Saturday, December 24, 2011

Lunar Occultations for Delhi in Jan 2012


Occultation prediction for DELHI India


    day  Time   P   Star  Sp  Mag  Mag    % Elon Sun  Moon   CA   PA
  m  d  h  m  s      No  D     v    r V  ill     Alt Alt Az   o    o
Jan  4 17 20 13 D     465 K2  4.4  3.8s  80+ 127     59 261  55S 111
R465 = Botein = delta Arietis
Jan  4 18 37 18 r     465 K2  4.4  3.8s  80+ 127     42 272 -68S 235
R465 = Botein = delta Arietis
Jan  5 12 42 16 D     586 K0  6.8  6.3   87+ 137  -8 47  89  90S  79
Jan  7 22 14  3 d     905cA0  6.9  6.9   98+ 163     29 280  73S 101
Jan 12 22 13  4 R    1528SA3  6.7  6.6v  85- 135     65 193  75N 312
Jan 13 19 31  4 m    1629 K0  6.6  6.1   77- 123     37 116   4S 211
Jan 14 18 37 38 r    1743wM0  6.6  5.8v  67- 110     13 104  45N 341
Jan 28 13  6  3 D      51cK0  6.8  6.1   26+  61  -9 52 244  71N  45
R51 = 45 Piscium
Jan 31 14 13 19 D     415cK1  5.8  5.2   54+  94     70 243   9S 154
R415 = 40 Arietis

Friday, December 2, 2011

Last Lunar Eclipse of 2011 - Dec. 10th


TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
December 10th 2011
Year 2011 end brings us another spectacle in astronomy – Total Lunar Eclipse on 10th December! The last eclipse of the year will once again be putting a show just before the year ends and next year comes with the rarest of rare astronomical events – Venus transit. It will be visible from all of Asia and Australia, seen as rising over eastern Europe, and setting over northwest North America. In the Philippines, the lunar eclipse is seen visible just after sunset.
Eclipse Background:
What is an eclipse of the Moon? What causes eclipses and why? How often do eclipses happen and when is the next eclipse of the Moon?
We live in a world that seems so ordered; the Sun rises, goes across the sky and then sets. The Moon goes through its phases from new to full and back again. It all seems like clockwork, and then, something unusual happens that seems to throw the orderly timing of the cosmos into chaos. On a night when the moon rises full and beautiful, it starts to change; at first it is so subtle few notice it. But then, every so slowly, the moon begins to dim, and more alarming yet, it disappears.
One can only imagine how frightening the sight of a lunar eclipse must have been for our ancestors. Far more than us, they were in tune with the rhythms of the cosmos, the motions of the Sun, Moon and planets were the motions these people lived by. They told time by the daily passing of the Sun, or full moon to full moon gauged longer periods of time. And the very stars marked the passing of seasons. The skies were orderly and dependable, except for when an eclipse happened. During that time, chaos reigned, and our ancestors prayed and begged for the Moon to be returned to the sky.
Eclipse Myths:
Myths die hard. In Japan, some people still cover wells to avoid being poisoned by the disease of the moon during an eclipse. Native residents of Arctic regions are known to turn over their utensils to avoid contamination. In other cultures, people yell at the moon during an eclipse, or they bang pots or even shoot into the air. In India people take bath in holy rivers to wave off the evil effect of the eclipse.
Historical aspects:
Primitive ideas about the figure of the Earth, still found in young children, hold the Earth to be flat and the heavens a physical dome spanning over it. Lunar eclipses, e.g., always have a circular edge of appox. three times the radius of the lunar disc; as these always happen when the Earth is between Sun and Moon, it suggests that the object casting the shadow is the Earth and must be spherical (and four times the size of the Moon, the lunar and solar discs being the same size).
Our ancestors saw eclipses as evil omens, often as portents of some catastrophic event or a sign from their deities. The earliest recorded eclipse was in China on October 22, 2134 BC.  The two court astrologers to the Emporer lost their heads because; they had failed to predict it. The Babylonians were the first to calculate the regular intervals at which eclipses occur. Thales of Miletus predicted a solar eclipse that marked the beginning of the Greek scientific/philosophic era. Word eclipse comes from a Greek word, “ekleipsis” meaning abandonment.
When the moon disappeared in 413 B.C., Athenians saw it as a bad omen and delayed their planned retreat from the Sicilian city of Syracuse, where they had fought for two years in the Peloponnesian War. The Syracusans used the delay as an opportunity to break the siege, contributing — some believe — to the fall of Greek civilization.
Christopher Columbus actually used an eclipse knowingly to perhaps alter history. Stranded in Jamaica in 1504, on his fourth voyage, Columbus and his crew were wearing out their welcome with the natives, who were feeding them. Columbus knew a lunar eclipse was coming, so he "predicted" the moon’s disappearance. The natives begged him to bring it back and, of course, he did, in due time.
Types of Lunar Eclipses
An eclipse of the moon occurs when the earth is in a direct line between the sun and the moon. The moon does not have any light of its own; instead, it reflects the sun's light. During a lunar eclipse, the moon is in the earth's shadow. It will often look dim and sometimes copper or orange in color. The lighter part of Earth's shadow is call the "penumbra" and the totally dark part is called the "umbra". If you see a chart that says the lunar eclipse is going to be penumbral, this means that the Moon will only pass through the lighter part of Earth's shadow. A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only part of the Moon passes through the umbra, or darkest part, of Earth's shadow. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when moon passes through penumbra, the lighter part of the shadow
  
