PLEASE NOTE:
*
CCNet, 15/2000 - 7 February 2000
--------------------------------
added note: ANOTHER ASTEROID ON POTENTIAL IMPACT
COURSE DISCOVERED
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"A bizarre fragrance that smells of
meteorites has been developed
by British perfume experts, New
Scientist reports. The odour,
called Cyba, smells "sulphurous,
smoky, like gunpowder, metallic
[...] The 'futuristic, atmospheric'
perfume [...] was developed by
analysing the smell given off by
molecules of carbonaceous
chondrite, the commonest mineral found
on meteorites."
-- New
Scientist, 4 February 2000
(1) METEORITE IMPACT ON THE MOON?
Sirko Molau <molau@informatik.rwth-aachen.de>
(2) QUESTIONABLE IMAGE OF A LUNAR IMPACT
Daniel Fischer <dfischer@astro.uni-bonn.de>
(3) SMALL SUNSPOT, BIG FLARE
Space Science News <express@spacescience.com>
(4) SUPERVOLCANOES COULD TRIGGER GLOBAL FREEZE
Michael Paine <mpaine@tpgi.com.au>
(5) PLANETARY SOCIETY CELEBRATES NEAR EARTH ASTEROID RENDEZVOUS
Linda Wong <tps@planetary.org>
(6) A POTENTIAL SENSOR FOR FAINT PHOS?
Bob Kobres <bkobres@uga.edu>
(7) A REVIEW OF COMET AND ASTEROID STATISTICS
T. Gehrels, UNIVERSITY OF
ARIZONA,TUCSON,AZ,85721
(8) HIGH-VELOCITY OBLIQUE IMPACT EXPERIMENTS
M. Yanagisawa*) & S. Hasegawa,
UNIVERSITY OF ELECTROCOMMUNICATION,
(9) JAPANESE CONTRIBUTION TO METEOROID & DEBRIS MEASUREMENT
H. Yano, INSTITUE OF SPACE &
ASTRONAUT SCIENCE
(10) E-NTERVIEW WITH DAVID RAUP
Robert Clements <Robert.Clements@dva.gov.au>
(11) DID ICE AGE CULTURES LOSE TECHNOLOGICAL SKILLS ?
Bob Kobres <bkobres@uga.edu>
(12) AND FINALLY: EAU D'ASTEROID - WHAT A STINKER
Duncan Steel <D.I.Steel@salford.ac.uk>
=============
(1) METEORITE IMPACT ON THE MOON?
From Sirko Molau <molau@informatik.rwth-aachen.de>
Hello friends,
it seems that on Tuesday, January 18, around 18:00 UT a meteorite
impact on the moon was observed visually and photographically by
different amateur astronomers in Germany. A first picture of the
event,
which is currently under investigation, was published in several
German
newspapers and can be found at
http://www.ticker.de/archiv2000/02/02/newsmix/story2.html,
for example.
It looks like an artifact, but now there seem to be
independent
confimations of the event. Have you heard about similar
observations at
that time?
Sirko Molau
===================
(2) QUESTIONABLE IMAGE OF A LUNAR IMPACT
From Daniel Fischer <dfischer@astro.uni-bonn.de>
Dear Benny,
German media are abuzz with an alleged photograph taken by a
Berlin-based amateur astronomer that seems to show a gigantic
impact on
the Moon - and the various experts quoted in the articles
apparently
haven't looked at it in any detail. To me the 'feature' looks
very much
like an optical artefact (a caustic in the widest sense), judging
from
a low-resolution wire service version of the picture. It's also
amazing
that the media are celebrating this image as the first one ever
of a
lunar impact, completely ignoring the Leonid impact flashes that
were
videographed after the storm of 1999...
Here are three links to German media stories - the Berlin
newspaper
article that started the buzz, and subsequent wire service
coverage:
http://www.tagesspiegel.de/archiv/2000/02/01/ak-be-st-9206.html
http://rp-online.de/wissenschaft/000202/meteorit.shtml
http://www.ticker.de/archiv2000/02/02/newsmix/story2.html
(with the image).
