Asteroid 18 Melpomene Opposes Sun 2023 NOV 05

[CentaurZ]

Asteroid 18 Melpomene will appear within Cetus in ecliptical opposition to the Sun on 2023 NOV 05 at magnitude +8.2.

It is composed of silicates and metals. Melpomene has a mean diameter of 141 km, and was discovered in 1852.

Photos and descriptions of Melpomene would be welcome additions to this thread.

[Ags]

I will try track this one down if I get a clear night. It'll be a bit fainter now but should still be easy with my 90mm refractor. If I get a run of clear nights I will try to make an animation. 

I have generated some finder charts for asteroids 1-100, I'll dig out the one for Melpomene and attach it here. I am curious where the chart above comes from?

I am planning on getting more into asteroids next year, looks like a nice challenge hunting them down 😀

[Ags]

Here is the Melpomene wide angle finder chart:

And here is the zoomed-in finder chart, showing stars down to Mag 11. It is a draft - note the RA and DEC grid labels in the chart are out of alignment. I also see a slight mismatch between my positions and those in Stellarium for the few asteroids Stellarium seems to have. However my positions match for the major planets and I'm getting my data from Nasa Horizons so I am not sure I am wrong. I'll see what my telescope says.

[CentaurZ]

On 14/11/2023 at 18:04, Ags said:

I will try track this one down if I get a clear night. It'll be a bit fainter now but should still be easy with my 90mm refractor. If I get a run of clear nights I will try to make an animation. 

I have generated some finder charts for asteroids 1-100, I'll dig out the one for Melpomene and attach it here. I am curious where the chart above comes from?

I am planning on getting more into asteroids next year, looks like a nice challenge hunting them down 😀

I programmed that chart based on my own PowerBASIC subroutines derived from the book Astronomical Algorithms by my Belgian friend Jean Meeus.  Also, from Melpomene osculating elements provided by Solex numerical integration software written by my Italian friend Dr. Aldo Vitagliano.

And here is my Melpomene ephemeris, also based on Solex osculating elements. The data are decimalized to ease interpolation.

Edited November 30, 2023 by CentaurZ

[Ags]

I just haven't had the weather to get this one. I have an apartment block blocking view of it now