Why lunar eclipses don't occur every month:
Since lunar eclipses occur always at full moon, it makes sense to ask why each full moon does not generate one. Eclipses are relatively rare because the plane in which the moon orbits around Earth is tilted 5 degrees compared to the plane of Earth's travels around the sun, a plane that astronomers call the ecliptic.
To visualize, think of two hula hoops — one big and one small — floating on the surface of a pool, and push the inner one down so that half of it is below the surface and half above. When the moon gets into the ecliptic — right at the surface of the pool — during its full phase, then a lunar eclipse occurs. (The word "ecliptic" stems from the word "eclipse.")
The geometry of any eclipse — the relative positions of the sun, Earth and moon — is eventually repeated during a set of complex cycles that each last just more than 18 years. This Saros cycle, as the whole thing is called, is behind the bunching of eclipses, too. Astronomers have figured it out and can predict eclipse timing and circumstances far into future.



 
CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE ECLIPSE
Universal Time
Indian Standard Time
Moon enters penumbra
Moon enters umbra
Moon enters totality
Middle of the eclipse #
Moon leaves totality
Moon leaves umbra
Moon leaves penumbra
11h 31.8m
12h 45.4 m
14h 05.7m
14h 31.8m
14h 58.0m
16h 18.3m
17h 31.7m
17h 01.8m
18h 15.4 m
19h 35.7m
20h 01.8m
20h 28.0m
21h 48.3m
23h 01.7m

Moon will rise in eclipse in delhi
Visibility of the Eclipse


Key to Eclipse Visibility Map
P1  Penumbral eclipse begins (not visible to the eye)
U1  Partial eclipse begins
U2  Total eclipse begins
U3  Total eclipse ends
U4  Partial eclipse ends
P4  Penumbral eclipse ends (not visible to the eye)
Area of visibility: The eclipse will be visible in the region covering Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, North America, Greenland, and the Indian, Pacific, and Artic Ocean. The places from where the beginning of the umbral phase is visible at the time of moonset are parts of Mexico, eastern U.S.A., eastern Canada and Greeland. The places from where the ending of the umbral phase is visible at the time of moonrise are parts of Europe, Africa and some regions of Southern Ocean.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Occultation of stars till 9th Mag during the Total lunar eclipse on 10th Dec


