Observing Near Earth Asteroids with a Small Telescope

Here is a opportunity for amateurs to make a science contribution.

Dark skies,

tom
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astro-ph/0504231:

Title: Observing Near Earth Asteroids with a Small Telescope
Authors: Ovidiu Vaduvescu
Comments: 17 pages including two figures. Published in Romanian
Astronomical Journal
Journal-ref: RoAJ, 14/2 2004, 15/1 2005

Even from a light polluted city it is possible to observe Near Earth Asteroids
(NEAs) at opposition using a small telescope equipped with a CCD camera. In this
paper, we will overview first the major NEA programs, continuing with planning
the observations and the data reduction. Second, we will present a NEA follow-up
program carried out on the 60-cm telescope at York University Observatory in
Toronto, Canada. Part of this program, five NEAs have been observed during ten
nights. Their astrometric and photometric data were reduced and sent to the
Minor Planet Centre, following which an observatory code was assigned and four
batches have been included in the NEODyS database and MPC Circulars. The results
are applicable to any other small facility.
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--
We have discovered a therapy ( NOT a cure )
for the common cold. Play tuba for an hour.

(Tom Kirke) writes:

Here is a opportunity for amateurs to make a science contribution.

Thanks for the link! (the complete URL to the paper in PDF format is
http://arxiv.org/pdf/astro-ph/0504231)

NEAs are fascinating objects and the opportunity to locate and observe
these tiny, fast-moving targets are better now than anytime before,
thanks to the professional surveys and the rapid distribution of data
on the Internet by the Minor Planet Center.
(See http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/mpc.html)

pej
--
Per Erik Jorde