Regards, Daniel
===============
(3) SMALL SUNSPOT, BIG FLARE
From Space Science News <express@spacescience.com>
Space Science News for February 6, 2000
Small Sunspot, Big Flare: One of the biggest and brightest
optical
flares of the current sunspot cycle erupted this weekend. The
flare was
a whopper, but the sunspot group it came from wasn't. The full
story,
which includes pictures of the flare and a coronal mass ejection,
is
at:
http://www.spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast06feb_1.htm
===============
(4) SUPERVOLCANOES COULD TRIGGER GLOBAL FREEZE
From Michael Paine <mpaine@tpgi.com.au>
Dear Benny,
BBC has an article about the effects of large volcanic eruptions
on
global climate. The described effects appear very similar to
those of a
large NEO impact.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_628000/628515.stm
regards
Michael Paine
===============
(5) PLANETARY SOCIETY CELEBRATES NEAR EARTH ASTEROID RENDEZVOUS
From Linda Wong <tps@planetary.org>
NEWS RELEASE
The Planetary Society
65 N. Catalina Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106-2301 (626) 793-5100 Fax
(626)
793-5528
E-mail: tps@planetary.org
Web: http://planetary.org
For Immediate Release: February 3, 2000
Contact: Susan Lendroth
Planetary Society Celebrates NEAR's Tryst with Eros
On February 14, 2000, the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR)
spacecraft will arrive at its destination, an asteroid called
Eros.
The Planetary Society, in cooperation with the Johns Hopkins
University
Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL), will mark this occasion
with two
special events in Laurel, Maryland on Thursday, February 10 --
the
first All-Student Press Conference at the Johns Hopkins
University
Applied Physics Laboratory and a free evening event for the
general
public.
STUDENT PRESS CONFERENCE
The Student Press Conference will encompass both the NEAR mission
and
the broader concept of future exploration of the solar
system.
Panelists will include Dr. Louis Friedman, Executive Director of
The
Planetary Society; Dr. Robert Gold, NEAR Science Payload Manager;
Dr.
Noam Izenberg, NEAR NIS Team Member; and Dr. Roald Sagdeev,
professor
at the University of Maryland, and the former director of the
Institute
for Space Research, Russian Academy of Sciences.
While active participation in the Student Press Conference is
limited
to young journalists from area middle schools and high schools,
mainstream journalists are welcome to attend as observers.
In other
words, only the students will be permitted ask the panelists
questions!
However, the media can arrange interviews with the panelists at
the
conclusion of the Student Press Conference.
JHU/APL will host a lunch and a presentation about the
laboratory's
work for the students and their teachers following the press
conference. Several Maryland schools have already registered to
attend.
NEAR'S TRYST WITH EROS
Thursday evening, February 10, The Planetary Society and JHU/APL
will
host a free public event entitled "NEAR's Tryst with
Eros" at the
JHU/APL Kossiakoff Conference and Education Center, from 7:00 to
8:30
PM. Speakers will include Louis Friedman; Tom Coughlin, NEAR
Project
Manager from JHU/APL; and a team of NEAR Science and Engineering
Leaders.
"NEAR's Tryst with Eros" will provide an overview of
the mission
objectives as well as the reasons why near earth asteroids are
such
interesting small bodies to study. What can we learn from Eros in
particular and asteroids in general? What was their role in the
formation of the solar system? What threat might they pose to
human
civilization in the future? All this and more will be covered in
a
presentation that will include slides and video.
NAME THE CRATERS CONTEST
The NEAR team has invited Planetary Society members and others to
suggest crater names for Eros, which will later be submitted to
the
International Astronomical Union (IAU) for official
consideration.
Named for the Greek god of love, Eros will be a fitting
Valentine's Day
target for NEAR to begin courting in a year-long mission in which
the
spacecraft will image and study the 33-kilometer-long
asteroid. In
keeping with the asteroid's namesake, the theme for crater names
will
be love. The craters of Eros can be named after famous lovers,
legendary romantic locales, aspects of love, and so on. Name
submissions -- accompanied by a short explanation (50 words
maximum) --
may be brought to the public event or mailed to The Planetary
Society.
Send submissions to Names on Eros, The Planetary Society, 65 N.
Catalina Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106. For more information,
visit the
Society's website at http://planetary.org
and click on "Help Name
the Craters of Eros" in the Contest section.
