M45 + 13 moving asteroids !!!

[Ant]

I would guess it would depend on the rate of movement, but can you imagine guiding on a Mag +17 guide star!

Amazing - for once I am speechless....

Ant

[Mel]

An absolutely amazing animation. I sat staring at it trying to work out what I was supposed to be looking at, and then it started animating - incredible, particulary the NEO.

Nice one Paulo.

Iain

[Dippus]

Truly brilliant Paulo

Thanks for that.

Mark

[FLO]

I can honestly say that for me, paulo's image has caused a paradigm shift. It has changed the way I visualise our solar system.

[kniclander]

Paulo, that's amazing...!

[paulobao]

Thanks again, I'm glad you like it.

paulobao, would you have captured so many asteroids if you had imaged another target that was not as close to the ecliptic?

How far? Well, probably not. If you had imaged NGC1499 you would have only 7 sub mag 18 asteroids.

I would say that you capture the most at the ecliptical vicinity, but since the density of those rocks are not that homogeneous even there you can find regions, that at a certain time, are richer.

Now, who wants to capture 6-7 asteroids + 2 easy comets in the same field?

Try this: from 6 dec - 11 dec with a 4º photographic field setup (ex: Tak FS60 + DSLR) you can capture comet 144P/Kushida (@ mag 11.1) + comet P/2008 Q2 (Ory) (@ mag 9.5) and maybe 6-7 asteroids depending on the exposure you use. Of course if you have a faster, wider OTA and a large format CCD...well in that case you have lots of them.

Unfort. the weather forecast is for me. Who said portugal is a sunny country?

If someone try it, please let me make the animated GIF.

Regards,

paulo

[paulobao]

You know what would be incredible? If it was possible to get PHD to use an asteroid as the guide star! Could that be done? I suppose it depends how fast it was moving maybe? It couldnt be used as the star for calibrating im sure, so would phd then be able to keep up?

I think you can. There are lots of them which are much brighter, so no problem. But try not to have other asteroids in the same field !

paulo

[Tim]

Paulo, can you PM me the details of where to point the telescope on those nights then please. I will run a whole evening sequence if you like, if its clear. What length exposure is best?

I have an F4 8" ota, and CCD, I am not sure what FOV it has though, it will just about fit M31 across the screen diagonally on a large format CCD (qhy8).

[MikeD]

That result is stunning :shock: , got to give this a try some time.

Mike.

[mcrossley]

Great stuff, I just looked at my subs of M45 from the 27th and only found six of the blighters - mag 17 seems to be about the cut off in those subs.

Bit hard to see them when the image is reduced to 50% for creating the GIF, but here are the raw subs stacked. Start of exposures 27 Nov 2008, 22:46:36...

[Tim]

Paulo,

I have 1hr 45 mins of M45, taken on 25/11/08 at 20:28 - 21:56 GMT. Are there likely to be any asteroids on that sequence? It was taken through the WO72 +0.8FR.

But maybe the exposures are a bit long? 3 x 15mins + 3 x 20mins, is that too long?

[beamer3.6m]

Amazing image/animation.

I see that other people are now finding these in their images but how.

What do you look for and JUST HOW.

[paulobao]

Paulo,

I have 1hr 45 mins of M45, taken on 25/11/08 at 20:28 - 21:56 GMT. Are there likely to be any asteroids on that sequence? It was taken through the WO72 +0.8FR.

But maybe the exposures are a bit long? 3 x 15mins + 3 x 20mins, is that too long?

TJ,

yes a bit too long but you have lots of them.

See how many do you have it at that time (all sub mag 18). You should look to the yellow "dots" inside the red circle. (that is the "fov" of your setup + a DSLR type CCD/CMOS)

If you want, convert your RAWs or TIFFs to JPEG (compress to about 30-50% to reduce the file size) and send it to me. You may use this email: pallobao@gmail.com. I will make the animated GIF for you.

beamer,

if you make a animated GIF first, it is easier. Just check for movement in your image small fields at a time. Of course if you know were they should be it is easier .

paulo

[Tim]

Hmm, i'm not sure what you mean by the yellow dots and red circle. However I have some dslr shots from a star party with really dark skies, probably 300 sec exposures. They will be easier to work with and convert than the ccd images, so I may have a go at seeing anything. If not, there's an hour of M45 on its way to you

Thanks for your help with this fascinating topic.

