Strange object

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 8:58 pm

While taking a series of images of M45 tonight I noticed a small dot moving slowly near Merope. The composite image shows 50 minutes of the track. The object is moving right to left.
http://geoastro.comeze.com/march2011/5M45-00crop.jpg
How do I find out if this is a known asteroid?
The first image was started at 19:45:58
George

David Frydman · Post by **David Frydman** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 9:15 pm

Dear George,
I cannot help with possible asteroid or space debris, but I am sure somebody will reply.
Why are there six pointed stars?
Do you have a three vaned secondary holder?
Nice photo of Pleiades, probably my favourite object, and of the nebula.

Regards, David.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 9:26 pm

Hi David, The scope has indeed got 3 vanes. My larger 10" reflector is out of action at the moment so the old 6" is back in service.
I will have trouble with the final processing of the M45 image because there is quite pronounced vignetting and my work with flats is not so good.
M45 is low over the roof of my house at the moment but I am still taking images to get data on the 'object'.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 12:18 am

I think it may be Arachne. I found a website
http://asteroid.lowell.edu/cgi-bin/astplot
which plots asteroids. It would appear that Arachne, mag 14, was near Merope at the time.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 12:26 am

This is my image with the asteroid plot superimposed. The accuracy is astounding!
http://geoastro.comeze.com/march2011/arachne.jpg

The three other asteroids are much fainter.
1991 CN mag 18.4
2001 BK9 mag 19.3
1999 XO222 mag 19.4

David Frydman · Post by **David Frydman** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 7:09 am

Well done George,
I would not have known how to find that.
The accuracy is indeed good.
I am fairly new to computers.

Regards, David.

Post by **joe** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 7:22 am

Good detective work and very interesting.

Vega · Post by **Vega** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 3:34 pm

Brilliant.. must be quite a buzz knowing you caught an Asteroid. Although it wasnt a new discovery this time... It could have been

Cliff · Post by **Cliff** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 4:19 pm

Dear George
Excellent image and well done with the asteroid identification.
Best wishes from Cliff

Ender Of Days · Post by **Ender Of Days** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:10 pm

An amazing serendipitous discovery

I wonder how many other people have imaged things like this and not "seen" them ?

JJ..

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:10 am

Thank you. It really was a stroke of luck. I was trying 'entropy weighted average' as the method of stacking, and it turns out that that method doesn't reduce the effects of satellite trails and hot pixels as other methods do. I just happened to enlarge the right area of the frame and there it was!
The Jodrell bank prediction for tonight was spot on... see here
http://geoastro.comeze.com/march2011/lo ... r1000b.jpg