A 4.22 second occultation was recorded using the CCD drift-scan technique by John Broughton in Reedy Creek, Queensland. Peter Anderson in Brisbane, slightly to the north, saw no occultation..
View the Updated Prediction
Observers: 1 J.Broughton, Reedy Creek, Australia (CCD) 2(M) P.Anderson, The Gap, Australia M = Miss
The circle represents the predicted 58 km diameter of Bilkis.
Drift-scan trace:
Scanalyser Trace:
Discussion:
John's observation indicates that the track moved south, compared to the updated prediction, by at least one track-width. If John observed a chord across the southern side of the asteroid, Peter Anderson was unlucky to just be outside the northern edge, assuming the expected diameter of 58 km for Bilkis. However, there remains a chance that the path may have shifted further south, so that John Broughton saw a chord across the northern part of the asteroid.
Observational Data:
Observer's Name : John Broughton Aperture (cm) : 50.1 Focal length (cm) : 185 Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian) : Newtonian Magnification : CCD drift-scan at 5.6 pixels per second Observing site name : Reedy Creek, Gold Coast Longitude (East +ve) : +153 23' 49" Latitude (South -ve) : -28 06' 36" Height above Sealevel (metres) : 66 Geodetic Datum (e.g.WDD84,NZ1949): AGD66 Sky Transparency (Delete two) : Good Star Image Stability (Delete two): Good Time Source (e.g. WWV, VNG) : WWVH. Recording method (e.g. tape) : Drift-scan. Taped shutter and time signal. Could you see the Asteroid? : Visible during occultation. Approx. Limiting Magnitude : 15 | Estimated | Universal Time | Reaction | Accuracy, Remarks h m s | Time (sec) | Started Observing : 13:01:22.98 n.a 0.01 Disappearance At : 13:01:33.30 n.a 0.02 Reappearance At : 13:01:37.52 n.a 0.02 Stopped Observing : 13:01:53.24 n.a 0.01 Duration : 4.22 ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: A gibbous moon had little impact on obtaining a first class drift-scan revealing a stunning dip in it. Observing from just inside the southern line of uncertainty and outside the nominal path, a positive occultation was not expected so this was a pleasant surprise indeed. My Scanalyser software indicated an initial timing accuracy of .04 second which improved to .02 after only one pass through the smoothing algorithm. An explanation of methodology and relevant software is available at: http://www.users.bigpond.com/reedycrk/driftscantiming.htm Observer's Name : Peter Anderson Aperture (cm) : 41 Focal length (cm) : 245 Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian) : Newtonian Magnification : X 198 Observing site name : Taylor Range Observatory Longitude (East +ve) : 152 56 01.4580 Latitude (South -ve) : -27 27 47.5562 Datum : GDA94 Height above Sea level (metres) : 176.3 Sky Transparency (Delete two) : Good Star Image Stability (Delete two): Good Other Conditions: (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.): Bright moonlight (93% illum and 34 deg distant) Time Source (e.g. WWVH, VNG) : WWVH Recording method (e.g. tape) : Stopwatches and tape recorder Could you see the Asteroid? : No Approx. Limiting Magnitude : 13.0 approx | Estimated | Universal Time | Reaction | Accuracy, Remarks h m s | Time (sec) | COLUMN FORMAT TO USE---> __:__:__._ _._ _________________) Started Observing : 12 59 00 Estimated Closest Approach : Definitely no event occurred - Asteroid never seen (if no D/R) Stopped Observing : 13 04 00 Was your reaction time (also known as Personal Equation) subtracted from any of the above timings? : Not Applicable
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