TJ

[661-pete]

Astounding piece of work Paulo, and probably given this forum one of the biggest talking-points in its history! I must admit I don't find it easy to follow all the asteroids perhaps because your animation is a bit too fast for my eyes: but I've downloaded (hope you don't mind) the whole GIF into AnimationShop and slowed it down a bit, to five frames per second: made it a bit easier. This has given me - like all the others - something to think about over my non-imaging winter months - I have hundreds of subs of my own, going back over three years, to dig out and examine! One of my problems will be - I don't remember, for each occasion, what time zone my camera was set to, at the time of imaging (sometimes I had it on GMT, sometimes on BST, sometimes on CET+1hour). But I don't suppose one or two hours will make the difference between catching and missing an asteroid. I can see I have work to do!

This all reminds me of the work I've started out on Barnard's Star (posted earlier this year). But on a wholly different scale: the two frames I've acquired so far are a year apart, and each one was in itself a stack of several subs! And Barnard's star is very bright in comparison...

Thanks again for the excellent presentation and for giving us this inspiration!

[661-pete]

Great stuff, I just looked at my subs of M45 from the 27th and only found six of the blighters - mag 17 seems to be about the cut off in those subs.

Bit hard to see them when the image is reduced to 50% for creating the GIF, but here are the raw subs stacked. Start of exposures 27 Nov 2008, 22:46:36...

Can you (or anyone) identify that very bright (mag. about 11.5) asteroid to upper left of your capture? Must be incredible luck to catch one that big!

I find it easier to see the asteroids in the negative.

[mcrossley]

Can you (or anyone) identify that very bright (mag. about 11.5) asteroid to upper left of your capture? Must be incredible luck to catch one that big!

I find it easier to see the asteroids in the negative.

It is 264 Libussa - mag 11.5, and 1.4867 AU (222.4 million km) away at the time. I think the negative is a bit easier to see too! On the original some of them are only one or two pixels, so reducing the image makes them even harder to see.

[paulobao]

Hmm, i'm not sure what you mean by the yellow dots and red circle. However I have some dslr shots from a star party with really dark skies, probably 300 sec exposures. They will be easier to work with and convert than the ccd images, so I may have a go at seeing anything. If not, there's an hour of M45 on its way to you

Thanks for your help with this fascinating topic.

TJ

I'm sorry TJ, I forgot to put the image here.

Here it is:

paulo

[paulobao]

Astounding piece of work Paulo, and probably given this forum one of the biggest talking-points in its history! I must admit I don't find it easy to follow all the asteroids perhaps because your animation is a bit too fast for my eyes: but I've downloaded (hope you don't mind) the whole GIF into AnimationShop and slowed it down a bit, to five frames per second: made it a bit easier. This has given me - like all the others - something to think about over my non-imaging winter months - I have hundreds of subs of my own, going back over three years, to dig out and examine! One of my problems will be - I don't remember, for each occasion, what time zone my camera was set to, at the time of imaging (sometimes I had it on GMT, sometimes on BST, sometimes on CET+1hour). But I don't suppose one or two hours will make the difference between catching and missing an asteroid. I can see I have work to do!

This all reminds me of the work I've started out on Barnard's Star (posted earlier this year). But on a wholly different scale: the two frames I've acquired so far are a year apart, and each one was in itself a stack of several subs! And Barnard's star is very bright in comparison...

Thanks again for the excellent presentation and for giving us this inspiration!

You will find it. 1-2 hours is no problem with a wide photographic view.

Just make the GIFs and find them. I think is fun specially in those rainy days .

paulo

[paulobao]

Great stuff, I just looked at my subs of M45 from the 27th and only found six of the blighters - mag 17 seems to be about the cut off in those subs.

Bit hard to see them when the image is reduced to 50% for creating the GIF, but here are the raw subs stacked. Start of exposures 27 Nov 2008, 22:46:36...

I was busy, and just came to my computer few minutes ago.

Excellent catch. Here a JPEG from from your GIF with the identified asteroids (you can put that names in your GIF. I made it but the file is so heavy that I think it is easier to you to modify it since you are the author of that post).

You should have (9863) Reichardt @ mag 17.1 in the 2.5' vicinity of TYC 1800-1622-1.

paulo

[mcrossley]

Thanks Paulo, I did look for Reichardt but cannot see it for sure - I think the nebulosity is too bright.

[beamish]

Paolo, congratulations- this thread has been a shot in the arm !! Magnificent work and really brings home just how alive and dynamic our skies are !! Just loving it :salute: :salute: :salute: :salute: :salute:

Karlo