Asteroid spotting

Zubeneschamali

So, off on holidays, I'm setting myself a goal: spot at least one asteroid with my little binoculars.

I've spotted Ceres before, so my new targets are Vesta and Pallas (Your Sky links). Juno is very dim at the moment.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Zubeneschamali

Reporting back: miserable failure. Too much light and light pollution, too many cliffs blocking the horizon, too much haze.

Oh, well.:P

Zubeneschamali

So last night I was staring right at the clear patch of sky where Pallas is through my 10x50s and... nothing.

I could see stuff down to about mag 8.0, and JPLs HORIZONS system says Pallas is down at 9.5, dammit.

Zubeneschamali

Back out with my 10x50s last night, and I'm 95% sure I saw Vesta!

It's Mag 7.2, between Orion and the trailing end of Taurus, so it's high around midnight. There is a (noisy) finder chart at heavens-above, and tinkering with Yoursky at fourmilab.ch I got a finder with just the stars brighter than 7.5 (I was looking from my yard, with streetlights and a bright moon last night).

I'll try and watch that space to verify that it's moving, and then call it spotted!

Zubeneschamali

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

I'll try and watch that space to verify that it's moving, and then call it spotted!

Clear again tonight, and it's definitely moved: I've now seen the planets, Ceres and Vesta with my binoculars. Pallas and Juno are next, someday...

andreas_220D

I'm impressed about your enthusiasm observing asteroids and hope this will encourage more amateurs to observe them. Thanks for keeping us up to date.

Zubeneschamali

I can see Vesta again - not far from Mars. Yoursky linked above will show you where, easily seen with binos, you just have to check back in a few nights to verify that it is moving.