The Student Press Conference will take place Thursday, February
10,
2000 at 10:00 AM, at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, Maryland. To
register,
schools must contact Linda Butler at (443)778-5746 from Baltimore
or
(240)228-5746 from Washington. Unless alternate arrangements are
made,
each school is limited to sending two student journalists
accompanied
by one adult mentor.
The public event, "NEAR's Tryst with Eros," will be
held Thursday,
February 10 at 7:00 PM at the Johns Hopkins University Applied
Physics
Laboratory. Admission is free and on a first come, first served
basis.
For more information on NEAR, visit http://near.jhuapl.edu/index.html.
Contact Susan Lendroth at (626)793-5100 ext. 214 or by e-mail at
tps.sl@planetary.org
for more information about the Student Press
Conference, public event or the Society's Name the Craters
contest.
Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman founded The Planetary
Society in 1980 to advance the exploration of the solar system
and to
continue the search for extraterrestrial life. Its 100,000
members
make it the largest space interest group in the world.
Linda Wong
The Planetary Society
65 N. Catalina Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91106-2301
Tel: (626) 793-5100 ext. 236
Fax: (626) 793-5528
E-Mail: tps@planetary.org
===============
(6) A POTENTIAL SENSOR FOR FAINT PHOS?
From Bob Kobres <bkobres@uga.edu>
A potential sensor for, Earth-based, small-PHO and comet-trail
detection?
bobk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.space.com/space/ccd_revolution_000203.html
New Astronomical 'Eye' To Reveal the Unseen
By Wil Milan
Special to space.com
posted: 06:49 am EST
04 February 2000
A new type of light sensor for use by the world's largest
telescopes
promises to reveal objects never before seen or glimpsed only
poorly.
The sensor, shown above and developed by a team led by Stephen
Holland
at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, is
known as
a high-resistivity (or Hi-Rho) CCD, and it is particularly
effective a
detecting a region of the light spectrum that eludes most current
CCD
sensors.
The wavelength that is detectable by these new sensors is the
portion
of infrared light with wavelengths between 0.8 and 1.1 microns,
which
is well outside the range the human eye can see. Because these
new
devices have the capability to "see" these wavelengths
better than any
previous sensor, they promise to open a whole new window to the
universe.
FULL STORY AT http://www.space.com/space/ccd_revolution_000203.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Project history from:
http://www.lbl.gov/Publications/LDRD/1997/Phys.htm
===============
(7) A REVIEW OF COMET AND ASTEROID STATISTICS
T. Gehrels: A review of comet and asteroid statistics. EARTH
PLANETS
AND SPACE, 1999, Vol.51, No.11, pp.1155-1161
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA,TUCSON,AZ,85721
The statistics of Earth-approaching asteroids are first
summarized, and
an enhanced frequency of objects smaller than 100 meters is
noted.
Superposed on these random hazards may be a periodic one of new
comets
due to galactic tides of the Oort Cloud with a period of 26-36
Myr
(Rampino, 1998). New asteroids and comets are being found
evermore
frequently because new telescope-and-detector systems are coming
on
line. These are intended primarily for the discovery of dangerous
objects, but a beginning has been made with the study of
statistics of
main-belt asteroids. In addition to trans-Neptunian objects,
cis-Neptunian ''Centaurs'' are recognized, which may be a link in
the
evolution of short-period comets and thereby contribute to the
flux of
Earth approachers. With the new equipment coming on line, we are
beginning to see that the global hazard will be mostly quantified
within a few decades. We do see a shortage in astrometric follow
up
fainter than about the 20th magnitude. Copyright 2000, Institute
for
Scientific Information Inc.
===============
(8) HIGH-VELOCITY OBLIQUE IMPACT EXPERIMENTS
M. Yanagisawa*) & S. Hasegawa: Angular momentum transfer in
oblique
impacts: Implications for 1989ML. EARTH PLANETS AND SPACE, 1999,
Vol.51, No.11, pp.1163-1171
*) UNIVERSITY OF ELECTROCOMMUN,1-5-1 CHOFUGAOKA,CHOFU,TOKYO
1828585,JAPAN
We conducted 10 shots of high-velocity oblique impact experiments
(1.95-3..52 km/s) using nylon projectiles and spherical mortar
targets.
