Asteroids

• 433 Eros in Jan 2012
• 2005 YU₅₅ in Nov 2011
• 30558 Jamesoconnor in Sep 2011
• 192 Nausikaa in Sep 2011
• 1036 Ganymed in Sep 2011
• Brightest asteroid 4 Vesta in 2011

433 Eros in January 2012

A few weeks before opposition 433 Eros was in Leo. Predicted mag 8.8.

This Near-Earth Asteroid was discovered by Gustav Witt in 1898. It will be many decades before such a good opposition again occurs.

19^th January 2012 (at 05.10 UT). 70mm f/6.8 refractor. Single 30 seconds exposure. ISO 400. Image is cropped with north to the bottom-left. The asteroid is marked with an arrow.

2005 YU₅₅ and M15 on 8-9^th November 2011

Near Earth asteroid 2005 YU₅₅ passed within 0.85 Lunar Distance of the Earth. Predicted mag 11.8 at the time. The asteroid was 2.1° north (and slightly east) from globular cluster M15 in Pegasus at the start of the first exposure. Each of the two 10 seconds exposures is a streak. The asteroid was moving eastwards.

The asteroid is estimated to be about 400m in diameter, it was discovered by Robert McMillan in December 2005.

9^th November 2011, starting at 01.32 UT. 106mm at f/3.65 refractor. ISO 800. Image is cropped. Bright almost full moon in the sky.

30558 Jamesoconnor in September 2011

30558 Jamesoconnor was in Pisces, during a very favourable perihelic opposition. Predicted mag 16.1, it will be many decades before the asteroid will be this bright again. The asteroid was 15.9' away from the 10^th magnitude star PPM 181585. The general region of the sky is about 5° south-west of the Circlet of Pisces.

It is named for James O'Connor, Irish Amateur Astronomer, Historian, Observer and for long time service to the IAS. The asteroid was discovered as part of the LONEOS survey in 2001.

19^th September 2011 (at 01.31 UT). The faint object is marked with an arrow. 106mm f/5 refractor. Single 90 seconds exposure. ISO 800. Image is cropped with north to the bottom-left.

192 Nausikaa in 2011

192 Nausikaa was in Aquarius, a little after perihelic opposition. Predicted mag 8.9. The asteroid was 60' away from the star HIP110979.

The asteroid was discovered by Johann Palisa in 1879.

17^th September 2011 (at 00.32 UT). 106mm f/5 refractor. Single 45 seconds exposure. ISO 400. Image is cropped with north to the left.

1036 Ganymed in 2011

1036 Ganymed was only 16' from Gamma Cassiopeiae. Ganymed is a Amor asteroid, i.e. one that may approach the Earth's orbit within 0.30 AU.

14^th September 2011 (at 00.55 UT). 106mm f/5 refractor. Single 45 seconds exposure. ISO 400. Image is cropped with north up and slightly to the left. Bright moonlit night.

4 Vesta near opposition 2011

4 Vesta is the brightest of the asteroids. The asteroid lies 24' from the star HIP 104810 (in Capricornus). Declination 22° south.

Vesta has just recently had its first visit by a space probe, called Dawn. A battered surface of old and younger areas was revealed.

31^st July 2011 (at 05.11 UT) from the Stellafane star party, Vermont, USA. 106mm f/5 refractor. 20 seconds exposure. ISO 400. Image is cropped with north up.