Table of contents

Last updated 2013 March 12

WHAT TO OBSERVE

1.0 Observing

This section will list objects and projects which interested observers may like to incorporate into their observing programs. Activities are listed under various categories.

The CalSKY website provides information on many objects you might want to observe. After registering try clicking on ‘Asteroids’ and then ‘This nights asteroids’. Selecting ‘Astronomer’ gives a longer list than ‘Hobby’. Choosing an asteroid from the list gives you a mountain of data relating to that object. Asteroids at opposition and Occultations are also listed.

Please send a copy of all observations and images to the ARPS Director at arps@britastro.com

2.0 Observing opportunities

Note that the data published in the BAA Handbook for 2013 can also be found in Section 3.

Targets	Activities	Procedures (1)	Instruments	Data Sources	Send results to (2);	Reporting format
VISUAL OBSERVING
Main belt asteroids	Finding by visual observing	Visual observations of asteroids	Telescope	Section 1.2.2, Targets for visual observation, BAA Handbook for 2013, Minor Planets, pp 42-47 Planetarium software What's Observable?	ARPS Director at arps@britastro.com	ARPS form
Main belt asteroids	Position estimates (Visual astrometry)	Visual observations of asteroids	Telescope	BAA Handbook for 2013, Minor Planets, pp 42-47 Planetarium software What's Observable?	ARPS Director at arps@britastro.com	ARPS form
Main belt asteroids	Magnitude estimates (Visual photometry)	Visual observations of asteroids	Telescope	BAA Handbook for 2009, Minor Planets, pp 44-50 Planetarium Software What's Observable?	ARPS Director at arps@britastro.com	ARPS form
Main belt asteroids	Occultation timing	Occultations EAON Introduction EAON Circulars	Binoculars (only a few) or Telescope	European Asteroidal Occultation Network (EAON) Steve Preston’s occultation predictions BAA Handbook for 2013, Minor Planets, pp 48-50 UK predictions issued bimonthly by ARPS Occultations Director, Tim Haymes	Send results to Tim Haymes (Assistant Director, Occultations, ARPS) at: tvh.observatory@btinternet.com EAON - Giles Regheere at mailto:gillesregheere@yahoo.fr	EAON form
VIDEO RECORDING AND DRIFT SCAN TIMING OF OCCULTATIONS
Main belt asteroids	Occultation timing	EAON Video Observations Drift scan timing	Telescope plus video camera Telescope Plus CCD camera	European Asteroidal Occultation Network (EAON) Steve Preston’s occultation predictions BAA Handbook for 2013, Minor Planets, pp 48-50 UK predictions issued bimonthly by ARPS Occultations Director, Tim Haymes	Send results to Tim Haymes (Assistant Director, Occultations, ARPS) at: tvh.observatory@btinternet.com PLANOCCULT mailing list at: planoccult@aula.com EAON - Gilles Regheere at: mailto:gillesregheere@yahoo.fr	EAON form
DIGITAL SLR IMAGING
Main belt asteroids	Imaging	Digital SLR imaging	Digital SLR camera plus drive	BAA Handbook for 2013, Minor Planets, pp 42-47 Planetarium software What's Observable?	See Publication of observations	Add details to images as shown on images in article Digital SLR imaging
CCD IMAGING
Main belt asteroids	Imaging	Al Kelly’s CCD Instruction Guide AAVSO CCD Observing Manual	Telescope plus CCD	MPO Observing Guides	See Publication of observations	Add details to images as shown on images in article Digital SLR imaging
CCD ASTROMETRY
Main belt asteroids	Obtaining an observatory code	Astrometry – Obtaining an observatory code MPC Guide to Minor Body Astrometry	Telescope plus CCD	MPC Guide to Minor Body Astrometry (Section 15 for targets)	The Minor Planet Center at mailto:obs@cfa.harvard.edu	MPC Submission information
NEO’s and Main belt asteroids	Discovery follow-up astrometry	An introduction to astrometry Astrometry of NEO’s Astrometry of NEO’s – Follow-up observations Astrometry - Measuring trails	Telescope plus CCD	Lowell Observatory HOP MPC NEA Observation Planning Aid Spaceguard Priority List Follow-up Astrometric Program (FUAP) BAA Handbook for 2013, Minor Planets, pp 42-47, 51	The Minor Planet Center at mailto:obs@cfa.harvard.edu	MPC Submission information
NEO’s and Main belt asteroids	Discovery confirmation astrometry	Peter Birtwhisle’s website; -Equipment -Software -Methods	Telescope plus CCD	Minor Planet Center (MPC) NEO Confirmation Page	The Minor Planet Center at mailto:obs@cfa.harvard.edu	MPC Submission information
NEO’s and Main belt Asteroids	Discovery	Hunting Asteroids from your Backyard. Dennis Di Cicco, Sky and Telescope A Guide to Asteroid Discovery Using the Sierra Skies Observatory Network by Rich Williams	Telescope plus CCD	Minor Planet Checker (to check for known asteroids)	The Minor Planet Center at mailto:obs@cfa.harvard.edu	MPC Submission information
CCD PHOTOMETRY
Asteroids and Dwarf Planets	Determining lightcurves by differential photometry	Photometry Asteroid lightcurves – Part I Asteroid lightcurves – Part II Differential photometry using Canopus MPO/CALL - A Guide to Minor Planet Photometry	Telescope plus CCD	Minor planet Bulletin (Each on-line edition includes a list of ‘Lightcurve opportunities’) BAA Handbook for 2013, Minor Planets, pp 52-54	See Publication of observations	Publication of observations
Asteroids and Dwarf Planets	Determining lightcurves – a new method. Absolute photometry made easy!	A method for determining the V magnitude of asteroids from CCD images Astrometrica and Guide Hints and Tips	Telescope plus CCD plus Filters	Minor planet Bulletin (Each on-line edition includes a list of ‘Lightcurve opportunities’) BAA Handbook for 2013, Minor Planets, pp 52-54	See Publication of observations	Publication of observations
Asteroids and Dwarf Planets	Determining lightcurves by all-sky photometry	MPO/CALL - A Guide to Minor Planet Photometry All-Sky Photometry: An Iterative Procedure by Bill Gary Link to Asteroid Phase Curves: New Opportunities for Amateur Observers (see PP69-78) by Richard Miles	Telescope plus CCD plus Filters	Minor planet Bulletin (Each on-line edition includes a list of ‘Lightcurve opportunities’) BAA Handbook for 2013, Minor Planets, pp 52-54	See Publication of observations	Publication of observations
All asteroids and Dwarf Planets but mainly applicable to Main Belt Asteroids	Generating phase curves and determining absolute magnitude	A method for determining the V magnitude of asteroids from CCD images Astrometrica and Guide Hints and Tips	Telescope plus CCD plus Filters	Magnitude Alert Project (MAP) BAA Handbook for 2013, Minor Planets, pp 42-54, 84-88	Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) Minor Planet Section Coordinator Lawrence S. Pilcher or Gerard Faure	MPC Submission information

