Asteroid 2012 DA14

[John]

Well I got lucky with the cloud cover and managed to spot this little chap 3 times between 21:17hrs and 21.37hrs when the hazy cloud plus fading magnitude of the asteroid took it beyond the reach of my 4 inch refractor.

I first picked it up using 22x as the tiny dot of light slowly bisected a triangle of stars in Canes Venatici close to the star 5 CVn (HIP 60485). It's movement against the stars was quite apparent and you could clearly see it's relative position changing all the time against the background stars as it crept across the sky.

I briefly risked upping the magnification to110x and was able to pick the asteroid out again although it was still just a tiny moving point of light.

A small cloud annoyingly intervened but I was able to pick the asteroid up again a few minutes later back at 22x by moving my wide angle field of view in the direction I'd last seen the object moving in. After following it again for a couple of minutes it was lost to view again and the next time I found it was around 21:30hrs when it had entered Ursa Major but had dimmed noticably. I tracked it between the stars Megrez and Alioth. It's track and timing seemed to correspond pretty well to this chart:

http://www.britastro...2100-0100UT.png

My last glimpse of this tiny visitor was at 21:37hrs. There was a little hazy cloud now around that area of the sky and the asteroid had dimmed some more so it became beyond my little Vixen's 4" aperture at around that point.

Like so many of these things we look for, it's not any real spectacle to see but understanding a bit about what it is adds massively to the significance of that tiny, crawling point of light

I'm having a quiet celebratory pint of ale just now

[nightfisher]

Excellent John, i had no luck with the cloud, enjoy your well earned pint

[David Smith]

Greats stuff John. Glad to see someone got to see it. It has been cloudy all evening here and although the forecast is clear from midnight, I am not holding my breath (after looking at Sat24.com). I will keep looking out every now and again, maybe will get a break!

[Moonshane]

hi John

well done mate - I saw it where you first picked it up too. I lost in cloud then though and didn't find it again. I was using 71x so it was moving very rapidly across the field and I'd agree with the degree a minute motion suggested on another thread.

also saw the Jupiter moon transit and GRS plus ISS earlier. not bad in the end.

[Treeden]

Interesting report John, many thanks for sharing.

Like so many of these things we look for, it's not any real spectacle to see but understanding a bit about what it is adds massively to the significance of that tiny, crawling point of light

That's it isn't it. Exactly that.

[northwalesparry]

Well I got lucky with the cloud cover and managed to spot this little chap 3 times between 21:17hrs and 21.37hrs when the hazy cloud plus fading magnitude of the asteroid took it beyond the reach of my 4 inch refractor.

I first picked it up using 22x as the tiny dot of light slowly bisected a triangle of stars in Canes Venatici close to the star 5 CVn (HIP 60485). It's movement against the stars was quite apparent and you could clearly see it's relative position changing all the time against the background stars as it crept across the sky.

I briefly risked upping the magnification to110x and was able to pick the asteroid out again although it was still just a tiny moving point of light.

A small cloud annoying intervened but I was able to pick the asteroid up again a few minutes later back at 22x by moving my wide angle field of view in the direction I'd last seen the object moving in. After following it again for a couple of minutes it was lost to view again and the next time I found it was around 21:30hrs when it had entered Ursa Major but had dimmed noticably. I tracked it between the stars Megrez and Alioth. It's track and timing seemed to correspond pretty well to this chart:

http://www.britastro...2100-0100UT.png

My last glimpse of this tiny visitor was at 21:37hrs. There was a little hazy cloud now around that area of the sky and the asteroid had dimmed some more so it became beyond my little Vixen's 4" aperture at around that point.

Like so many of these things we look for, it's not any real spectacle to see but understanding a bit about what it is adds massively to the significance of that tiny, crawling point of light

I'm having a quiet celebratory pint of ale just now

well done couldent see it myself

[northwalesparry]

hi John

well done mate - I saw it where you first picked it up too. I lost in cloud then though and didn't find it again. I was using 71x so it was moving very rapidly across the field and I'd agree with the degree a minute motion suggested on another thread.

also saw the Jupiter moon transit and GRS plus ISS earlier. not bad in the end.

isaw transit too very cool

[John]

hi John

well done mate - I saw it where you first picked it up too. I lost in cloud then though and didn't find it again. I was using 71x so it was moving very rapidly across the field and I'd agree with the degree a minute motion suggested on another thread.

also saw the Jupiter moon transit and GRS plus ISS earlier. not bad in the end.

Well done Shane - glad a few others have picked this little so and so up amongst the cloud

I'm clouded out here now - amazing that things actually worked out right for a change, it's usually the other way around !

I missed the Jupiter events and the ISS - I was concentrating on a lump of rock !