Large craters were formed, but these targets were not disrupted
by the
impacts. We then calculated the efficiencies of momentum transfer
from
the projectile to the post-impact target for each experiment. The
efficiencies of angular momentum transfer from the translational
motion
of the projectiles to the rotation of the post-impact targets
were also
derived. A representative efficiency of angular momentum transfer
was
calculated to be 0.17 for random successive collisions. The
efficiency
was applied to an equation expressing the precession angle of
asteroids. It is shown that 1989ML, target of Japan-US
asteroid-sample-return-mission (MUSES-C) would be tumbling.
Copyright
2000, Institute for Scientific Information Inc.
=========================
(9) JAPANESE CONTRIBUTION TO METEOROID & DEBRIS MEASUREMENT
H. Yano: Japanese contribution to in-situ meteoroid and debris
measurement in the near Earth space. EARTH PLANETS AND SPACE,
1999,
Vol.51, No.11, pp.1233-1246
INSTITUE OF SPACE & ASTRONAUT SCI,PLANETARY SCI DIV,3-1-1
YOSHINODAI,SAGAMIHARA,KANAGAWA 229851,JAPAN
This paper reviews major results of present studies and recent
developments for future missions in the Japanese space program
regarding in-situ measurement and collection of micrometeoroids
and orbital debris in the near Earth space. Japan's contribution
in
this area began with the post flight impact analysis of the Space
Flyer
Unit (SFU) satellite which was returned to Earth in 1996 after
10-month
exposure in space. Despite a decade later than similar efforts
first
conducted in the USA and Europe, it resulted in a record of over
700
hypervelocity impact signatures, which now forms the nation's
first
database of real space impacts being open to public in the
Internet.
Together with laboratory impact tests, both morphological and
elemental
analyses of the impact craters yielded new insights of the
meteoroid to
debris ratio as well as flux variation compared with the previous
spacecraft. The next step was a passive aerogel exposure in the
STS-85
shuttle mission in 1997. No hypervelocity impact was found there
but
its experience has been incorporated for designing a
microparticle
collector to be on-board the Japan Experiment Module-Exposed
Facility
of the International Space Station. All of such ''passive''
collection
of micro-impact features, however, still leave the significant
uncertainty in the quest of their origins. Therefore an
aerogel-based
''hybrid'' dust collector and detector (HD-CAD) is currently
under the
development. It measures time of impact and deduces impactors'
orbital and physical parameters by detecting impact flash while
still
capturing them intact. The system is suitable for both (1) sample
return missions in LEO as well as to parent bodies of meteoroids,
i.e.,
comets and asteroids, and (2) one-way mission to where the
thermal and
plasma environment is such that impact induced plasma detectors
may
suffer from significant noise, e.g., a Mercury orbiter and a
solar
probe. Together with unambiguous dust samples from a comet by
STARDUST
and an asteroid by MUSES-C as references, the HD-CAD in the LEO
will be
able to deduce the accretion rates of the cometary and asteroidal
dust
grains on the Earth. Copyright 2000, Institute for Scientific
Information Inc.
===============
(10) E-NTERVIEW WITH DAVID RAUP
From Robert Clements <Robert.Clements@dva.gov.au>
The following interview was publicised on a mailing list
specialising in
the dinosauria; & it's link & text are FWDed in case the
piece is of
interest to the CCNet....
All the best,
Robert Clements <Robert.Clements@dva.gov.au>
-------
Subject: David Raup
From: "Steve Brusatte" <dinoland@mailcity.com>
To: dinosaur@usc.edu
For all of those interested:
I recently interviewed the renowned paleontologist Dr. David
Raup. Raup
is best known for his theory that mass extinctions occur
periodically
every 26 million years. He was also once called the world's most
brilliant paleontologist by Stephen Jay Gould. Recently he has
been
enjoying himself by relaxing on his Lake Michigan island, but
took the
time to recall his long career with me.
I have posted this interview on my website, and you can find it
at:
<http://www.geocities.com/stegob/davidraup.html>
Check it out,
Steve
===============
(11) DID ICE AGE CULTURES LOSE TECHNOLOGICAL SKILLS ?
From Bob Kobres <bkobres@uga.edu>
If this find proves to be of strong fabric, it REALLY begs the
questions: What happened?! Why the loss of knowledge?