Notes

(1) Procedures which relate to both astrometry and photometry are; Timing and Star Catalogues .

(2) In addition to sending your results to repositories and anyone or any organization specifically requesting data please copy them to the British Astronomical Association’s Asteroid and Remote Planets Section Director, at arps@britastro.org . This will enable reports to be produced for the BAA Journal. You may, of course, prepare your own reports or papers for the BAA Journal.

3.0 Asteroid and Dwarf Planet Data for 2013

This data was originally published in The Handbook of The British Astronomical Association – 2013

MINOR PLANETS

Orbital elements

 
Observers with binoculars or small telescopes may find this data useful in locating some of the brighter asteroids.
 
The data below, for asteroids brighter than magnitude 9.0 at opposition, have been extracted from the Minor Planet Center’s Minor Planet and Comet Ephemeris Service at: 
 
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html 
 
Equinox of the elements       J2000
Epoch of the elements          JD 2455800.5, 2011 Aug. 27.0 TT

No.	Name	a	e	i	Node	Peri	M
		AU		°	°	°	°
2	Pallas	2.771	0.231	34.842	173.126	310.063	181.701
3	Juno	2.671	0.255	12.981	169.910	248.187	122.324
4	Vesta	2.361	0.088	7.135	103.904	149.882	56.403
7	Iris	2.386	0.231	5.523	259.651	145.263	111.536
8	Flora	2.201	0.156	5.888	110.935	285.184	70.059
9	Metis	2.386	0.123	5.575	68.949	6.244	248.442
14	Irene	2.590	0.166	9.108	86.206	97.352	221.966
20	Massalia	2.410	0.142	0.708	206.179	256.757	99.553
324	Bamberga	2.686	0.337	11.103	327.980	43.998	182.649

EPHEMERIDES
 
The geocentric data below, for asteroids attaining magnitude 9.0 or brighter, have been extracted from the Minor Planet Center Ephemeris Service at:
 
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html 
 
Equinox                 J2000
Epoch                    JD 2455800.5, 2011 Aug. 27.0 TT 
 
2 Pallas
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Jan.	1	0	17	27.6	-16	12	49	2.768	2.728	77.4	9.6
	11	0	27	03.2	-15	26	37	2.875	2.703	70.1	9.7
	21	0	37	59.1	-14	32	04	2.974	2.679	63.2	9.7
	31	0	50	04.4	-13	31	13	3.063	2.654	56.8	9.7
Feb.	10	1	03	10.7	-12	25	41	3.142	2.630	50.7	9.7
	20	1	17	11.5	-11	17	04	3.208	2.605	45.0	9.7
Mar.	2	1	32	00.5	-10	06	53	3.263	2.581	39.8	9.6
	12	1	47	33.6	-8	56	22	3.306	2.556	35.0	9.6
	22	2	03	47.6	-7	46	53	3.336	2.532	30.8	9.5

In conjunction with the Sun

Jun.	30	5	14	21.2	-1	21	39	3.111	2.307	31.5	9.3
Jul.	10	5	35	12.4	-1	35	04	3.053	2.287	34.4	9.2
	20	5	56	06.3	-2	00	17	2.991	2.269	37.4	9.2
	30	6	16	57.7	-2	37	11	2.926	2.251	40.4	9.2
Aug.	9	6	37	41.1	-3	25	35	2.857	2.234	43.5	9.2
	19	6	58	09.8	-4	24	56	2.786	2.219	46.7	9.1
	29	7	18	18.2	-5	34	24	2.713	2.204	50.0	9.1
Sep.	8	7	38	00.4	-6	53	03	2.636	2.191	53.4	9.1
	18	7	57	09.4	-8	19	33	2.557	2.178	56.9	9.0
	28	8	15	39.4	-9	52	24	2.475	2.168	60.6	9.0
Oct.	8	8	33	23.5	-11	30	03	2.389	2.158	64.6	8.9
	18	8	50	13.5	-13	10	27	2.300	2.150	68.7	8.8
	28	9	06	01.9	-14	51	30	2.208	2.143	73.2	8.8
Nov.	7	9	20	38.0	-16	30	50	2.112	2.138	78.0	8.7
	17	9	33	49.6	-18	05	27	2.013	2.134	83.1	8.6
	27	9	45	23.8	-19	32	07	1.911	2.131	88.7	8.5
Dec.	7	9	55	03.2	-20	46	46	1.808	2.130	94.8	8.4
	17	10	02	29.6	-21	44	09	1.704	2.131	101.5	8.2
	27	10	07	25.5	-22	18	12	1.602	2.133	108.8	8.0

