ocultação (occ) de estrela pelo asteróide (130) Elektra

Boa dia a todos,

na próxima madrugada (8 Maio) ocorre uma excelente ocultação (occ) de estrela pelo asteróide (130) Elektra.

A estrela é de magnitude 13,2 V, mas como o Elektra também está a 13,1 V mag. o conjunto fica a cerca de 12,4 mag.

Quando ocorrer a occ, fica apenas o brilho do asteroide Elektra (com queda de magnitude de ~0,8 para 13,1).

A faixa de occ percorre todo o nosso País, de sul para norte. No sul a occ (tempo central) é pelas 04:09:30 UTC (05:09:30), no centro pelas 04:10:00 UTC e na Galiza 04:11:00 UTC, já com o sol a -14º alt.

A occ terá uma duração máxima de 34 s, pelo que a observação deverá começar (e terminar) pelo menos 1,5-2 minutos antes (depois).

Ver anexos da faixa de passagem da sombra. Na imagem google – as linhas azuis são o limite da sombra (a vermelho a faixa de erro). A verde a linha central, e já inclui a indicação das posições de 3 observadores que pretendem fazer a observação.

O grande interesse nesta occ – é que o (130) Elektra tem 3 satélites conhecidos. A previsão na imagem occ130_2_1.png é para um desses satélites. Será na zona da nossa faixa costeira Oeste. Terá a duração máxima de 2,7 s.

A estrela estará a 49º alt e 164º azi (a sul), na linha que une a delta Aql e a 27 Aql (3,5º acima da delta e 40′ abaixo da 27).

Também em anexo, mapas do Guide9 com a localização do asteróide. Circulo de 1g e campo rectangular de 20’x15′.

As previsões são de céu com algumas nuvens, mas esperemos ter sorte e conseguir realizar esta occ.

Boas ocultações,

RG

Fireball | Video Rui Lourenço – APAA | 20240316 1:54:00

This extraordinary bolide was spotted from Spain on March 16, at 2:54 local time (equivalent to 1:54 universal time). It was brighter than the full Moon. The event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from an asteroid that hit the atmosphere at about 61,000 km/h. The fireball overflew Portugal. It began at an altitude of about 91 km over Foros de Vale Figueira (west of the region of Évora), moved northeast, and ended at a height of around 19 km over Cano (south of region of Alentejo). The preliminary analysis of this event shows that the rock was not fully destroyed: a part of the meteoroid survived and reached the ground as a meteorite. This bright meteor was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN) from the meteor-observing stations located at Huelva, La Hita (Toledo), Calar Alto, Sierra Nevada, La Sagra (Granada), and Sevilla. The event has been analyzed by the team headed by Dr. Jose M. Madiedo (principal investigator of the SMART project), from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC).

Video Rui Lourenço – APAA | 20240316 1:54:00

O céu de março de 2024

Este mês tivemos a ideia de vos recordar os principais eventos astronómicos que vão ocorrer nos céus portugueses e enviar-vos um pequeno resumo para que possam planear com mais tempo as vossas observações.

 

8 de março: Lua próxima de Marte e Vênus

Perto da fase da Lua Nova, poderá ver os planetas brilhantes perto do nosso satélite natural. Este evento astronômico é difícil de ver, pois os objetos celestes estarão próximos ao Sol, e você precisará de alguma destreza para localizá-los no céu.

 

14 de março: Lua próxima a Júpiter

Um evento mais notável ocorrerá uma semana depois. Júpiter e a Lua iluminada em 16% encontrar-se-ão em Carneiro, surgindo após o pôr do sol. Observadores com binóculos poderão ver Urano nas proximidades.

 

20 de março: Equinócio

Um importante fenômeno astronômico acontece este mês — um equinócio! O primeiro dia de uma nova estação e o dia com horas iguais de luz do dia e noite.

 

24 de março: Mercúrio em posição favorável de observação

Raramente visível, o pequeno Mercúrio está bem localizado para observação, pouco depois do sol se pôr.

 

25 de março: Eclipse lunar penumbral

Prepare-se para o primeiro eclipse lunar do ano! Um eclipse lunar penumbral é o tipo mais subtil de eclipse lunar, um que a maioria das pessoas nem sequer notará. Mas você verá este eclipse se souber quando e onde olhar.

 

 

Global Event: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
Local Type: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse in Lisbon, Lisbon
Begins: Seg, 25 de Mar de 2024, 4:53
Maximum: Seg, 25 de Mar de 2024, 6:36 -0,213 Magnitude
Ends: Seg, 25 de Mar de 2024, 6:39
Duration: 1 hour, 46 minutes

 

 

31 de março: Cometa 12P/Pons-Brooks próximo a Hamal em Carneiro.