Searching for threads.
bobk
From:
http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/uiuc-iac020100.html
Ice Age clothing said to be more advanced than previously thought
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Archaeologists have discovered what the
well-dressed
Ice Age woman wore on ritual occasions. Her outfit, however,
including
accessories, doesn't resemble anything Wilma Flintstone ever
wore, or,
for that matter, any of our carved-in-stone conceptions of
"paleofashion."
Instead, the threads of at least some Ice Age women included caps
or
snoods, belts and skirts, bandeaux (banding over the breasts) and
bracelets and necklaces -- all constructed of plant fibers in a
great
variety of cloth, from twined and basket wear to plain weaves.
While
styling varied across Eurasia, the finest weaves are
"comparable to not
only Neolithic but even later Bronze and Iron Age products, or,
in
fact, to thin cotton and linenwear worn today," Olga Soffer,
James
Adovasio and David Hyland wrote in an article to be published in
Current Anthropology.
The evidence for Ice Age summer fashions comes in part from 80
textile
impressions Soffer found on tiny clay fragments in the Czech
Republic.
The impressions are "the earliest evidence for cordage and
textile
production in the world and reflect technologies heretofore
associated
with much later periods," the archaeologists wrote. Soffer,
a professor
of anthropology at the University of Illinois and a pioneer in
the
study of Upper Paleolithic life ways, compared the impressions to
the
representation of clothing on the so-called "Venus"
figurines, which
also date to the Gravettian period, roughly 25,000 years ago.
"It
suddenly struck us that what we were looking at under the
microscope on
these little fragments was precisely what was being shown as
clothing
on some of these 'naked ladies,' " she said, noting that in
all
likelihood the Ice Age seamstresses also carved the figurines
that
showed off their "exquisitely detailed" weaving,
plaiting and coiling
skills.
FULL STORY at http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/uiuc-iac020100.html
================
(12) AND FINALLY: EAU D'ASTEROID - WHAT A STINKER
From Duncan Steel <D.I.Steel@salford.ac.uk>
New Scientist, 4 February 2000
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns2224183
EAU D'ASTEROID It's "futuristic"
"atmospheric" "sulphurous"
"smoky"
"metallic" and "like gunpowder". It must be
the latest fragrance? Yes!
It's Cyba, and it smells like a meteorite...
Smells from outer space
Paris: A bizarre fragrance that smells of meteorites has been
developed
by British perfume experts, New Scientist reports.
The odour, called Cyba, smells "sulphurous, smoky, like
gunpowder,
metallic", according to Mr Les Small, senior perfumer with
Quest
International in Kent.
The "futuristic, atmospheric" perfume, devised to show
that the firm
can emulate the smell of pretty much anything, was developed by
analysing the smell given off by molecules of carbonaceous
chondrite,
the commonest mineral found on meteorites.
Copyright 2000, New Scientist
=============================
* LETTERS TO THE MODERATOR *
=============================
IS A VOLCANOE-TRIGGERED DARK AGE INEVITABLE?
From Michael Martin-Smith <martin@miff.demon.co.uk>
I had the good luck to catch tonight's transmission of the BBC 2
Horizon documentary on magma chambers and supervolcanoes, and
noted
comments by Professor Rampino on Yellowstone and the Toba (sic?)
eruption of 74,000 years ago in the Java sea.
As I understood matters, these supervolcanoes have the potential
to
essentially destroy the complex web of our civilization, both by
regional massive destruction, and by global climatic changes with
agricultural wasting over several years - a situation likely to
kill
billions and impoverish more. On top of this of course we would
have to
add epidemics, explosive growth of vermin ( rodents, cockroaches
etc)
and psycho-social collapse/regression - all unquantifiable at
this time
but highly pertinent.
I am sure we could agree that, even given prior notice, we could
not
expect to prevent such an event nor yet survive it in culturally
or
biologically significant numbers. The resurrection of a
culturally
dynamic liberal civilization based on humanistic values of
Liberty and
Opportunity, and with it our potential for further scientific
technological and mental development, would surely be aborted for
a
Dark Age of unimaginable length and horror.
This being so and since, as was made abundantly clear,
Yellowstone is
certain to bring this about, albeit at an unknowable future date,
it
follows logically (to me, at least) that our only realistic
option is
to ensure that such an event fails to capture all or most of
Humanity
within its compass.