  
3 Juno
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Jun.	10	21	08	47.6	-2	57	32	2.201	2.842	119.5	10.1
	20	21	08	28.1	-2	39	09	2.069	2.817	128.7	9.9
	30	21	05	54.5	-2	36	05	1.951	2.792	138.2	9.6
Jul.	10	21	01	09.0	-2	50	49	1.851	2.767	148.1	9.4
	20	20	54	28.7	-3	24	41	1.773	2.741	157.8	9.2
	30	20	46	27.7	-4	17	04	1.720	2.715	165.5	9.0
Aug.	9	20	37	52.9	-5	25	15	1.693	2.688	166.0	9.0
	19	20	29	43.2	-6	44	10	1.693	2.661	158.6	9.0
	29	20	22	54.6	-8	07	39	1.719	2.634	148.6	9.2
Sep.	8	20	18	11.6	-9	29	43	1.767	2.607	138.3	9.3
	18	20	16	04.1	-10	45	16	1.834	2.580	128.2	9.4
	28	20	16	42.9	-11	50	52	1.916	2.552	118.6	9.6
Oct.	8	20	20	06.5	-12	44	20	2.009	2.524	109.5	9.7
	18	20	26	05.6	-13	24	30	2.108	2.496	100.9	9.8
	28	20	34	23.8	-13	50	57	2.210	2.469	92.9	9.9
Nov	7	20	44	44.8	-14	03	36	2.314	2.441	85.3	10.0

 
 
4 Vesta
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Jan.	1	4	44	40.1	+18	15	49	1.663	2.569	151.3	6.9
	11	4	37	59.1	+18	37	26	1.737	2.567	139.7	7.1
	21	4	34	18.3	+19	03	52	1.831	2.565	128.8	7.3
	31	4	33	45.4	+19	34	44	1.941	2.563	118.6	7.5
Feb.	10	4	36	11.6	+20	09	11	2.061	2.560	109.1	7.6
	20	4	41	22.1	+20	45	55	2.188	2.557	100.3	7.8
Mar.	2	4	48	57.1	+21	23	27	2.317	2.554	92.1	7.9
	12	4	58	37.0	+22	00	14	2.447	2.550	84.4	8.0
	22	5	10	05.1	+22	34	47	2.575	2.546	77.1	8.1
Apr.	1	5	23	4.3	+23	05	43	2.698	2.541	70.3	8.2
	11	5	37	21.1	+23	31	48	2.815	2.536	63.7	8.3
	21	5	52	43.5	+23	51	58	2.926	2.531	57.5	8.3
May	1	6	08	59.7	+24	05	19	3.027	2.526	51.5	8.4
	11	6	26	00.5	+24	11	08	3.120	2.520	45.6	8.4
	21	6	43	37.5	+24	08	51	3.203	2.513	40.0	8.4
	31	7	01	41.9	+23	58	08	3.275	2.507	34.6	8.4

In conjunction with the Sun 

Oct.	8	11	01	50.1	+10	24	29	3.183	2.398	32.3	8.2
	18	11	19	12.5	+8	52	49	3.099	2.388	37.6	8.2
	28	11	36	18.9	+7	21	51	3.006	2.379	43.1	8.2
Nov.	7	11	53	07.4	+5	52	52	2.904	2.369	48.6	8.1
	17	12	09	34.5	+4	27	13	2.794	2.359	54.3	8.1
	27	12	25	37.1	+3	06	12	2.678	2.349	60.2	8.0
Dec.	7	12	41	09.9	+1	51	19	2.555	2.339	66.2	8.0
	17	12	56	05.2	+0	44	02	2.428	2.329	72.5	7.9
	27	13	10	15.1	-0	14	10	2.297	2.319	79.0	7.8

 
 
7 Iris
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
May	31	21	47	11.8	-8	31	06	1.938	2.385	103.4	10.0
Jun.	10	21	53	34.4	-7	22	20	1.797	2.360	111.0	9.8
	20	21	57	47.3	-6	20	56	1.663	2.334	119.2	9.5
	30	21	59	33.5	-5	29	22	1.539	2.307	127.9	9.3
Jul.	10	21	58	36.1	-4	50	29	1.428	2.281	137.2	9.0
	20	21	54	47.8	-4	26	56	1.333	2.255	147.2	8.7
	30	21	48	18.7	-4	20	29	1.256	2.228	157.5	8.4
Aug.	9	21	39	39.7	-4	31	36	1.202	2.202	167.1	8.1
	19	21	29	52.0	-4	58	07	1.172	2.176	170.3	7.9
	29	21	20	15.8	-5	35	21	1.166	2.150	162.4	8.1
Sep.	8	21	12	12.0	-6	17	14	1.183	2.125	151.7	8.3
	18	21	06	49.6	-6	57	10	1.221	2.099	141.1	8.5
	28	21	04	46.5	-7	29	51	1.275	2.075	131.0	8.7
Oct.	8	21	06	14.8	-7	51	34	1.343	2.051	121.6	8.8
	18	21	11	08.5	-7	59	52	1.420	2.028	112.9	9.0
	28	21	19	06.6	-7	53	39	1.503	2.005	105.0	9.2
Nov.	7	21	29	45.8	-7	32	24	1.590	1.984	97.7	9.3
	17	21	42	42.4	-6	56	03	1.679	1.963	91.0	9.4
	27	21	57	32.5	-6	05	10	1.768	1.944	84.7	9.5
Dec.	7	22	13	57.4	-5	00	21	1.857	1.926	78.8	9.6
	17	22	31	40.6	-3	42	37	1.944	1.909	73.3	9.6
	27	22	50	27.7	-2	13	17	2.028	1.894	68.0	9.7

 
8 Flora
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
May	31	20	25	00.2	-18	02	19	1.549	2.289	125.3	10.1
Jun.	10	20	25	33.3	-18	23	00	1.439	2.272	134.8	9.9
	20	20	22	57.4	-18	58	34	1.345	2.255	145.1	9.6
	30	20	17	14.2	-19	48	10	1.269	2.237	156.2	9.3
Jul.	10	20	08	45.4	-20	48	32	1.215	2.219	167.8	9.0
	20	19	58	25.9	-21	53	41	1.185	2.201	178.8	8.7
	30	19	47	38.0	-22	56	36	1.181	2.183	167.7	8.9
Aug.	9	19	37	52.6	-23	51	19	1.200	2.165	155.8	9.1
	19	19	30	34.4	-24	34	11	1.241	2.147	144.4	9.3
	29	19	26	37.0	-25	04	18	1.300	2.128	133.8	9.5
Sep.	8	19	26	22.9	-25	22	05	1.374	2.110	124.1	9.7
	18	19	29	51.7	-25	28	21	1.457	2.092	115.1	9.9
	28	19	36	44.1	-25	23	44	1.548	2.074	106.9	10.1

