Minor Planet Occultations, 2010 to present.
- observed by Tim Haymes (England)

Last Updated 2021 June.

HISTORY: I first used the predictions made by Gordon E.Taylor (NAO) who published events for amateurs in the BAA Handbook. The European Asteroidal Occultation Network (EAON, R. Boninsegna / E. Goffin) continued to supported my interest with yearly predictions by post. Observations were made visually with an 8" F/6 Newtonian magnification x48 + stopwatch and tape-recorder to a time accuracy of 0.5 sec using the "TIM" speaking clock. Most reports were negative - nothing seen.

In 1990 I built a Philips low-light video camera kit helped by Andrew J. Elliott (Assistant Director of the BAA Asteroid and Remote Planets Section 1990-2010). The camera was mounted a-focally to a 2nd generation Micro Channel Plate (MCP) image intensifier in a DIY housing and used on my 8" F/6 Newtonian. The MCP was advertised for sale (possibly failed military spec) and three were bought in abt 1991 (£250 ea). One each for the writer, aje and Denis Buczynski. The Philips camera and MCP were replaced in 2005 with a WAT 120N+. Recordings were being made on VHS tape with a Mitsubishi TDG (Time-Date-Overlay) up to 2001. But this had the Millennium date bug so a VOLTEC TDG was purchased from MAPLIN. Both time overlay units were manually sychronised to UT by reference to an MSF LED pulse which was recorded at the start and end of the observation. This method of timing continued up to March-2010.

My first observed occultation was (130) Elektra on 2010-Feb-20 using a Meade LXD55 SN8,WAT 120N+ camera and SONY digital tape recorder. Soon after I acquired the Blackboxcamera GPSBOXSPRITE gps time-text-overlay which replaced the manual sync VOLTEC unit. Then in 2014 I purchased the more sensitive WAT-910HX/RC with recording to my now old SONY camcorder which could uploaded the recordings to PC via fire-wire on my Windows 7 Novatech laptop.

 Update: From 2019-Nov-30, the OTA is a Celestron 11 on EQ6Pro working at about F5.6. Then from January 2020, I began using the USB3 QHY174m-GPS camera for recording occultations to W10 laptop. The WAT910HX is the more sensitive detector reserved for the more demanding events, but less convenient to control.


Bar Graph: The proportion in green are the +ve events.
Planetary satellites are in yellow: Titan/28Sgr in 1989 July, and Triton in 2017 Oct.


Diagrammatic Instrument Setup for video recorded events. Mobile recording equipment


Table:
Colour code to exposure times: Blue = with a 300mm F4 reflector, Yellow = with a 203mm F4 Schmidt Newtonian, Red = C11 SCT at F/5.6
dM = drop in magnitudes, from (Asteroid+Star) to Asteroid. From April 2020 the QHY174m-GPS was being used "qhygps" in place of WAT910HX

4 Positive events 2010:

Date
Body
Prediction
Link to report
Observed
duration
Maximum
duration
Magnitude
Star / Astrd

Magnitude
drop dM
Exposure
Light curve

Chords
Feb 20
(130) Elektra
10.7
16.2 s
11.5 / 12.2
0.9
0.16
Mar 01
(532) Herculina
5.8
23.0 s
10.0 / 8.9
0.33
0.64
One observer
Jun 05
(80) Sappho
6.72
8.1 s
10.7 / 11.7
1.4
0.16
Oct 31
(213) Lilaea
7.1
5.9 s
10.8 / 12.8
2.2
0.64
 One Observer

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5 Positive Events 2011:

Date
Body
Prediction
Link to report
Observed
duration
Maximum
duration
Magnitude
Star / Astrd

Magnitude
drop

Exposure
Light curve
Chords
Feb 15
(106) Dione
21.76
36.6
12.7 / 12.3
0.6
0.32
May 03
(42) ISIS
1.76
4.6 s
11.5 / 13.3
2.0
0.16
Sep 14
(48) Doris
14.40
16.3 s
12.3 / 11.2
0.3
0.32
Nov 25
(83) Beartrix
3.84
8.1 s
13.0 / 12.2
0.4
0.16
Chords
Dec 18
(1796) Riga
3.44
8.6 s
11.9 / 16.0
4.1
0.16
Chords

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1 Positive Event 2012:

Date
Body
Prediction
Link to Report
Observed duration
Maximum duration
Magnitude
Star / Astrd
Magnitude drop
 Exposure
Light curve
 Chords
Feb 23
(41) Daphne
13.6
22.1 s
12.3 / 11.6
0.5
0.16
- - - - - - - - - - -

Positive Events 2013 - NONE

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4 Positive Events 2014

Date
Body
Prediction
Link to Report
Observed duration
Maximum duration
Magnitude
Star / Astrd
Magnitude drop
 Exposure
Light curve
 Chords
Jan 17
(56)
Melete

Report
1.2
10.2 s
12.0 / 13.1
1.4
0.16
Apr 18
(386)
Siegena

Report
13.8
14.6 s
12.6 / 13.0
(r) 0.9
0.16
One observer

Apr
18

(241)
Germania


NEG
8.5 s
11.9 / 13.7
2.1
0.16

Sept
02

(391)
Ingeborg
-
2.2
2.7 s
12.4 / 12.6
0.9
0.16
Recorded by Adrian Jones

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2 Positive Events 2015:

Date
Body
Prediction
Link to Report

Observed
duration
Maximum
duration
Magnitude
Star / Astrd
Magnitude
drop
 Exposure
Light curve
Chords
Sept 30
(275) Sapientia
14.7
18s
7.9 / 13.0
5.0
0.08s

Analysis
Dec 20

6.2
7.3s
9.6 / 13.5
3.9
0.04s

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4 Positive Events 2016:

Date
Body
Prediction
Link to Report

Observed
duration
Maximum
duration
Magnitude
Star / Astrd
Magnitude
drop
 Exposure
Light curve
Notes
Feb
16

(423 )
Diotima
29.2
30
13.0 /11.9
0.5
0.16s


8" LXD55
May 23
(583)
Klotilde
1.8
7.2
9.0 / 13.5
3.5
0.08s

Aug 09
(107)
Camilla
18.9
22.9
14 / 12.8
0.4

 

0.08s

 
Oct 10
(268)
Adorea
3.1
3.7
14 / 12.3
1.5

 

0.08s

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5 Positive Events 2017:

Date
Body
Prediction
Link to Report

Observed
duration
Maximum
duration
Magnitude
Star / Astrd
Magnitude
drop
 Exposure
Light curve
Notes
Feb
07

(690) Wratislavia
8.4
14.7
12.8/13.1
0.7
0.32


Sep
24
(31) Euphrosyne
7.4
12.2
12.7/11.6
0.3
0.04
Oct 05
TRITON

UTube
142
160
12.7/13.5
1.4

 

0.64

 

Nov
19

(18)
Melpomene
2.64
5
12 / 12.8
0.7

 

0.04

 
Nov 28
(377)
Campania


8.4
9
12 / 13
0.2

 

0.04

 


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8 Positive Events 2018:

Date
Body
Prediction
Link to Report
Observed duration
Maximum duration
Magnitude
Star / Astrd
Magnitude drop(r)
 Exposure
Light curve
Chords/Notes
April 21
(130)
Elektra
16.4
20
11.6 / 12.9
1.5
0.04
May 05
(74)
Galatea

7.42
9.5
12.9 / 13.4
0.8
0.08


OW observer chart
Euraster.net chords
Sep 06
(238)
Hypatia


Additional Notes
12.0
13.4
11.2 / 11.9
1.2
0.16


Strong twilight (Sun at -7 deg). Combined Mag 10.7, Barlow x2 used. Frame
Sept
23
(2875)
Largerkvist


Additional Note
0.60
1.0
11 / 16

0.4
Double Star
Comes

0.08

Frame


Sept 26
(1573) Vaisala
0.68
1.0
12 / 13
2.2
0.08

Shift indicated - only one observation in Moonlight
Oct
20
(27561) 2000 KJ1
Three observers got chords across this 20km object. The preliminary Occult profile is elongated.
2.12
2.0
13 / 17
4.0
0.16



Oct
29
(156) Xanthippe
The best UK event of 2018 with 14 observers positive
following an alert to BAA members.
5.70
7.0
12 / 14
2.3
0.04

Nov
02
(137) Maliboea

In strong twilight
4.64
6.0
12.6 / 13
0.5
0.16

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9 Positive Events 2019:

Date
MInor Planet
Prediction
Report
Observed duration
Maximum duration
Magnitude
Star / Astrd
Magnitude drop
 Exposure
Light curve
Chords
(credit: E. Frappa)
Feb 12
(334)
Chicago