    Occultation of stars till 9th Mag during the Total lunar eclipse on 10th Dec

    day  Time   P   Star  Sp  Mag  Mag    % Elon Sun  Moon   CA   PA
  m  d  h  m  s      No  D     v    r V  ill     Alt Alt Az   o    o
Dec 10 13 37  2 D   77003cA0  7.6        29E 179     21  75  71U 106
Dec 10 13 43 13 D   76997 A2  7.8  7.6   19E 179     22  76  97U 153
Dec 10 14  3 25 R   76997 A2  7.8  7.6    1E 179     27  78 101U 189
Dec 10 14  6  5 M   77004 A2  8.5  8.4    0E 179     27  78  97U 171
Dec 10 14 13 13 D   77024 B8  8.1  8.0    0E 179     29  79  39U  63
Dec 10 14 13 29 D   77022 F2  8.1  7.7    0E 179     29  79  75U 122
Dec 10 14 37 47 R   77003cA0  7.6         0E 179     34  81  80U 236
Dec 10 15  7 40 R   77022 F2  8.1  7.7    5E 179     40  84  87U 220
Dec 10 15 22 10 R   77024 B8  8.1  8.0   22E 179     44  85  55U 279

Occultation prediction for DELHI India For December 2011


Occultation prediction for DELHI India For December 2011
Visible with 6” aperture

    day  Time   P   Star  Sp  Mag  Mag    % Elon Sun  Moon   CA   PA
  m  d  h  m  s      No  D     v    r V  ill     Alt Alt Az   o    o
Dec  1 17 25 52 D    3229 K0  5.6  5.1   42+  81      7 258  75N  54
R3229 = 30 Aquarii
Dec  9 15 20 27 D     634 A0  5.3  5.4v  99+ 170     54  91  57S 116
R634 = 56 Tauri
Dec  9 19 36 28 D     657SA7  5.3  5.1s  99+ 171     68 258  72N  65
R657 = 67 Tauri
Dec  9 19 48 17 D     656SA7  4.2  4.1S  99+ 171     66 261  44N  38
R656 = kappa Tauri
Dec  9 20 41 36 r     656SA7  4.2  4.1S  99+ 171     54 269 -28N 325
R656 = kappa Tauri
Dec 13 18  1 20 R    1198cK0  6.1  5.3S  90- 143     42  93  14S 210
Dec 13 20 27  2 R    1210cB9  6.0  6.0   89- 142     72 129  70S 267
R1210 = 5 Cancri
Dec 14 22 51 12 d    1341SA5  4.3  4.2s  81- 129     71 207 -34S 166
R1341 = Acubens = alpha Cancri
Dec 14 23 52 11 R    1341SA5  4.3  4.2s  81- 128     62 238  57S 257
R1341 = Acubens = alpha Cancri
Dec 17 21 30 20 M    1670 K4  4.8  4.0   51-  91     35 117   8S 211
R1670 = 87 Leonis

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Map for india for 29th November event

Map for india for 30th November event

Monday, November 21, 2011

Two good asteroidal occultations coming up last week of Novembe


Two good asteroidal occultations coming up last week of November. Those with moderate sized telescope can observe the event.  These events have good probability of above Rank 60, so it means that its surely a good shot. 29th Nov one is going quite close to Pune and 30th one is going quite close to delhi. Let's observe and gather data!


On 2011 Nov 29 13:36 UT or 19:06 IST, the 38 km diameter asteroid (193) Ambrosia will occult a 7.3
mag star in the constellation Capricornus for observers along a path across
India. In the case of an occultation, the combined light of the asteroid and the star
will drop by 7.7 mag to 15.0 mag (the magnitude of the asteroid) for at most 1.3
seconds.


On 2011 Nov 30, 14:53 UT or 20:23 IST, the 33 km diameter asteroid (1283) Komsomolia will occult a
6.8 mag star in the constellation Aquarius for observers along a path across
China, India, Arabia. In the case of an occultation, the combined light of the asteroid and the star
will drop by 8.5 mag to 15.3 mag (the magnitude of the asteroid) for at most 1.9
seconds.

