Latest Asteroids Articles http://english.taurushill.net/ Articles at Taurus Hill Observatory en-us The 2009 FH photographed by the research team http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/the-2009-fh-photographed-by-the-research-team_1.html http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/the-2009-fh-photographed-by-the-research-team_1.html Tue, 14 Apr 2009 04:03:07 -0400 The 2009 FH is a small stellar object. It has only a dimension of 15 meters. 2009 FH passed near the Earth 18.3.2009. Markku Nissinen and Veli-Pekka Hentunen, who are the members of the Taurus Hill Observatory research team, photgraphed this event by using the Mayhill (NM) remote observatory. Despite the 2009 FH is a very small object, it is very visible in the pictures that the research team photographed. Markku and Veli-Pekka used 60 sec. exosure times for each picture.

Observers: Markku Nissinen and Veli-Pekka Hentunen.

 

 

]]> Asteroid 2008 TC3 photographed at Taurus Hill Observatory http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-2008-tc3-photographed-at-taurus-hill-observatory.html http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-2008-tc3-photographed-at-taurus-hill-observatory.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:30:26 -0400 Despite the almost cloudy weather the Taurus Hill Observatory research team member Markku Nissinen managed to photograph the Asteroid 2008 TC3 6./7.10.2008 at Taurus Hill Observatory. This small asteroid hit the Earth atmosphere 7.10.2008 about 6 am. Finnish time somewhere over the Sudan. The 2008 TC3 was discovered 6.10.2008 with the large telescopes and it got brighter when it approached the Earth.

These photographs are 120 sec. and 90 sec. exposured photographs.

Special thanks to mr. Arto Oksanen, who reported the visibility of the 2008 TC3 by the e-mail.

Observer: Markku Nissinen.

The numerical data of the pictures:

UTC                           Ra    (J2000.0)   Dec
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2008-10-06T22:19:25  23 30 41.89  +07 11 55.0
2008-10-06T22:20:25  23 30 44.01  +07 11 46.6

2008-10-06T22:30:26  23 31 08.38  +07 10 26.6
2008-10-06T22:32:26  23 31 13.23  +07 10 09.9
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to Arto Oksanen for making the calculations.

]]> Asteroid 6 Hebe photographed at THO http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-6-hebe-photographed-at-tho.html http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-6-hebe-photographed-at-tho.html Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:07:37 -0400 Asteroid 6 Hebe is large asteroid that has dimensions of 205x185x170 km. Hebe was discovered by the Karl Ludwig Hencke in the year 1847. Hebe has a revolution time of 7.3 hours. THO research team photographed the Hebe with 90 sec. exposure times four times during the 28 minutes observing session. Due this time the Hebe seems to move only five arc seconds, compared to the stars. At the time of the photographing the Hebe was 10.2 magnitudes bright.

Observers: Veli-Pekka Hentunen and Markku Nissinen.

]]> Asteroid 369 Aeria measured at Taurus Hill Observatory http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-369-aeria-measured-at-taurus-hill-observatory.html http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-369-aeria-measured-at-taurus-hill-observatory.html Sat, 23 Feb 2008 07:59:13 -0500 Asteroid 369 Aeria is an asteroid that has a diameter about 60 km. It has about 4.787 hour revolution time. Veli-Pekka Hentunen measured asteroids lightcurve 5 hours 18 minutes at Taurus Hill Obsevatory 22./23.2.2008 21:41-02:59 (UT). Veli-Pekka used 120 sec. exposure times and a photometric filter R. The comparison star was star 0249301245 (C1) from the GSC1.2 catalog. The check star was 0249301323 (C2) from the same catalog. The sky was quite bright due the allmost ful moon. The temperature was about -1 to -5 celcius degrees. The asteroid was quite high in the southern-western sky. The third picture is combine of 30 120 sec. exposure pictures. 

Observer: Veli-Pekka Hentunen

 

 

]]> Asteroid 2007 TU24 photographed at Taurus Hill observatory (updated 31.1.08) http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-2007-tu24-photographed-at-taurus-hill-observatory.html http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-2007-tu24-photographed-at-taurus-hill-observatory.html Wed, 30 Jan 2008 06:15:09 -0500 Asteroid 2007 TU24 passed the Earth in the morning of the 29.1.2008 and at the nearest point it was about 540 000 km away from the Earth. Veli-Pekka Hentunen managed to photograph the asteroid one day later (because the morning of the 29.1. was too cloudy for photographing) 30.1. 03:06-03:45 (finnish time).

