Squeeky-bum-time now less squeeky...

You got to love statistics, why instead of say 4 in 1 million did they not state 1 in 250,000. Maybe the difference would not have been so obvious for us pure mortals outside NASA.

You can download MPCOrb for some sky atlas software from the MPC site which will plot all known asteroids. I use the Sky 6 and update it at least once a week or before I go out at night imaging.

or maybe a list of closest objects

I have been chatting to Neill about doing a NEO list for the monthly sky guide. Spaceweather will give you a list as will some of the Nasa sites but they include southern hemisphere objects plus those in excess of mag 20. If we get it together we will try and get a list of objects only in the northern hemisphere and below mag 17.5. All you J squad with 14" scopes can make your own list.:kiss:
We may do the same for comets?? Any interest in this sort of data being included in the sky guide?

Well, is this a good or bad thing? Good that the asteroid is going to significantly miss Earth, or a bad thing that they had to essetially go over their calculations almost 2 years later and 'adjust' things?

Seanie.

Thanks Dave et al.

Its in my mind that there are thousands of known objects - and being updated all the time. It would be really great if a difinitive reference site was available. There are some wonderful resources out there with public access and I would have thought that this would be - well - essential.

We need a mechanism that allows amateurs to submit quality observations to the professional comunity and to filter out known objects so that the process is more useful than irksome to the professional community (through false alarms because we don't know that this "new" object is in fact well documented).

Dave - I will think about what you said and will get back to you.

I'm in a position where I want to do something other than "mucking about". But there are some key skills that I need to cross the rubikon of before I can engage in a meaningful way.

I still want to get a few pretty pictures - call it outreach if you will...

Mark

mjc wrote:

Anyone got a ballpark angular size at closest approach?

Mark

Based on the size (210m to 330m diameter) and closest approach ("no closer than 29,470km" ) numbers given in neo.jpl.nasa.gov/apophis/ , Apophis should appear between 2.94" and 4.62" in the sky...

Of course if Apophis keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger until it fills your eyepiece, then there's an even chance that NASA fluffed their calculations... and you might want to duck! :dry:

Phil.

phoenix wrote:

All you J squad with 14" scopes can make your own list.:kiss:

I'll just use the MPC NEO Conf page... :kiss:

mjc wrote:

It would be really great if a difinitive reference site was available. There are some wonderful resources out there with public access and I would have thought that this would be - well - essential.

We need a mechanism that allows amateurs to submit quality observations to the professional comunity and to filter out known objects so that the process is more useful than irksome to the professional community (through false alarms because we don't know that this "new" object is in fact well documented).

Mark - the MPC have a very good web page with up-to-the-minute ephemerides for all known asteroids plus a whole heap of other really good info. www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/mpc.html

The MPC *is* the clearing house for all observations - and they really don;t mind if you submit data for existing objects with well determined orbits. Of course, they *really* appreciate data for objects with poorly known orbits or wholly new objects. Of course, your data has to be of good quality - but that's a whole other question...

When you're ready to cross the rubikon, the J club will help ye out

Dave