Details will soon be updated.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Occultation prediction for DELHI India For October 2011 with telescope of min. 15 cm aperture


Occultation prediction for DELHI India
For October 2011 with telescope of min. 15 cm aperture

 day  Time   P   Star  Sp  Mag  Mag    % Elon Sun  Moon   CA   PA
 d  h  m  s      No  D     v    r V  ill     Alt Alt Az   o    o
 1 14  8 37 m  184189cA3  7.8  7.7   23+  57     15 233  14S 178
 4 14 43 13 d  187769 G5  8.1  7.6   55+  95     36 207  60S 114
 4 15 18 44 d  187789 B7  7.7  7.7s  55+  96     32 216  66N  59
 5 13 13 22 d  163192SA3  7.9  7.8   65+ 107 -10 43 165  51N  40
 5 14 23 49 d  163210 K1  7.6  6.9   65+ 107     44 188  35N  24
 6 18 52 38 d    3070 A3  6.6  6.5   75+ 120     18 243  55S 111
R3070 = 8 Aquarii
 7 12 49  0 d  164563 F8  7.6  7.3   82+ 130  -5 36 129  78S  86
 7 16 58 49 d    3184cK0  7.0  6.3   83+ 131     47 212  80S  84
 7 17  3 15 D    3185 G8  5.1  4.5   83+ 131     47 214  67S  98
R3185 = 46 Capricorni
 8 12 50  0 d    3290cF0  7.3  7.1   89+ 141  -5 31 117  86N  70
 9 14 55 32 d    3410 G6  7.6  7.1   95+ 153     50 130  38N  24
14 19 20 13 d     465 K2  4.4  3.8s  93- 150     72 114 -58S 103
R465 = Botein = delta Arietis
14 20 42 44 R     465 K2  4.4  3.8s  93- 150     81 197  56S 217
R465 = Botein = delta Arietis
465 = NSV 1066, 4.33 to 4.37, V
15 17  0 21 r     586 K0  6.8  6.3   88- 140     33  82  83N 264
15 18 21 59 r   76373 K0  7.6  7.0   88- 139     50  90  49S 216
15 22 32 10 R     601SG5  5.9  5.6   87- 138     73 252  25N 323
R601 = 39 Tauri
15 23 38 49 r   76456 K2  7.9  7.0   87- 138     58 266  47N 301
16 21 12 45 r     739wK0  7.2  6.5   80- 127     76 112  71N 283
18 19 23 14 r   78632wG5  7.4  6.9   63- 105     31  82  59S 244
18 21 31 56 R    1031 A0  7.1  7.0   62- 104     58  96  83S 268
18 21 38 49 R   78698 F8  7.2  6.9   62- 104     60  97  56N 309
18 22 52  6 r   78726 B9  8.3  8.3   62- 104     75 118  78N 287
19  0 43 49 r   78769 B8  7.7  7.8   62- 103  -3 76 239  74N 292
19 20 19 32 r   97072 A2  7.7  7.6   52-  93     31  85  75S 265
20  0 15 20 r   97168cA2  7.8  7.7   51-  92  -9 78 149  46S 236
20 22 12 24 r    1280 A2  8.1  7.9   41-  80     42  96  38N 336
22  0 44  5 gr   1410WK3  5.1  4.4   30-  66  -3 60 124 -13N  29
R1410 = 6 Leonis
22  0 44  6 Gr   1410WK3  5.1  4.4   30-  66  -3 60 ** GRAZE: CA
22 22 44 49 r    1512 F8  8.1  7.8   20-  54     23  98  72S 270
22 23 42 29 r  118261 K0  9.0  8.4   20-  53     35 106  69S 267
23 22 55  5 r  138084 K5  8.8  8.1   12-  40     12  98  75S 272
24 23 34 35 r  138645 K2  8.9  8.3    5-  26      6 101  36S 229
24 23 58 26 R  138649 K2  8.8  8.2    5-  26     11 104  78N 295
29 12 33  3 d    2407wF3  7.0  6.7   10+  37  -6 18 229  86N  94
R2407 = 15 Ophiuchi
30 14 21 14 D    2567 G3  7.2  6.8   19+  51     10 237  55S 125
30 14 48 53 d  185877 A2  7.5  7.3   19+  51      6 240  81N  81