In plain language, a human Diaspora into Space remains the
best-indeed
the only viable - option for our species if we are to continue
useful
development. Human evolutionary cosmic Destiny must,
indeed, become a
creed of the New Millennium in preference to currently
fashionable
notions of Limits to Growth or "Green" Statism, if we
are to face this
prospect with anything other than final despair.
We must build our future around a sense of Destiny and Diaspora,
or be
but a brief streak of Mind against the backdrop of a (mostly, so
far as
we know) inanimate cosmos. Such, it seems to me, is the true
import of
this programme.
Dr Michael Martin-Smith
Working for a positive human future. Author of "Salto nello
Spazio",
now published in Italy. Obtainable via http://www.zivago.com
----------------------------------------
THE CAMBRIDGE-CONFERENCE NETWORK (CCNet)
----------------------------------------
The CCNet is a scholarly electronic network. To
subscribe/unsubscribe,
please contact the moderator Benny J Peiser <b.j.peiser@livjm.ac.uk>.
Information circulated on this network is for scholarly and
educational use only. The attached information may not be copied
or
reproduced for any other purposes without prior permission of the
copyright holders. The fully indexed archive of the CCNet, from
February 1997 on, can be found at http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/cccmenu.html
*
CCNet-ESSAY, 7 February 2000
----------------------------
NEOS, PLANETARY DEFENSE AND GOVERNMENT -
A VIEW FROM THE PENTAGON
By Brigadier General S. Pete Worden <SimonP.Worden@pentagon.af.mil>
I'll begin my short CCNet-essay with a disclaimer. The US
Department of
Defense (DoD) has no official view on the Near-Earth Object (NEO)
hazard. We have agreed to assist the overall United States effort
led
by NASA with technology and observational support. Official
disclaimers
out of the way, I'll provide my personal views in the remainder
of the
essay. . . .
*
ANOTHER ASTEROID ON POTENTIAL IMPACT
COURSE DISCOVERED
From Benny J Peiser <b.j.peiser@livjm.ac.uk>
For the fifth time in two years, an near-Earth asteroid with the
potential
to collide with Earth in the near future has been discovered. As
Andrea
Milani from Pisa University reports (see his message to the MPML
mailing
list below), the automatic close approach monitoring system of
the NEODyS
system has detected a case of 'virtual impactor', i.e. an
asteroid that has
a small but non-zero probability to hit the Earth in the next 20
years or
so.
Once again, the fact that this asteroid (2000 BF19) is currently
rated as a
"O" on the Torino Scale, does not mean anything. The
current impact
probability of 1 in a million can easily and quickly go up or
down. In all
likelyhood, 2000 BF19 will drop altogether from the Scale - but
until we get
peace of mind only further observations can provide us with the
information
to assess the potential danger of this new PHA. Andrea Milani's
public call
for such observations are thus more than justified.
Benny J Peiser
--------
ASTEROID 2000 BF 19
From Andrea Milani <milani@dm.unipi.it>
Sent: 07/02/00 17:41
The automatic close approach monitoring system, set up as an
additional service to the NEODyS system, has detected a case of
'virtual impactor', that is an asteroid for which the presently
available observations are not enough to allow us to exclude a
future
impact. This happens at a probability level of roughly one in a
million, in the year 2022, and the asteroid is much less than one
kilometer in diameter, thus this should not be rated as a serious
concern (the rating in the Torino risk scale is still 0). The
impact
could result by passing through a keyhole in the 2011 close
approach;
the encounters would then repeat every 11 years, in a typical
case of
'resonant return'.
Nevertheless, shame on the astronomical community if we lose this
dangerous fellow, which is unfortunately quite dim and
fading. The
asteroid is named 2000 BF19. Ephemerides for this object can be
found
from NEODyS at
http://newton.dm.unipi.it/neodys/
and some are reported below here.
I would appreciate the collaboration of those among you who have
the
capability of observing at magnitudes between 21 and 22; note
that the
last observation was from the Italian amateur site S. Marcello
Pistoiese (but Boattini rated it as a lucky shot, with especially
good
seeing conditions for our sky).