9 Metis
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Jan.	1	6	52	16.7	+28	27	39	1.137	2.117	174.4	8.5
	11	6	41	05.5	+29	05	38	1.154	2.124	166.9	8.7
	21	6	31	32.7	+29	29	32	1.197	2.131	155.2	9.0
	31	6	25	05.1	+29	40	33	1.263	2.139	143.9	9.3
Feb.	10	6	22	24.9	+29	41	41	1.347	2.147	133.3	9.6
	20	6	23	41.1	+29	35	42	1.446	2.156	123.6	9.8
Mar.	2	6	28	36.1	+29	24	28	1.556	2.166	114.7	10.1

14 Irene
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Jan.	31	12	39	03.4	+10	20	37	1.456	2.178	125.1	10.0
Feb.	10	12	41	43.9	+11	11	37	1.365	2.172	134.3	9.7
	20	12	41	13.8	+12	17	41	1.289	2.167	143.8	9.5
Mar.	2	12	37	36.1	+13	32	09	1.232	2.163	153.1	9.3
	12	12	31	15.5	+14	45	31	1.197	2.160	160.8	9.1
	22	12	23	07.3	+15	46	11	1.185	2.158	163.1	9.0
Apr.	1	12	14	31.3	+16	24	02	1.198	2.158	158.1	9.1
	11	12	06	48.1	+16	33	07	1.233	2.158	149.6	9.3
	21	12	01	07.0	+16	12	03	1.288	2.159	140.3	9.5
May	1	11	58	08.6	+15	23	43	1.361	2.162	131.2	9.8
	11	11	58	04.9	+14	12	44	1.447	2.165	122.6	10.0

20 Massalia
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Sep.	18	2	50	24.7	+16	22	16	1.510	2.289	130.0	10.1
	28	2	49	12.7	+16	13	23	1.412	2.274	140.1	9.8
Oct.	8	2	44	53.4	+15	50	02	1.332	2.258	151.0	9.5
	18	2	37	47.5	+15	13	04	1.272	2.243	162.8	9.3
	28	2	28	44.5	+14	25	31	1.237	2.229	175.0	8.9
Nov.	7	2	18	58.8	+13	32	59	1.228	2.214	172.4	9.0
	17	2	09	59.9	+12	43	11	1.245	2.200	160.0	9.2
	27	2	03	04.2	+12	03	33	1.286	2.187	148.1	9.4
Dec.	7	1	59	02.7	+11	39	34	1.347	2.174	136.9	9.7
	17	1	58	19.7	+11	33	56	1.425	2.161	126.6	9.9
	27	2	00	53.1	+11	46	32	1.516	2.149	117.0	10.1

 
324 Bamberga
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Jul.	10	23	27	18.1	-5	11	58	1.264	1.952	117.3	10.2
	20	23	33	16.2	-3	16	52	1.155	1.924	124.7	9.9
	30	23	36	24.1	-1	24	28	1.057	1.899	132.8	9.6
Aug.	9	23	36	16.6	+0	23	09	0.972	1.875	141.6	9.3
	19	23	32	43.0	+2	03	27	0.902	1.854	151.1	9.0
	29	23	25	59.3	+3	33	17	0.851	1.835	160.9	8.6
Sep.	8	23	16	54.6	+4	49	12	0.820	1.819	169.1	8.3
	18	23	07	01.8	+5	49	39	0.810	1.805	168.3	8.3
	28	22	58	10.4	+6	35	53	0.821	1.795	159.6	8.5
Oct.	8	22	51	57.2	+7	11	56	0.852	1.787	149.6	8.8
	18	22	49	27.5	+7	44	06	0.900	1.783	140.0	9.1
	28	22	51	00.5	+8	18	03	0.962	1.781	131.2	9.3
Nov.	7	22	56	26.9	+8	58	07	1.036	1.783	123.1	9.6
	17	23	05	22.3	+9	47	08	1.120	1.788	115.8	9.8
	27	23	17	12.7	+10	45	59	1.211	1.796	109.2	10.0

Astrometry

To submit astrometrical data to the Minor Planet Center (MPC) the observer must obtain an IAU Observatory Code as described on the website of the Asteroid and Remote Planets Section at: http://www.britastro.org/asteroids/Astrometry%20-%20Obs%20Code.htm

Positions and orbital elements of asteroids, particularly Near-Earth Objects, change rapidly. Such data on asteroids for which astrometry is required can be obtained from;

Minor Planet Center,

- NEO Confirmation Page at: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/NEO/ToConfirm.html

- NEO Observation Planning Aid at: http://scully.cfa.harvard.edu/~cgi/NEAObs

- Date of Last Observations of NEO's not seen in a while at: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/NEO/LastObsNEO.html

Jet Propulsion Laboratory,

- HORIZONS Web Interface at: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi#top

The Spaceguard Foundation,

- NEO Priority List at: http://spaceguard.rm.iasf.cnr.it/servlet/PriorityListServlet

ASTEROIDS – FAVOURABLE OBSERVING OPPORTUNITIES

Lightcurve opportunities

Prepared by Richard Miles based on an analysis of both numbered and unnumbered objects in the Minor Planet Center MPCORB database by Brian D. Warner.

Asteroids are listed which at opposition are brighter than magnitude 14.5 and for which the rotation period is very uncertain or unknown.

Where a 'U' code is given as '1' or ‘1+’, the values given are based on fragmentary lightcurves and are likely to be incorrect.