Item
Meaning
Day
The day of the event. Occult searches for events on the basis of geocentric conjunctions that occur within a 24hr - with that period starting at the UT indicated in the date selection box. Users should ensure that the period starts near the middle of their day.
Time
The predicted UTC, in hours, mins and secs.
P
The Phase of the event. Values are:
  • D - disappearance
  • d - disappearance, but star is less than 1 mag brighter than the predicted visibility limit.
  • R - reappearance
  • r - reappearance, but star is less than 1 mag brighter than the predicted visibility limit.
  • Gr - grazing occultation at site. At mid-occultation, or closest approach, the star is less than 4" from the limb of the moon (either above or below).
  • gr - grazing occultation at site, but star is less than 1 mag brighter than the predicted visibility limit.
  • M - miss. At closest approach, the star is more than 4" above the limb of the moon 
  • m - miss, but star is less than 1 mag brighter than the predicted visibility limit.
Star
The star identifier. Three formats are used:
  • nnnn - A ZC star. When reporting occultations, the catalogue is identified with 'R'.
  • nnnnn, or
    nnnnnn - An SAO star. When reporting occultations, the catalogue is identified with 'R'.
  • X nnnnnn - an XZ star. When reporting occultations, the catalogue is identified with 'X'.
D
The double star code
Sp
Star's spectral type. Only basic spectral type information is provided
Mag v
The star's visual magnitude
Mag r
The star's red magnitude. For observers using CCD video cameras, the red magnitude provides a better indication of visibility.
D
The variable star code
% ill
the percent illumination of the moon. If followed by a +, values are for a waxing moon; - for a waning moon; and E for illumination during a lunar eclipse.
Elon
the elongation of the moon from the sun, in degrees. [Strictly, the quantity is calculated as the elongation of the star from the sun]
Sun Alt
the altitude of the sun. The field is blank if the sun is lower than -12 deg. (Nautical twilight)
Moon Alt
the altitude of the moon
Moon Az
the azimuth of the moon
CA
Cusp Angle - the angle of the event around the limb of the moon, measured from the nearest cusp. -'ve values indicate a bright limb event. The cusps are usually N (north) or S (south), but near full moon can be E (East) or W (west).

If a lunar eclipse is in progress, CA gives is the % distance from the centre of the umbra, and is followed by a 'U'. Values up to 103% are possible. Where an event occurs more than 103% of the umbral radius, the usual Cusp Angle value is displayed.
PA
Position Angle - the angle of the event around the limb of the moon, measured from true north

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Lunar Occultation prediction for August 2011 DELHI


Lunar Occultation prediction for August 2011 DELHI
Time is in UT

day  Time   P   Star  Sp  Mag  Mag    % Elon Sun  Moon   CA   PA
 d  h  m  s      No  D     v    r V  ill     Alt Alt Az   o    o
 4 14 50 00 D    1852cA2  6.0  6.0   29+  65     20 243  74N 100
1852 is double
1852 is a close double. Observations are highly desired

 7 13 44 07 d    2249cK1  6.7  6.0   62+ 104  -2 39 183  77S 115
2249 is double
2249 is a close double. Observations are highly desired

10 16 25 26 M    2725wK5  5.4  4.5s  90+ 143     39 181  12S 164
28 Sagittarii

10 20 52 12 d    2746 G8  5.7  5.1   91+ 145      9 239  61N  57
33 Sagittarii


12 20 24 22 D    3015SB7  5.2        99+ 168     35 222  50N  51
tau Capricorni
3015 is triple
3015 is a close double. Observations are highly desired