W25 red filter used in error.
7.68
12 s
11.8 / 13.0
1.5
0.16

March
8

(1093)
Freda

Laptop bat. failed so used a camcorder.
8.64
13 s
13.2 / 14.0
1.0
0.32

April
2
(554)
Paraga
8.6
8.1s
13.9 / 12.6
0.2
small mag. drop
0.16
May
20
(671)
Carnegia
1.8
2.0s
11 / 16
5.1
0.08


Jul
22

(580)
Selene

The mount was moved 4m East to avoid a tree. Long exposure and low altitude of 13 deg.
Report
0.9
3.0s
12 / 15
dM 2.7
0.32


At 13deg elevation
Jul
26
(489) Comacina

Poor weather forecast for this favourable event. Sky cleared 1hr before commencement
Report
youtube

 

11.06

 
10.0s
11 / 13
dM 2.2
0.04s

Jul
28
(586)
Thekla

Low altitude and noisy data. Lucky to record this at mag 13 in passing cloud. Report
8.0s
10.0s
13 / 14.5
dM 1.2
0.64s
Nov 07
(563)
Suleika
The small magnitude difference of only 0.1 made this a difficult observation. A small dip was recorded in the light curve =>
10 +/- 1s
14 s
14 / 11
dM 0.1
 small mag. drop
0.16 s
FIRST Positive event from
Steeple Aston - hooraa !
Nov
30
(105) Artemis
# 9
Using C11 at F4
11.2 s
12.1 s
13.5 / 13.5
dM 0.7
0.16 s
SECOND Positive event from SA.

Usng a C11

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5 Positive Events 2020:

Date
Body
Prediction
Report

Observed
duration
Maximum
duration
Magnitude
Star / Astrd
Magnitude
drop
Exposure
Light curve
Notes
Mar 12
(996)
Hilaritas

Single frame D-R

 

0.2
Quite likely +ve, but NOT confirmed
2 s
12.9 / 14
3.7

0.2 s

Apr 15
(6723) Chrisclark

Cloud stayed away until the last min. The D event was recorded in cloud and the R was uncertain

1.25 +/- 0.4
1.4 s
10 / 17
7.4
0.1 s
qhygps

An observation from the Netherlands confirmed I had observed the same chord.
Jun
25
(121) Hermione
Observed at low elivation of 8 degress in the SE. A pole caused the shadow at start of recording.
7.5 +/- 1.1
14 s
11 / 12
0.3

0.64 s
qhygps

Sep
27
(110989)
2001US197

unexpected +ve
0.75 +/- 0.1
0.9 s
12 / 19
7

0.1 s
 qhygps

 

 

Nov
11
(70008)
 1998 XA53


two chords from UK
1.30 +/-0.2
1.4 s
13 / 18
4

0.4 s
qhygps

difficult conditions


Positive Events 2021:

Date
Body
Prediction
Report

Observed
duration
Maximum
duration
Mag.
Star / Astrd
Mag.
drop
Exposure
Light curve
Notes
Jan
22
(1076)
Viola


1.3 +/- 0.1

2.8 s
13.8 /14.5
0.9

0.2
qhygps
Mar 13
(1342) Brabantia

From the Pulsar observatory.

0.81 +/-0.06
1.0 s
10.3/15
5.5
0.05
 qhygps
Apr
17
(103)
Hera

Chords
With fit to DAMIT
3D model
1.2 +/-0.3
4.0 s
13/14
0.7

0.15
qhygps

Jun
05

(2363)
Cebriones
LuckyStar
Uncertain, in Twilight
- partial event
uncomfirmed.
3 ?
6 s
14.2/15.5
2.1

0.4
ghygps

Jun
10

(663)
Gerlinde
Low altitude in Del.
Chords
Started recording just in time!
9.5 +/-0.3
12 s
14.1/14.6
1.0

0.5
ghygps

Jly
29

(212)
Medea

Difficult conditions
Alt/Az 23/078
in Moonlight and
low mag drop.
Likely occn.
2.0 +/- 0.5
4.5 s
14.0/15.0
0.2

0.5
qhygps


Pyote reports:
possible false positive

Aug 23
(1434) Margot
S/N of 6 (good) and confirmed positive.
report
3.9 +/- 0.25
5.0 s
13.6/15.0
1.4


0.2 s
qhygps