I apologize for sending out this message without all the
necessary
documentation, which will be provided later to allow other orbit
computers to check our computations, but this object is visible
tonight and is fading, so I rate this message as scientifically
urgent.
Andrea Milani
Ephemerides for 2000BF19:
Observatory code 500
Date
Hour Equat. coord. (RA and DEC) Mag
Elong Phase Glat
R Delta App
mot(deg/d) Sky plane
error
(UTC) h m
s d '
"
(deg) (deg) (deg)
(AU) (AU)
RA
DEC
Err1 Err2 PA
=========== ====== ============= ============ =====
===== ===== =====
======= ======= ======= ======= ======== ========
=====
7 Feb 2000 18.000 8 17 42.199 +20
28 56.44 21.3 163.7 8.6 27.8
1.8552 0.8878 -0.4899 0.0268
2.617" 0.804" 68.2
7 Feb 2000 20.000 8 17 32.404 +20
29 4.46 21.3 163.6 8.7 27.8
1.8550 0.8878 -0.4895 0.0266
2.732" 0.817" 68.2
7 Feb 2000 22.000 8 17 22.618 +20
29 12.41 21.3 163.4 8.7 27.7
1.8547 0.8878 -0.4891 0.0264
2.850" 0.831" 68.2
8 Feb 2000 0.000 8 17 12.839
+20 29 20.30 21.3 163.3 8.8 27.7
1.8544 0.8878 -0.4887 0.0262
2.971" 0.845" 68.3
8 Feb 2000 2.000 8 17
3.068 +20 29 28.12 21.3 163.2 8.8
27.7
1.8541 0.8878 -0.4883 0.0260
3.095" 0.859" 68.3
8 Feb 2000 4.000 8 16 53.306
+20 29 35.87 21.3 163.1 8.9 27.6
1.8538 0.8878 -0.4879 0.0257
3.222" 0.872" 68.4
8 Feb 2000 6.000 8 16 43.551
+20 29 43.56 21.3 163.0 9.0 27.6
1.8536 0.8878 -0.4875 0.0255
3.353" 0.886" 68.4
8 Feb 2000 8.000 8 16 33.805
+20 29 51.18 21.3 162.8 9.0 27.6
1.8533 0.8878 -0.4871 0.0253
3.486" 0.900" 68.5
8 Feb 2000 10.000 8 16 24.067 +20
29 58.74 21.3 162.7 9.1 27.5
1.8530 0.8878 -0.4867 0.0251
3.623" 0.915" 68.5
8 Feb 2000 12.000 8 16 14.338 +20
30 6.22 21.3 162.6 9.2 27.5
1.8527 0.8878 -0.4863 0.0248
3.763" 0.929" 68.6
8 Feb 2000 14.000 8 16 4.618
+20 30 13.64 21.3 162.5 9.2 27.5
1.8525 0.8878 -0.4858 0.0246
3.906" 0.943" 68.6
8 Feb 2000 16.000 8 15 54.906 +20
30 21.00 21.3 162.4 9.3 27.4
1.8522 0.8879 -0.4854 0.0244
4.052" 0.957" 68.7
8 Feb 2000 18.000 8 15 45.203 +20
30 28.28 21.3 162.2 9.4 27.4
1.8519 0.8879 -0.4849 0.0242
4.202" 0.972" 68.8
8 Feb 2000 20.000 8 15 35.509 +20
30 35.50 21.3 162.1 9.4 27.4
1.8516 0.8879 -0.4845 0.0240
4.354" 0.986" 68.8
8 Feb 2000 22.000 8 15 25.823 +20
30 42.65 21.3 162.0 9.5 27.3
1.8513 0.8879 -0.4840 0.0237
4.510" 1.001" 68.9
9 Feb 2000 0.000 8 15 16.147
+20 30 49.74 21.3 161.9 9.6 27.3
1.8511 0.8879 -0.4836 0.0235
4.670" 1.015" 69.0
9 Feb 2000 2.000 8 15
6.481 +20 30 56.76 21.3 161.7 9.6
27.2
1.8508 0.8879 -0.4831 0.0233
4.833" 1.030" 69.0
9 Feb 2000 4.000 8 14 56.823