Period/amplitude data are taken from the list maintained by Brian D. Warner  and Alan W. Harris of the Space Science Institute and Petr Pravec of the Astronomical Institute, Ondrejov, Czech Republic, at:

http://www.minorplanet.info/lightcurvedatabase.html

Asteroid		Opposition	V
Number	Name	Date	Mag.	∆	Dec.	U	Period	Amplitude
		m    d		AU	°	Code	h	mag.
1105	Fragaria	01 04.7	14.4	2.168	+19	1	10.88	0.12
1283	Komsomolia	01 05.7	14.3	1.857	+12	1+	96	1.03
2762	Fowler	01 07.3	14.4	1.015	+25
957	Camelia	02 02.4	13.8	1.786	-5	1+	150	0.3
398	Admete	02 04.3	13.1	1.340	+7
613	Ginevra	02 19.3	13.5	1.932	+16	1	16.45	0.63
2007	McCuskey	02 28.8	14.2	1.180	+11
2854	Rawson	03 23.9	14.4	0.977	-12
871	Amneris	04 09.3	14.2	0.976	-2
2546	Libitina	04 13.7	14.3	1.354	-26
924	Toni	04 20.3	14.1	2.366	-1	1	21	0.1
331	Etheridgea	04 22.3	14.0	2.251	-14	1	long	0.05
795	Fini	04 22.8	13.1	1.473	-21	1+	9.292	0.06
4857	Altgamia	04 23.8	14.3	1.916	-15
498	Tokio	05 02.7	12.6	1.806	-4	1+	>20	0.36
1784	Benguella	05 06.5	14.3	2.190	-15
1334	Lundmarka	05 12.2	14.1	2.675	-1
2050	Francis	05 13.3	13.9	0.824	+8
37152	2000 VV56	05 15.8	14.0	0.680	-29
	1988 RH9	05 16.0	13.5	1.038	+18
609	Fulvia	05 18.5	14.3	1.981	-14	1+	20	0.07
3738	Ots	05 20.6	14.0	0.866	-22
3173	McNaught	05 22.1	14.3	0.882	-15
1354	Botha	05 23.0	14.2	1.531	-26	1+	4	0.21
1269	Rollandia	05 23.4	14.0	2.848	-17
163364	2002 OD20	05 27.5*	13.9	0.045	-34
1458	Mineura	05 30.0	14.3	1.226	-1	1	36	0.04
285263	1998 QE2	06 03.2*	10.6	0.042	-10
2568	Maksutov	06 09.6	14.3	0.799	-20
4353	Onizaki	06 10.0	14.0	1.081	-23
1421	Esperanto	06 12.2	14.4	1.924	-33			0.42
1424	Sundmania	06 18.2	13.9	2.128	-33	1	>12	0.1
249	Ilse	06 23.6	14.2	1.406	-38	1	85.24	0.33
1367	Nongoma	06 25.7	13.8	1.028	-20	1	long	0.3
1032	Pafuri	06 29.4	13.5	1.674	-29	1+	>24	0.3
848	Inna	07 04.9	14.3	1.707	-21
2185	Guangdong	07 05.3	14.1	1.335	-34
3221	Changshi	07 05.3	14.1	0.879	-26
4226	Damiaan	07 12.1	14.1	1.347	-13	1	24	0.05
1686	De Sitter	07 12.6	14.2	1.656	-23
916	America	07 12.7	13.7	1.208	-35	1	38	0.28
14339	Knorre	07 13.3	14.2	1.145	-19
3739	Rem	07 18.1	14.2	0.883	-21
722	Frieda	07 20.0	13.8	0.886	-32			0.04
1145	Robelmonte	07 20.9	13.6	1.211	-29	1	21	0.05
2213	Meeus	07 30.0	13.9	0.771	-19
3002	Delasalle	08 02.7	14.3	1.059	-21
277475	2005 WK4	08 11.7*	13.9	0.024	-9
24367	2000 AC126	08 16.0	14.2	0.827	-15
1358	Gaika	08 20.4	14.1	1.069	-16
1874	Kacivelia	08 24.7	13.4	1.272	-10
330	Adalberta	08 28.1	14.2	1.055	-13
1486	Marilyn	08 30.3	14.0	0.922	-9
1387	Kama	08 30.5	14.4	0.787	-1
4729	Mikhailmil'	09 01.1	13.9	0.896	-4
5913	1990 BU	09 04.0	14.2	1.114	0	1	52	0.1
3060	Delcano	09 06.6	14.4	0.876	-2
2409	Chapman	09 08.6	14.3	0.829	-9
2231	Durrell	09 12.2	14.3	1.063	-2
4511	Rembrandt	09 16.2	13.5	0.926	-10
2831	Stevin	09 18.6	13.8	0.788	-11
870	Manto	09 20.6	12.9	0.802	-12	1	>24	0.3
	2002 OA22	09 28.4*	14.1	0.040	-25
1610	Mirnaya	09 29.9	13.8	0.767	+3
2286	Fesenkov	10 06.7	14.4	1.020	+3
2236	Austrasia	10 13.0	14.1	1.089	+11
501	Urhixidur	10 14.1	12.8	1.794	+21	1	15	0.1
641	Agnes	10 17.1	13.6	0.980	+8	1	8.9	0.18
4905	Hiromi	10 17.8	14.3	1.175	+7
1359	Prieska	10 18.0	14.4	1.947	-1			0.04
3448	Narbut	10 22.2	14.3	0.940	+9
983	Gunila	10 26.1	14.4	2.439	+25	1	long	0.25
3632	Grachevka	11 04.4	14.4	1.006	+11
941	Murray	11 05.8	14.0	1.269	+14
4911	Rosenzweig	11 06.3	14.4	1.248	+11
920	Rogeria	11 26.5	14.3	1.423	+6
341	California	11 28.1	13.7	1.233	+27	1	8.74	0.07
979	Ilsewa	11 30.4	13.9	2.080	+17	1	19	0.05
1765	Wrubel	12 04.1	14.1	2.170	+23
496	Gryphia	12 10.0	13.6	1.060	+17	1	18	0.05
366	Vincentina	12 10.3	13.3	2.274	+38	1	15.5	0.08
560	Delila	12 13.7	13.7	1.362	+17			0.1
767	Bondia	12 17.7	14.3	2.131	+24
437	Rhodia	12 23.7	13.6	1.649	+22	1	56	0.38
318	Magdalena	12 23.9	13.6	1.965	+8	1	59.5	0.11
1332	Marconia	12 27.4	14.3	2.057	+27
703	Noemi	12 28.0	14.3	1.046	+19

* Date when brightest

ASTEROIDS – FAVOURABLE OBSERVING OPPORTUNITIES

Low phase angle/opposition opportunities

Prepared by Richard Miles based on data derived from the Minor Planet Center MPCORB database by Brian D. Warner.

