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Post Info TOPIC: Pluto Occultation
Blobrana


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Pluto System Occults UCAC 2603 9859
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The Pluto system will occult the star UCAC 2603 9859 (15mag) on June 12th, 2006 around 16h 25min UTC

The Pluto system will occult the star UCAC 2603 9859 (15mag) on June 12th, 2006 around 16h 25min UTC, as first pointed out by Dave Herald (WINOCCULT, DE405) and Jean Lecacheux in early March. A new prediction for this important occultation has been done by Bruno Sicardy, Observatoire d Paris/Meudon using DE413 and an improved ephemeris of P1 and P2.
The main visibility areas of the occultation by Pluto itself will be New Zealand, Tasmania, southern Australia and Reunion.
Even more important, following the discovery of the recently discovered small satellites P2, an occultation of this small body will take place about 1000km north of Pluto's occultation track.

pluto occult
The map above shows a 5' times 5' field with the UCAC numbers and the magnitudes as given in the UCAC catalogue. The star in the center of the circle is the star to be occulted.

Source

-- Edited by Blobrana at 22:25, 2006-06-06

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Blobrana


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RE: Pluto Occultation
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5degreeFOV-2006-6-13-4h23m

Planet Pluto
Date 4:23 June 13 2006
Position(2000) RA: 17h41m09.11s Dec:-15°41'35.4"
Magnitude: 13.9
Diameter: 0.1 "
Field of View 5 degrees
Illuminated Fraction: 1.000
Phase: 0 °
Distance: 30.1217 AU
Solar Distance: 31.1266 AU
Position Angle: 65.5
Pole inclination: -36.6
Sun inclination: -36.4
Central meridian: 346.05

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Blobrana


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Astronomers from around the world are heading to Canterbury University's Mount John observatory near Tekapo, New Zealand, for a rare event this month.

At 4.23am on June 13 the occultation of a faint 15th magnitude star by Pluto – the most distant planet in the solar system – will happen.
Professor John Hearnshaw, of Canterbury University, said the occultation will occur when the motion of the Earth and Pluto brings the planets exactly in line with a faint star and the shadow Pluto casts from the star can be seen from Earth.

"The (shadow) track is predicted to pass right over Mount John at about 4.23am on June 13. Mount John is therefore the world's best placed observatory for making this observation" - John Hearnshaw.

Hearnshaw said the event was very rare. "One previous Pluto occultation in 1988 was also visible from New Zealand and demonstrated for the first time the presence of an atmosphere on Pluto as the star's light rays were bent as they grazed past the planet."

The event was attracting huge interest internationally, with two major teams of astronomers coming to observe the phenomenon.

Source

See also Occultation of C313.2

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