Bibcode
Kidger, Marc
Referencia bibliográfica
Research Amateur Astronomy in the VLT Era, Solar Eclipse August 1999 Symposium held at ESO, Garching, Germany, August 7-13, 1999, meeting abstract
Advertised on:
8
1999
Número de citas
0
Número de citas referidas
0
Descripción
High quality CCD cameras and powerful PCs are enabling advanced amateur
astronomers to make high quality photometric and astrometric
observations of a wide variety of solar system objects and to reduce
them almost in real time. This has had important consequences for the
observation of minor solar system bodies. In particular, new comets down
as faint as 17th and 18th magnitude which were previously highly
under-observed, can now count with extensive astrometry within a few
days of discovery. At least one amateur astronomer is even working in
astrometry of Kuiper Belt Objects which were thought, until recently, to
be exclusively a professional province. A further field where even a
modestly equipped amateur can make a major contribution is in the
determination of rotation periods and physical parameters of Near Earth
Objects (NEOs). This presentation examines the rotation curve of two
objects - 1999 CV3 and 1999 HF1 - observed in collaboration between
members of the "The Astronomer" Group and astro- physicists at Teide
Observatory (Canary Islands) and shows how amateur and student
observations can make a highly valuable contribution to this field.