Asteroids selected based on the following criteria: V <14.0, Phase Angle <0.20 deg

Asteroid		Opposition	Minimum	V			Maximum
Number	Name	Date	Phase Angle	Mag.	Dec.	Period	Amplitude
		m   d	°		°	h	mag.
758	Mancunia	1 09.5	0.16	11.9	+22	12.7253	0.26
543	Charlotte	1 12.9	0.19	13.0	+22	10.718	0.23
551	Ortrud	2 20.7	0.12	13.3	+11	13.05	0.16
65	Cybele	2 25.9	0.04	11.3	+9	6.082	0.12
119	Althaea	4 10.3	0.18	12.0	-9	11.484	0.36
578	Happelia	4 21.8	0.15	12.4	-12	10.061	0.20
912	Maritima	4 23.3	0.15	13.2	-12	1332	0.18
223	Rosa	4 27.1	0.17	13.9	-13	9.91	0.06
229	Adelinda	4 28.1	0.14	13.9	-15	6.6	0.30
586	Thekla	5 05.3	0.05	13.3	-16	13.67	0.30
563	Suleika	6 14.5	0.16	12.9	-23	5.69	0.28
348	May	6 19.8	0.14	13.6	-23	7.3812	0.16
389	Industria	7 02.8	0.14	10.8	-23	8.53	0.34
862	Franzia	7 24.1	0.14	13.5	-20	7.52	0.13
2213	Meeus	7 30.0	0.03	13.9	-19
268	Adorea	7 31.9	0.15	12.6	-19	7.8	0.20
569	Misa	8 03.9	0.11	13.8	-17	13.52	0.25
1241	Dysona	8 15.9	0.18	13.3	-13	8.608	0.25
839	Valborg	9 01.3	0.13	12.5	-8	10.366	0.14
1062	Ljuba	9 02.3	0.08	13.8	-8	33.8	0.17
955	Alstede	9 13.4	0.14	12.9	-4	5.19	0.27
139	Juewa	9 24.2	0.06	12.3	+0	20.991	0.20
1035	Amata	9 24.8	0.08	13.4	+0	9.081	0.44
69	Hesperia	9 28.3	0.01	11.3	+2	5.655	0.24
1074	Beljawskya	10 31.8	0.01	13.2	+14	6.284	0.37
20	Massalia	11 01.0	0.12	8.7	+14	8.098	0.27
447	Valentine	12 02.3	0.08	12.7	+22	9.651	0.18
977	Philippa	12 09.4	0.19	13.8	+23	15.405	0.49
535	Montague	12 14.3	0.19	12.4	+23	10.2482	0.25

NEO CLOSE APPROACHES TO EARTH

Prepared by Richard Miles from data on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Near Earth Object Program website at:

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/

It lists asteroids predicted to pass within 0.05 AU (about 7.5 million km) of the Earth during 2013 (as of 2011 Dec 24).  Newly-discovered objects may be added to the list available via the JPL NEO site, so do check this for recent updates.  The Nominal Miss Distance is given in Lunar Distances (LD) and Astronomical Units (AU).  The apparent Elongation and Declination are geocentric.  Ephemerides should be obtained near the time of observation from the MPC via its Minor Planet and Comet Ephemeris Service at:

http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html

For your local ephemerides, choose a location or observatory near your site.  Note that the positions of some objects may be subject to significant uncertainty.

Object	Close Approach Date	Nominal Miss Distance LD* / AU	Relative Velocity km/s	H Magnitude	V Magnitude (brightest)	Date when brightest	Elongation when brightest	Declination when brightest
2002 AY1	Jan. 8.0	14.8/0.0381	17.4	20.6	16.1	Jan. 6	108	+60
2007 EO88	Mar. 18.8	4.4/0.0114	10.7	26.4	19.0	Mar. 17	130	+18
2005 TS15	Apr. 7.6	15.2/0.0391	20.6	21.0	16.9	Apr. 8	97	+16
2010 GM23	Apr. 14.0	3.9/0.0099	13.1	24.7	17.2	Apr. 12	123	-3
1988 TA	May 10.1	13.1/0.0336	13.5	20.8	15.7	May 7	130	+15
163364	May 23.6	15.1/0.0388	10.2	18.8	13.9	May 27	133	-34
285263	May 31.9	15.2/0.0392	10.6	16.4	10.5	Jun. 2	161	-13
293726	Jun. 28.2	13.9/0.0357	5.9	22.5	18.6	Jun. 20	96	-50
2010 AF30	Jul. 17.1	17.0/0.0438	10.0	21.4	17.3	Jul. 23	118	-66
2006 BL8	Jul. 26.1	9.3/0.0239	11.5	24.8	19.5	Jul. 28	108	-40
2003 DZ15	Jul. 29.7	7.6/0.0196	14.5	22.2	16.3	Jul. 27	123	+30
277475	Aug. 9.2	8.1/0.0207	8.4	20.1	13.9	Aug. 11	127	-9
2008 ON10	Aug. 16.5	18.2/0.0469	4.5	24.6	20.0	Aug. 7	134	-26
2007 CN26	Aug. 28.3	11.9/0.0305	6.9	21.0	16.6	Sep. 4	102	+5
2008 PW4	Aug. 30.6	14.3/0.0367	6.8	22.4	17.5	Aug. 23	133	-54
2010 CD55	Aug. 31.1	17.9/0.0461	6.1	23.1	19.2	Sep. 11	115	+57
2010 CF19	Sep. 08.9	15.1/0.0389	8.4	21.8	16.7	Sep. 4	137	-17
2008 HB38	Sep. 16.0	12.7/0.0326	10.4	21.1	15.6	Sep. 19	139	-39
152664	Sep. 24.8	17.5/0.0450	20.0	19.6	15.2	Sep. 22	125	+23
2002 NV16	Oct. 01.0	13.9/0.0358	4.3	21.4	18.6	Nov. 11**	114**	-7
2002 OA22	Oct. 02.5	13.9/0.0357	7.3	19.3	14.1	Sep. 28	133	-25
2005 TG50	Nov. 11.9	16.0/0.0412	3.0	24.8	20.0	Nov. 2	127	+66
2011 JY1	Nov. 13.8	8.2/0.0210	12.1	24.4	18.3	Nov. 11	127	-2
2001 AV43	Nov. 18.7	2.9/0.0074	3.6	24.4	18.2	Nov. 13	84	-9
2011 BT15	Dec. 28.6	12.6/0.0325	6.0	21.7	17.3	Jan. 7	113	+4