O cometa 12P/Pons-Brooks,  vai ser fácil de localizar com binóculos, perto da estrela mais brilhante em Carneiro no final do mês

Perihelion: April 21 (0.8 a.u.) / Orbital period: 71.3 years
Closest approach to Earth: June 2 (1.6 a.u.)
Best viewing window: At nightfall, February through mid-April. Also visible just before dawn in February.
Expected peak magnitude: 4 in early April

Source: Sky and Telescope

 

 Asteróides em oposição

  • 3 de março de 2024: 3 Juno (mag 8.6), constelação Leo.
  • 12 de março de 2024: 23 Thalia (mag 9.7), constelação Leo.

 

Esperando que esta informação seja útil e do vosso agrado, era bom darem-nos algum feed-back para que possamos avaliar a recetividade da mesma. Estejam à vontade para sugerir melhorias que sempre que possível serão consideradas.

 

Noites estreladas.

Rui Lourenço

Secretário

The Executive Committee WG Professional-Amateur Relations in Astronomy invites IAU members to register their projects at Pro-Am Research Collaboration (PARC) platform

The Executive Committee WG Professional-Amateur Relations in
Astronomy invites IAU members to register their projects at Pro-Am Research Collaboration (PARC) platform

The Pro-Am WG wants to connect professional and amateur astronomers with the aim of promoting research collaborations, delivering workshops, and promoting and facilitating the integration of professional astronomers within amateur societies.

With this goal in mind, the Pro-Am WG launched the IAU Pro-Am Research Collaboration (PARC), an initiative that promotes and facilitates professional-amateur research collaborations in astronomy.

PARC aims to enhance professional astronomy research capacity through collaboration with skilled and motivated amateur astronomers.

Throughout history, amateur astronomers have made significant discoveries and contributions to the field of professional astronomy. While many amateurs are observers using smaller optical telescopes to image the night sky directly with CCD detectors, others are engaged in making radio observations or designing and building their own instruments. Some amateur astronomers collect data on solar
eclipses and aurorae or are making astrometric and photometric observations of asteroids and comets and reporting them to the Minor Planet Center, while others are engaged in the precise timing of stellar occultations by bodies in our solar system. PARC will harness this knowledge base and interest from amateur astronomers to enhance the capacity for professional research.

There is an array of useful projects that demonstrate how Pro-Am collaborations can benefit researchers. Galaxy Cruise, from the National Observatory of Japan, and Gaia Vari from the European Space Agency demonstrate the power of amateur astronomers in processing and classifying large sets of data. Individuals can recognise patterns in ways computers can’t, and their efforts can save time and resources, expediting research processes. In some cases, amateur astronomers’ observations have led to the creation of new sets of data used by professional
astronomers. For decades amateurs have been observing variable stars and reporting data to the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), and NASA uses amateur astronomers’ Jupiter telescopic images and data of Jupiter to inform the JUNOCAM mission.

Beyond the direct impact on researchers and amateur astronomers groups, the involvement of citizens in research collaborations can increase engagement with astronomy among educators, nonprofit organisations, and industry, fomenting societal support for research activities.

The Pro-Am WG calls on all IAU members who have research projects that would benefit from collaboration with amateur astronomers to register their projects on the WG website. Each project will be reviewed by the Working Group prior to posting. Once in the PARC system, interested amateurs will be able to sign up to participate, and research teams will have the opportunity to review amateur candidates prior to engaging with them as part of the research project.

For more information, please contact Clementina Sasso at clementina.sasso@inaf.it

https://www.iau.org/science/scientific_bodies/working_groups/professional-amateur/

New Comet Discovery C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) 

New Comet Discovery C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) was discovered by H. Nishimura in images taken on Aug. 11 UT, at Gomyo, Kakegawa, Japan with a digital camera. This new 10th magnitude comet is low in the eastern sky before dawn. It has been observed visually, and is said to be relatively easy to spot, even though it is low on the horizon. Interested in how this new comet discovery is being followed up? See our new comet follow up video  

C/2023 P1 (Nishimura): A morning comet visible in binoculars
This comet begins the month in Cancer at magnitude 6.6. Look for a 5.5′ coma.  FINDER CHART

LatitudeVisibility September 2Visibility September 9Visibility September 16Visibility September 23Visibility September 30Nights Visible
55o NLow in the eastern sky during morning twilight at ~03:30Very low in the eastern sky during morning twilight at ~03:50Very low in the western sky during evening twilight at ~19:00Not visibleNot visible1-18
40o NLow in the eastern sky during morning twilight at ~04:20Very low in the eastern sky during morning twilight at ~04:30Not visibleNot visibleNot visible1-11, 13-20
EquatorLow in the eastern sky during morning twilight at ~05:00Not visibleNot visibleNot visibleNot visible1-8, 16-23, 25-25
30SNot visibleNot visibleNot visibleNot visibleNot visible1-2, 19-28

Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF

Comet ZTF starts the month high in the northern sky in the faint constellation Camelopardalis and quickly moves south across Auriga and Taurus while fading to ~7.5 magnitude late in the month. Positions are nightly at 8 p.m. CST through February 14th, then switch to every three nights to reflect its slowdown. The locations of Mars and the zenith are shown for February 1st.
Stellarium with additions by Bob King (S&T)