1999 BD34. Planning and Results page Results: got a recording, unreduced, almost certainly too noisy with bright cirrus clouds to get anything. From carport
Feb 2 Mon eve 10:38:17pm - Occultation of a W=13.3 Star by binary asteroid Sylvia, from Santa Cruz Mtns and south. We're inside the northern limit comfortably enough for some confidence. Drop=0.4 magnitudes for up to 65 seconds. Planning and Results page
Feb 4 Wed morn 12:40:38am - Occultation of a W=14.2 Star for 5.9s by TNO 2014 UW224, from somewhere in the northern hemisphere. 100 mile across TNO, maybe 4% odds of a hit. But if anyone gets a hit, the misses will be more valuable. Alt=65 due south. Planning and Results page Results: Got a recording from home. Not reduced yet.
Feb 7 Sat morn 12:10am - Occultation of a 12.2 star for 0.8s by Sosva, from coastal Santa Cruz (I'm on N. limit). RUWE = 3.95 poor. Try from home. Planning and Results page. Results: Got a recording from home, looked like a miss.
Feb 8 Sun morn - Occultation of a 13.2 Star for 1.5s by 1999 XE165, from northern Santa Cruz and Wilder Ranch. Planning and Results page Results: Got recording from eastern entrance to bike path at Wilder. No one else was able to try as I didn't get it posted on my events page
Feb 8 Sun morn - Occultation of an 11.2 Star for 0.2s by 2000 RL32, from Long Marine lab and Wilder Ranch. Planning and Results page. Results: Got a recording from eastern entrance to bike path at Wilder Ranch. Looked like a miss, at 1x, but not reduced yet. No one else was able to try as I didn't get it posted on my events page
Feb 13, 2026 at 7:10:38pm - Occultation of a 12.2 Star for 0.2s by Asteroid 1998 MH43, from Panamint Valley outside Death Valley. Planning and Results page. Results: I got a successful 0.2s event. Kirk recorded from centeline, unknown result.
Feb 14, 2026 at 6:47pm - Occultation of a 9.5 Star by Annalisa, from Zabriskie Point, Death Valley. Planning and Results page. Results: Successful recording of probable miss by me. Kirk, ?
Feb 14, 2026 at 7:52pm - Occultation of a 13.7 Star for 2.3s by Klio, from Zabriskie Point. Planning and Results page . Results: Kirk and I both got ~2s positives from same sites as Annalisa, in Death Valley.
Feb 19 Thur 6:45:36pm - Occultation of a 10.5 Star for 0.5s by Parini, from Bonny Doon and Summit Store. Alt=74, Az=161 in Taurus. Planning and Results page. Results. I got a positive from the liquor store(!) in Felton.
Feb 21 Sat 8:40:34pm - Occultation of a 13.0 Star for 1.2s by 1999 JF95 from rural San Andreas Rd. SC and Karl not in path. Planning page Results: I observed from near Beach Rd, probable not on target. Kirk farther north, probable success.
Feb 22 Sun eve 8:50:27pm - Occultation of a 12.0 Star for 1.4s by Asteroid Grieg. From south of Davenport, Planning page Results: Kirk and I both got positives. Karl kicked tripod. I was at Shark Fin Cove.
Feb 28 Sat eve 9:14pm - Occultation of an 11.6 Star by Iidetenmondai, from Scotts Valley. Good rank. Alt=22 in SE. Planning page
Mar 3, Tue morn: Total Lunar Eclipse. Totality from 3:04am to 4:03am in Leo. (got some pix)
Mar 3 Tue eve 10:42pm - Occultation of a 13.6 Star by 1999 SP1 at BD airfield, Cabrillo Observatory. Planning page. Results: Got a recording at CabObs
Mar 4 Wed eve 7:56:14pm - Occultation of a W=12.8 Star for 0.4s by Petaev, from Santa Cruz and Aptos Hills. Not Karl. Alt=49 due west, Do-able from home, same for Jordan. Planning page Results: Got a positive from Larkin Valley Rd./Hwy 1. Kirk pos from home
Mar 4 Wed eve 9:14pm - Occultation of an 11.5 Star by 2000 HO4, from La Selva, coastal SC. Maybe do both tonight from Aptos area, w/ a dinner at Los Gordos and meet-up with Jordan? Planning page. Results: Got a recording from Mar Monte cul-de-sac, Kirk from Moran Lake, Karl from home.
Mar 5 Thur eve 11:04pm - Occultation of a W=11.0 Star by 2002 CV37, from Scotts Valley. Planning page. Results: I got a recording from the parking spot at the old Santa's Village.