*Lunar Distance: 1.0 LD = 3.844 x 10⁵ km or 0.00257 AU

**During the date interval Nov 02 to Nov 21, magnitude remains constant at V=18.59; elongation = 101° - 127°

Trans-Neptunian and Scattered-Disk Objects
 
The list, prepared by Richard Miles, comprises the date, magnitude, geocentric position and apparent motion, when at opposition in 2013 of the 25 most intrinsically bright objects known as of 2011 December 26. The sizes of the smaller objects listed are speculative given that they are based on an estimated albedo only. If you wish to observe an object then go to the website of the Minor Planet and Comet Ephemeris Service at:
 
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html 
 
Here you enter the date and the designation of the object(s) you wish to observe.  Given the extreme distance of these objects, the geocentric position will be sufficiently accurate for any location on the Earth. 
 

Object		Opposition	V	H	Approx		RA		Dec		Motion
Number/Name	Prov ID	Date	Mag	Mag	Diam	∆					Speed	PA
					km	AU	h	m	º	'	"/min	º
(136199) Eris	2003 UB313	Oct. 16	18.7	-1.2	2400	95.48	1	41.5	-3	31.2	0.024	252
(134340) Pluto	-	Jul. 2	14.3	-0.8	2320	31.45	18	42.9	-19	50.1	0.063	262
(136472) Makemake	2005 FY9	Mar. 19	16.9	-0.4	1600	51.44	12	45.5	+27	07.6	0.042	297
(136108) Haumea	2003 EL61	Apr. 9	17.3	0.2	1500*	49.96	13	54.9	+18	27.9	0.043	295
(90377) Sedna	2003 VB12	Nov. 16	21.0	1.6	1400	85.45	3	36.9	+6	58.2	0.025	256
(225088)	2007 OR10	Aug. 25	21.4	2.0	1200	85.88	22	20.1	-13	31.5	0.026	252
(90482) Orcus	2004 DW	Feb. 22	19.2	2.3	940	47.05	9	55.5	-7	51.1	0.046	290
(50000) Quaoar	2002 LM60	Jun. 15	18.9	2.6	890	42.05	17	36.6	-15	24.1	0.049	273
(55636)	2002 TX300	Oct. 19	19.5	3.2	300	41.09	0	56.5	+31	42.5	0.051	247
(28978) Ixion	2001 KX76	Jun. 10	19.4	3.3	700	39.65	17	13.7	-26	08.2	0.053	271
(202421)	2005 UQ513	Oct. 13	20.3	3.4	900	47.54	0	28.1	+30	28.4	0.045	245
(174567)	2003 MW12	Jun. 4	20.2	3.4	900	46.39	17	00.6	-1	52.0	0.045	278
(55565)	2002 AW197	Feb. 13	20.1	3.4	900	45.11	9	31.2	+2	10.8	0.048	285
(229762)	2007 UK126	Nov. 26	19.9	3.4	900	42.88	4	23.2	-0	58.5	0.049	262
(303775)	2005 QU182	Oct. 6	20.5	3.5	900	49.28	1	09.4	-6	44.0	0.042	248
(208996)	2003 AZ84	Jan. 18	20.2	3.6	850	44.13	7	51.4	+10	46.1	0.049	279
(120178)	2003 OP32	Aug. 27	19.8	3.6	850	40.87	22	01.2	+3	20.3	0.051	245
(20000) Varuna	2000 WR106	Jan. 14	20.0	3.6	850	42.67	7	49.2	+26	27.4	0.050	283
(307261)	2002 MS4	Jun. 27	20.5	3.7	800	46.02	18	20.7	-7	40.5	0.045	269
(278361)	2007 JJ43	May 27	19.9	3.7	800	40.37	16	10.5	-26	48.5	0.050	283
(55637)	2002 UX25	Oct. 31	19.8	3.7	800	40.17	2	27.4	+9	39.3	0.053	248
	2010 EK139	Apr. 22	19.7	3.8	750	37.23	13	22.4	-33	07.7	0.055	289
	2006 QH181	Nov. 29	23.0	3.8	750	82.06	4	22.8	+19	10.7	0.028	262
	2010 KZ39	Jun. 1	20.5	3.9	700	45.02	16	33.8	-30	57.3	0.047	274
(145452)	2005 RN43	Aug. 30	20.0	3.9	700	39.66	22	21.5	+0	33.0	0.052	245

 
*Haumea is asymmetric in shape being roughly 2000km x 1500km x 1000km in size.