The exposures that were used were 30 sec. to 300 sec. and the total amount of the photographs were 14. The movement of the asteroid was very fast, over one arch minute in one minute. So there was a need for continuous tracking of the object while photographing. There seems to be some variations in the brightness of the asteroid in the picture below, but they are formed as a result of the cloudiness that was present at the time of the photographing. In the picture below there are also two star marked as a comparison purposes, GSC4140-672 (Mag: 12.80) and GSC4140-1490 (Mag: 13.21). The field of view is about 15' x 10'.   

Observer: Veli-Pekka Hentunen.

 

UPDATED 31.1. Added some new pictures (that are below) from the 2007 TU24.

]]> Asteroid 49 Doris observed at Taurus Hill Observatory http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-49-doris-observed-at-taurus-hill-observatory.html http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-49-doris-observed-at-taurus-hill-observatory.html Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:58:29 -0500 Asteroid 49 Doris is a very large object. It has a diameter of 222 km and the rotation time is about 11,9 hours. At time of the measurements that were made 5./6.1.2008 at THO, the asteroid Doris was in the Lion constellation. The purpose was to measure the half of the light curve, but due the nearby star, some of the measurements had to be abandoned. Therefore the light curve presents the measurements from the four (4) hours on the revolution.

The measurements were taken with the photometric R-filter with 120 sec. exposures. The comparison stars were GSC1.2 catalog stars 0023400425 (C1) and 0023400491 (C2).

Observers: Veli-Pekka Hentunen and Markku Nissinen.

 

]]> Asteroid 76 Freia observed at Taurus Hill Observatory http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-76-freia-observed-at-taurus-hill-observatory.html http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-76-freia-observed-at-taurus-hill-observatory.html Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:41:47 -0500 The spin time of the asteroid 76 Freia is about 9 h 58 min. Asteroid is quite big, diameter about 184 km. Taurus Hill Observatory research team members Veli-Pekka Hentunen and Markku Nissinen measured asteroids light curve about 3 h 30 min. The weather was quite foggy at the beginning of the measurement. The measurements were performed with the photometric R -filter and 120 sec. exposures. The comparison stars that were used were (C1) GSC 1320-205 and (C2) GSC 1320-151.

Observers: Veli-Pekka Hentunen and Markku Nissinen.

 

]]> Part of the asteroid 115 Thyra lightcurve measured in Taurus Hill Observatory http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/part-of-the-asteroid-115-thyra-lightcurve-measured-in-taurus-hill-observatory.html http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/part-of-the-asteroid-115-thyra-lightcurve-measured-in-taurus-hill-observatory.html Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:45:12 -0500 The part of the asteroid 115 Thyra lightcurve was measured in Taurus Hill Observatory in 4/5.11.2007 17:55-21:26 (UT). The total time of the measurements was about 3.5 hours that is little less than half of the overall spin time of the asteroid (7.29 hours). The diameter of the asteroid is about 80 km and it is located between the main zone of the Mars and Jupiter.

The measurements were made with the photometric R -filter with 90 sec. exposures. The comparison stars that were used were (C1) GSC1.2 catalog star 0056200685 and as a backup star the (C2) 0056200988. The weather was about -6 celsius degree and the sky was a bit foggy.  

Observers: Veli-Pekka Hentunen and Markku Nissinen.

 

 

]]> Part of the lightcurve of the asteroid 36 Atalante measured http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/part-of-the-lightcurve-of-the-asteroid-36-atalante-measured.html http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/part-of-the-lightcurve-of-the-asteroid-36-atalante-measured.html Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Veli-Pekka Hentunen and Markku Nissinen measured 5.2 hours (total of the asteroids 9.93 hours spin) the lightcurve of the asteroid 36 Atalante 16./17.4.2007 at Taurus Hill Observatory. The bright late spring sky made the measurements a bit difficult and there won't be much weeks left in this observing season here in Finland. Veli-Pekka and Markku used 150 sec. exposures and photometric R -filter for each measurement. The comparison stars were GSC1953-0673 (C1) and GSC1953-0867 (C2).

(Tämä uutinen suomeksi)

 

 

]]> Asteroid 173 Ino photographed and measured in THO. http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-173-ino-photographed-and-measured-in-tho.html http://english.taurushill.net/asteroids/asteroid-173-ino-photographed-and-measured-in-tho.html Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0400 Veli-Pekka Hentunen and Markku Nissinen measured the lightcurve of the asteroid 173 Ino in 8.-9.4.2007 at Taurus Hill Observatory. The variation in light intensity was very small, only 0.06 magnitudes. Despite that the lightcurve turned out to be very good. The weather was quite gold, -6 celcius, and clear. Veli-Pekka and Markku used 150 sec. exposures and photometric R -filter for each measurement. The comparison stars were GSC0868-0691 (C1), GSC0868-0296 (C2) and GSC0868-0340 (C3). Reason for three comparison stars was the pier-flip of the mount.

(Tämä uutinen suomeksi)

 

 

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