16 21 53 09 R    3501 *5  5.0  3.6v  91- 145     62 210  49S 199
TX Piscium = 19 Piscium
3501 = TX Psc, 4.79 to 5.2, V, Type LB

20 20 36 50 R     421wF8  6.6  6.3   60- 101     46  91  56N 287
421 is double: AB 6.6 13.0 17.2"  14.0

21 19 02 46 r     525 A*  6.5  6.4   51-  91     16  75  58S 225
14 H1. Tauri

22 20 35 37 R     688DF2  6.8        40-  79     26  77  52N 299
688 is double
688 is a close double. Observations are highly desired

22 23 54 43 D     709MB3  4.3        39-  77  -7 68  99 -74N  67
tau Tauri
709 is triple
709 has been reported as non-instantaneous (S   455).

23 01 27 38 R     709MB3  4.3        39-  77  13 84 175  74N 278
tau Tauri
709 is triple
709 has been reported as non-instantaneous (S   455).
Observations are highly desired

23 20 50 32 R     828 K0  6.3  5.7   30-  67     18  74  22S 199

24 20 44 15 R     984cG5  6.5  6.0   21-  55      6  68  80N 281
14 Geminorum
984 is double
984 has been reported as non-instantaneous (OCc 632).
Observations are highly desired

31 13 36 04 d    1800 A0  5.5  5.5    9+  34  -6 11 253  54N  85 
R1800 = 21 Virginis




Item
Meaning
Day
The day of the event. Occult searches for events on the basis of geocentric conjunctions that occur within a 24hr - with that period starting at the UT indicated in the date selection box. Users should ensure that the period starts near the middle of their day.
Time
The predicted UTC, in hours, mins and secs.
P
The Phase of the event. Values are:
  • D - disappearance
  • d - disappearance, but star is less than 1 mag brighter than the predicted visibility limit.
  • R - reappearance
  • r - reappearance, but star is less than 1 mag brighter than the predicted visibility limit.
  • Gr - grazing occultation at site. At mid-occultation, or closest approach, the star is less than 4" from the limb of the moon (either above or below).
  • gr - grazing occultation at site, but star is less than 1 mag brighter than the predicted visibility limit.
  • M - miss. At closest approach, the star is more than 4" above the limb of the moon 
  • m - miss, but star is less than 1 mag brighter than the predicted visibility limit.
Star
The star identifier. Three formats are used:
  • nnnn - A ZC star. When reporting occultations, the catalogue is identified with 'R'.
  • nnnnn, or
    nnnnnn - An SAO star. When reporting occultations, the catalogue is identified with 'R'.
  • X nnnnnn - an XZ star. When reporting occultations, the catalogue is identified with 'X'.
D
The double star code
Sp
Star's spectral type. Only basic spectral type information is provided
Mag v
The star's visual magnitude
Mag r
The star's red magnitude. For observers using CCD video cameras, the red magnitude provides a better indication of visibility.
D
The variable star code
% ill
the percent illumination of the moon. If followed by a +, values are for a waxing moon; - for a waning moon; and E for illumination during a lunar eclipse.
Elon
the elongation of the moon from the sun, in degrees. [Strictly, the quantity is calculated as the elongation of the star from the sun]
Sun Alt
the altitude of the sun. The field is blank if the sun is lower than -12 deg. (Nautical twilight)
Moon Alt
the altitude of the moon
Moon Az
the azimuth of the moon
CA
Cusp Angle - the angle of the event around the limb of the moon, measured from the nearest cusp. -'ve values indicate a bright limb event. The cusps are usually N (north) or S (south), but near full moon can be E (East) or W (west).

If a lunar eclipse is in progress, CA gives is the % distance from the centre of the umbra, and is followed by a 'U'. Values up to 103% are possible. Where an event occurs more than 103% of the umbral radius, the usual Cusp Angle value is displayed.
PA
Position Angle - the angle of the event around the limb of the moon, measured from true north