Astrometry

Current work at SVA is astrometry. After getting the observatory build and surveying the site to get its lat and long for submission to the Minor Planet Center at Harvard, I started working on the techniques needed to make accurate measurements for submission.  Following the Astrometry guide at the MPC  I selected  asteroid numbers 4125 and 42112. On a couple of nights in September 2003 I took some 5min tracked exposures spaced 15min apart and made my measurements with Brian Warner's software MPO Canopus then send them to the MPC so they could check my measurements. A few days passed and I was awarded observatory code H03, Sandia View Observatory.

Here is a picture of A4125 from the first part of the night. A4125 is marked by the lines.

Then here is another one from about 15min later from the above picture. Can you see the movement of the asteroid?

If you couldn't find it, then click here for a hint.

Since then I have been trying to go deeper and deeper with my 0.20m SCT. The last measurements I send in at the beginning of April 2004 were of A43584 and A31843 these were mag 16.9 and 16.7. I've been thinking of getting a new 12" or 14" LX-200 GPS scope so I can go deeper.

Here is an animation of  asteroid A1103 moving through a star field.

On 26 April 2004 I made some observation of A68216 and A34943 and sent my measurements to the MPC ( Minor Planet Center). My measurements for A68216 were published in mpec circular  # 2004-H78., my observations are the last 2 listed in the file ending in EH078H03 <- the H03 being my mpc observatory code, H03..