Backyard astronomers the world over in the northern hemisphere are looking forward to the closest approach of Near-Earth Asteroid TU24 on the evening of January 29/30 – but just scanning the skies with a small telescope isn’t going to reveal the small, faint traveler. Like trying to find a single running squirrel in a huge forest, Asteroid TU24 will be on the move and success at spotting the target will only happen if you know in advance when to watch the right trees. Or in this case… the stars!
If you’d like to try your hand at observing Near-Earth Asteroid TU24, begin a little in advance by understanding exactly how bright it’s going to be. For just a period of a few hours, TU24 is expected to brighten to around magnitude 11 – considerably fainter than most star charts list. Since the event won’t be visible to the Southern Hemisphere, let’s begin our “capture” expedition by understanding what magnitude 11 and moving should look like. Your mission? Aim your telescope at Polaris!
When the ephemerides is generated specifically for your location, there will be a long list of numbers that can be confusing if you are first learning astronomy. For those with “Go To” telescopes, it will be as easy as entering the coordinates that are supplied. For example, if we were to observe from Palomar Observatory, we’d put Right Ascension 10 00 50.64 and Declination +64 58 12.5 into the telescope’s system to observe the asteroid at midnight universal time. For those familiar with star charts, the same holds true – use the RA and Dec to pinpoint which star field you need to observe as the asteroid passes. For those who have neither, try visiting at site which will create maps for you, such as Your Sky. Using the “aim virtual telescope” feature, enter the coordinates that New Horizons provides for your location, then customize the chart to your specific needs. Now you know what tree to watch in the forest, what branch, what time the squirrel will pass and how bright he’ll be… But what will he look like?
Be sure to dress warmly, and prepare yourself to take notes if at all possible. If an occultation occurs, note the time and duration. The more eyes we have on the skies, the better our chances will be of understanding visitors like Near Earth Asteroid TU24. Objects like these pass by frequently and by educating ourselves and others we make the natural (and safe) mechanics of our galaxy more understood to others! Good luck…
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