+20 31 3.71 21.3 161.6 9.7 27.2
1.8505 0.8880 -0.4826 0.0231
4.999" 1.045" 69.1
9 Feb 2000 6.000 8 14 47.175
+20 31 10.59 21.3 161.5 9.7 27.2
1.8502 0.8880 -0.4822 0.0228
5.169" 1.060" 69.2
9 Feb 2000 8.000 8 14 37.537
+20 31 17.40 21.4 161.4 9.8 27.1
1.8499 0.8880 -0.4817 0.0226
5.342" 1.075" 69.2
9 Feb 2000 10.000 8 14 27.908 +20
31 24.15 21.4 161.3 9.9 27.1
1.8497 0.8880 -0.4812 0.0224
5.518" 1.090" 69.3
9 Feb 2000 12.000 8 14 18.289 +20
31 30.83 21.4 161.1 9.9 27.1
1.8494 0.8881 -0.4807 0.0222
5.698" 1.105" 69.4
9 Feb 2000 14.000 8 14 8.680
+20 31 37.44 21.4 161.0 10.0 27.0
1.8491 0.8881 -0.4802 0.0219
5.882" 1.120" 69.5
9 Feb 2000 16.000 8 13 59.081 +20
31 43.98 21.4 160.9 10.1 27.0
1.8488 0.8881 -0.4797 0.0217
6.069" 1.135" 69.5
9 Feb 2000 18.000 8 13 49.491 +20
31 50.46 21.4 160.8 10.1 27.0
1.8485 0.8882 -0.4792 0.0215
6.260" 1.150" 69.6
9 Feb 2000 20.000 8 13 39.912 +20
31 56.87 21.4 160.7 10.2 26.9
1.8482 0.8882 -0.4787 0.0212
6.454" 1.165" 69.7
9 Feb 2000 22.000 8 13 30.343 +20
32 3.21 21.4 160.5 10.3 26.9
1.8480 0.8882 -0.4782 0.0210
6.652" 1.181" 69.7
10 Feb 2000 0.000 8 13 20.785 +20
32 9.48 21.4 160.4 10.3 26.9
1.8477 0.8883 -0.4777 0.0208
6.854" 1.196" 69.8
10 Feb 2000 2.000 8 13 11.237 +20
32 15.68 21.4 160.3 10.4 26.8
1.8474 0.8883 -0.4771 0.0206
7.059" 1.211" 69.9
10 Feb 2000 4.000 8 13 1.699
+20 32 21.82 21.4 160.2 10.4 26.8
1.8471 0.8884 -0.4766 0.0203
7.268" 1.227" 70.0
10 Feb 2000 6.000 8 12 52.172 +20
32 27.89 21.4 160.0 10.5 26.8
1.8468 0.8884 -0.4761 0.0201
7.481" 1.242" 70.0
10 Feb 2000 8.000 8 12 42.656 +20
32 33.89 21.4 159.9 10.6 26.7
1.8466 0.8884 -0.4755 0.0199
7.698" 1.258" 70.1
10 Feb 2000 10.000 8 12 33.151 +20 32
39.82 21.4 159.8 10.6 26.7
1.8463 0.8885 -0.4750 0.0197
7.918" 1.274" 70.2
10 Feb 2000 12.000 8 12 23.656 +20 32
45.68 21.4 159.7 10.7 26.7
1.8460 0.8885 -0.4744 0.0194
8.142" 1.289" 70.3
10 Feb 2000 14.000 8 12 14.173 +20 32
51.47 21.4 159.6 10.8 26.6
1.8457 0.8886 -0.4739 0.0192
8.371" 1.305" 70.3
10 Feb 2000 16.000 8 12 4.701 +20
32 57.20 21.4 159.4 10.8 26.6
1.8454 0.8887 -0.4733 0.0190
8.603" 1.321" 70.4
10 Feb 2000 18.000 8 11 55.240 +20
33 2.86 21.4 159.3 10.9 26.6
1.8451 0.8887 -0.4728 0.0187
8.838" 1.337" 70.5
================================================
Andrea Milani
Dipartimento di Matematica
Via Buonarroti 2
56127 PISA ITALY
tel. +39-050-844254 fax +39-050-844224
cellular phone +39-0329-8124014
E-mail: milani@dm.unipi.it
WWW: http://copernico.dm.unipi.it/~milani/homemilani.html
================================================