[voivod]

It's movement against the stars was quite apparent and you could clearly see it's relative position changing all the time against the background stars as it crept across the sky.

It did surprise me at how quick it moved across my field of view.

By 21.45 it had slowed noticably and I had to use averted vision to follow it, thats when I decided to stop.

[Cloudycat]

Well done, it was clear here but I couldn't pick anything up in my bins. Suspect light pollution wasn't helping much either, not to mention my inexperience...

[cadno]

Tried myself, not entirely sure if it was what I thought it was but at about 9:43pm I did see a slow moving object just passing through Ursa Major, was quite dim to me. Now I can't say it was the asteriod as frankly I'm extremely inexperienced but it was still a lot of fun trying lol. One good thing though, as time passed and sadly cloud got in the way, the parts of clear sky I did have gave me some sights of Jupiter, Orions Nebula and the Seven Sisters that I showed to friends who turned up. I think I may well have started my own little stargazing posse down here lol.

Quick question though, did anyone catch this with a scope and get any pics?

Cadno

[alan potts]

Well done John I am pleased to hear that it was seen. Sadly I was clouded out here in Bulgaria but I had a beautiful sun rise with a clear sky as compensation.

Alan.

[DannyHarvey]

Nice report, thanks for sharing!

[Damo636]

Well done John! It completely clouded out over here but good to hear some others had better luck.

[Charon]

Thunderstorm over here!!!

[John]

I had broken cloud cover but, luckily, the breaks were large enough to catch the target

With something like this you know the clock is ticking so you have to line the scope up as best you can and then observe despite some cloud, hoping it will clear while you are at the eyepiece.

[Helen]

Great report John. I too spent all night concentrating on a lump of rock and getting very excited about it!!!!

Quick question though, did anyone catch this with a scope and get any pics?

Cadno

See here http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/177592-and-another-asteroid-da14-animation/ taken from a couple of valleys over from you (Rhymney Valley)

Helen

[Matt Scunthorpe]

Nice work. It was nothing but cloud here, could only just make out the Moon and Jupiter peaking through clouds.

[John]

Great report John. I too spent all night concentrating on a lump of rock and getting very excited about it!!!!

See here http://stargazerslou...da14-animation/ taken from a couple of valleys over from you (Rhymney Valley)

Helen

Thanks Helen - thats a great little clip - well done !

[Double Kick Drum]

Great stuff!

I had given up by about 9:30pm with a blanket of cloud covering virtually 100% of the sky.

Thanks for sharing.

[tich]

Well done John I never got to see anything here, great report.

[mjpfc]

Glad someone saw it.

I tried three different "ambush points" with my 8" and finder, 8mm and binos.

The vicinity of Mellotte 111

Between Cara and 4 Canes Venaci

And the areas off 73 and 74 Ursae Majoris

............but though the IOW was generally clear of thicker cloud the misty hazy sky and spreading contrails over Sandown defeated me.

Even bright Messiers such as M53 and M64 were very hard to see tonight, I though that a point source between mag 8.5 and 9.3 would be

reasonably easy, even in such a hazy sky but not so this evening.

[SHUTTLE ATLANTIS]

clouded out here still pleased that some of you saw it

[furrysocks]

It was patchy here but cleared pretty well and I bagged myself my first 'roid.

I'd spent twenty minutes or so with my new 15x70 Revelation binos, familiarising myself with part of the route, repeatedly star hopping from Mizar/Alcor and then on round and down. Shortly after 9pm, I sighted it right about where I was waiting for it - I detected a slow shift in the 'geometry' within the field and bingo! Looking back at some star charts, I've determined it was somewhere around 12h25m +53.5deg, for all that matters. I like how it twinkled every now and again, presumably as it tumbled, as if announcing itself. I followed it for a few minutes and then let my mate track it for a bit. When I got a look again, my lenses were starting to fog and I'd lost it so I turned to the moon for a few minutes instead before packing up.

The 15x70s are noticeably brighter than my table-top 3" dobs was at 12.8x - I had it out on top of the neighbour's wheely bin and fairly aimed, but didn't even attempt to sit and stare through it when I knew I had the binos set up a couple of feet away.

Only the second outing for the binos, so very chuffed. I'd made up a mount for earlier in the evening from bits in the garage which I clamped in an adjustable bicycle work stand. Without that setup, I don't know that I'd had seen it at all - though perhaps I underestimate the little scope.

[John]

......Only the second outing for the binos, so very chuffed. I'd made up a mount for earlier in the evening from bits in the garage which I clamped in an adjustable bicycle work stand. Without that setup, I don't know that I'd had seen it at all - though perhaps I underestimate the little scope.

Well done - I reckon it was a tough enough spot with my 4" refractor so you did well to pick it up with your 15x70's

Great value, those Revelations