An occultation was seen by John Talbot observing from Waikanae, north of Wellington, NZ. No events were reported from Pukerua Bay to the south or Wanganui to the north.
View the updated prediction and a magnified plot.
Observers: 1 J. Talbot, Waikanae, NZ 2(M) R. Hudson, Pukerua Bay, NZ 3(M) R. Wright, Wanganui, NZ M = Miss
Discussion:
The circle above is plotted at the expected 50 km diameter of Brita.
For the Pukerua Bay observations, the star was on the limit of detectability and the observer feels that there is an 80% chance that an event did not occur there. If this was the case then the Waikanae chord must have been across the southern half of the asteroid otherwise an occultation of a few seconds would have been seen at Pukerua Bay. These data indicate that the path of this event shifted to the north by roughly one half path-width, meaning that the event would also have been seen in Otaki, Te Horo, Levin and Martinborough. However observers at Te Horo and Martinborough experienced equipment problems at the critical time.
Observational Data:
Observer's Name : John Talbot Aperture (cm) : 10cm Focal length (cm) : 1400cm Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian) : Newtonian, Saxon on Equatorial mount Magnification : 56x (25mm eye piece) Observing site name : 3 Hughes St, Waikanae Beach Longitude (DD MM SS ; East +ve) : 175 01 56.6 Latitude (DD MM SS ; South -ve) : -40 51 19.1 Height above Sealevel (metres) : 5m Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949): WGS84 Sky Transparency (Delete two) : Good Star Image Stability (Delete two): Good Other Conditions: Clear , No wind, some suburban lights Time Source (e.g. WWVH, GPS) : WWV 10MHz Recording method (e.g. tape) : Tape Could you see the Asteroid? : no Approx. Limiting Magnitude : ~11 to 12 | Estimated | Universal Time | Reaction | Accuracy, Remarks h m s | Time (sec) | Started Observing : 07:00:00 Disappearance At : 07:06:28.5 - 0.4 -0.5 = 07:06:27.6 Reappearance At : 07:06:33.3 - 0.4 -0.5 = 07:06:32.4 Stopped Observing : 07:10:00 Occultation Duration : 4.8 sec Was your reaction time (also known as Personal Equation) subtracted from any of the above timings? : yes If YES, state value : 0.5 for star change to shout and 0.4 for shout to stopwatch ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: From 95% cloudcover at 5:45 it cleared to a perfect but chilly night by 6:30. It took me about 20 minutes to find target. I am certain I was looking at star shown in detailed finder charts. The result is about 1 minute later than forecast but I am certain I could see the star all of minute 5. Revised reaction times after testing with a reaction time program Observer's Name : Rick Hudson + Gordon Hudson Aperture (cm) : 30 Focal length (cm) : 300 Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian) : Cassegrain Magnification : n/a Observing site name : Kotipu Place Observatory Longitude (DD MM SS ; East +ve) : +174 52 54.36 Latitude (DD MM SS ; South -ve) : -41 02 27.61 Height above Sealevel (metres) : 108.5 Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949): NZ1949 Height Datum (if known) : MSL Sky Transparency (Delete two) : Good Star Image Stability (Delete two): Poor Other Conditions: (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.): Calm Time Source (e.g. WWVH, GPS) : GPS Recording method (e.g. tape) : Video camera + GPS time overlay Could you see the Asteroid? : No Approx. Limiting Magnitude : 11 (with camera) | Estimated | Universal Time | Reaction | Accuracy, Remarks h m s | Time (sec) | Started Observing : 07:02:38 Stopped Observing : 07:10:53 ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Star on the limit of detectability with equipment combination. About 80% certain that no occultation occurred during observing period. Observer's Name : Ray Wright Aperture (cm) : 25.4 Focal length (cm) : 101.6 Type (e.g. SCT; Newtonian) : Schmidt-Newtonion Magnification : 39x Observing site name : Brunswick driveway Longitude (DD MM SS ; East +ve) : 175°01'12.6" East Latitude (DD MM SS ; South -ve) : 39°50'45.5" South Height above Sealevel (metres) : 165 Geodetic Datum (e.g.WGS84,NZ1949): WGS 84 Sky Transparency (Delete two) : Good Star Image Stability (Delete two): Good Other Conditions: (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.): Cloud Time Source (e.g. WWVH, GPS) : Recording method (e.g. tape) : Could you see the Asteroid? : Approx. Limiting Magnitude : | Estimated | Universal Time | Reaction | Accuracy, Remarks h m s | Time (sec) | Started Observing : 07h 03 Stopped Observing : 07h 08
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