DWARF PLANETS
 
Orbital elements
 
The data below have been extracted from the Minor Planet Center’s Minor Planet and Comet Ephemeris Service at:
 
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html 
 
Equinox of the elements       J2000
Epoch of the elements          JD 2456000.5, 2012 Mar. 14.0 TT 

No.	Name	a	e	i	Node	Peri	M
		AU		°	°	°	°
1	Ceres	2.769	0.078	10.588	80.350	72.146	242.444
134340	Pluto	39.393	0.247	17.156	110.295	113.720	32.753
136108	Haumea	42.990	0.197	28.202	121.900	240.585	205.216
136199	Eris	68.048	0.435	43.824	36.062	150.866	202.215
136472	Makemake	45.436	0.163	29.012	79.305	296.532	153.858

 
Ephemerides
 
The geocentric data below have been extracted from the Minor Planet Center Ephemeris Service at: 
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/MPEph/MPEph.html 
 
Equinox                 J2000
Epoch                    JD 2456000.5, 2012 Mar. 14.0 TT 
 
1 Ceres
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Jan.	1	5	31	11.6	+26	00	49	1.704	2.659	162.8	7.1
	11	5	22	35.2	+26	27	35	1.750	2.652	150.7	7.4
	21	5	16	28.6	+26	50	12	1.821	2.645	139.2	7.6
	31	5	13	23.8	+27	10	20	1.911	2.638	128.4	7.8
Feb.	10	5	13	28.7	+27	29	16	2.016	2.632	118.3	8.0
	20	5	16	37.8	+27	47	39	2.132	2.626	109.0	8.1
Mar.	2	5	22	34.4	+28	05	27	2.254	2.620	100.3	8.3
	12	5	30	58.5	+28	21	58	2.380	2.614	92.2	8.4
	22	5	41	31.1	+28	36	16	2.506	2.608	84.6	8.5
Apr.	1	5	53	52.1	+28	47	13	2.630	2.603	77.5	8.6
	11	6	07	44.6	+28	53	41	2.751	2.598	70.7	8.7
	21	6	22	53.5	+28	54	37	2.866	2.593	64.3	8.7
May	1	6	39	04.1	+28	49	08	2.974	2.589	58.2	8.8
	11	6	56	04.5	+28	36	29	3.076	2.584	52.3	8.8
	21	7	13	44.0	+28	16	08	3.168	2.580	46.6	8.8
	31	7	31	52.1	+27	47	47	3.252	2.577	41.1	8.8
Jun.	10	7	50	20.9	+27	11	15	3.327	2.573	35.8	8.8
	20	8	09	02.8	+26	26	35	3.392	2.570	30.6	8.8

In conjunction with the Sun

Oct.	18	11	45	41.1	+10	15	26	3.338	2.559	32.8	8.8
	28	12	02	06.5	+8	44	32	3.265	2.560	38.3	8.8
Nov.	7	12	18	09.6	+7	17	06	3.181	2.562	44.0	8.8
	17	12	33	46.5	+5	54	22	3.089	2.564	49.8	8.8
	27	12	48	53.3	+4	37	28	2.988	2.566	55.8	8.8
Dec.	7	13	03	24.2	+3	27	39	2.879	2.569	62.0	8.7
	17	13	17	11.2	+2	26	08	2.764	2.571	68.5	8.7
	27	13	30	05.9	+1	33	59	2.644	2.575	75.2	8.6

 
134340 Pluto
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Apr.	21	18	48	17.9	-19	40	50	32.074	32.423	109.5	14.5
May	11	18	47	32.2	-19	41	54	31.789	32.435	129.0	14.5
	31	18	46	04.7	-19	44	13	31.577	32.446	148.5	14.4
Jun.	20	18	44	08.9	-19	47	37	31.464	32.458	167.8	14.3
Jul.	10	18	42	02.1	-19	51	50	31.463	32.469	171.5	14.3
	30	18	40	03.1	-19	56	30	31.578	32.481	152.4	14.4
Aug.	19	18	38	29.4	-20	01	15	31.794	32.493	133.0	14.5
Sep.	8	18	37	35.3	-20	05	46	32.09	32.504	113.5	14.5

 
 
136108 Haumea
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Jan.	31	13	57	40.7	+17	47	33	50.537	50.854	108.3	17.4
Feb.	20	13	57	22.1	+18	00	07	50.270	50.851	125.5	17.4
Mar.	12	13	56	35.1	+18	12	54	50.074	50.848	140.8	17.4
Apr.	1	13	55	27.0	+18	24	10	49.970	50.845	150.7	17.3
	21	13	54	07.7	+18	32	26	49.971	50.841	149.7	17.3
May	11	13	52	48.7	+18	36	37	50.074	50.838	138.8	17.4
	31	13	51	40.7	+18	36	13	50.265	50.835	123.7	17.4
Jun.	20	13	50	52.8	+18	31	19	50.519	50.831	107.3	17.4

 
136199 Eris
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Jul.	30	1	43	24.4	-3	15	54	96.216	96.461	103.7	18.7
Aug.	19	1	43	11.2	-3	19	11	95.912	96.458	122.4	18.7
Sep.	8	1	42	44.4	-3	23	16	95.670	96.454	140.9	18.7
	28	1	42	07.1	-3	27	36	95.519	96.450	158.2	18.7
Oct.	18	1	41	23.6	-3	31	34	95.477	96.447	166.7	18.7
Nov.	7	1	40	39.4	-3	34	34	95.551	96.443	154.1	18.7
	27	1	40	00.1	-3	36	07	95.733	96.439	135.5	18.7
Dec.	17	1	39	30.8	-3	35	55	96.001	96.436	116.0	18.7

 
136472 Makemake
 

2013			RA			Dec.		∆	r	Elong.	Mag.
		h	m	s	°	´	"	AU	AU	°	V
Jan.	11	12	48	11.8	+26	27	43	51.979	52.297	108.4	16.9
	31	12	47	54.2	+26	40	04	51.721	52.300	125.5	16.9
Feb.	20	12	47	07.1	+26	52	52	51.535	52.303	140.6	16.9
Mar.	12	12	45	57.6	+27	04	18	51.443	52.305	149.9	16.9
Apr.	1	12	44	35.9	+27	12	44	51.455	52.308	148.3	16.9
	21	12	43	13.7	+27	16	59	51.568	52.311	137.2	16.9
May	11	12	42	02.4	+27	16	29	51.768	52.313	122.2	16.9
	31	12	41	11.5	+27	11	15	52.030	52.316	105.8	16.9

(134340) Pluto
 
Pluto  is at opposition on July 2 at magnitude 14.3.   Its brightness varies little throughout the year, ranging in V magnitude  from 14.3 to 14.6.  Charts prepared using  GUIDE 8.0.  Stars down to magnitude 12  are shown.

(134340) Pluto

Detailed charts around the time of opposition.
Jun 2 to Jul 2                                      Jul 2 to Aug 2

The charts show stars down to magnitude 14.

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