As mentioned at the last HAA club meeting on Fri Jan 11, there is a reasonably large asteroid that will be passing close by on Mon Jan28/Tue Jan29.
Asteroid 2007 TU24 was discovered in Oct 2007 by the NASA sponsored Catalina Sky Survey. It is approximately 350m in size and is expected to pass by the Earth within 530,000 km (330,000 miles). This is about 1.4 Lunar Distances (1 LD is the average distance between Earth and Moon – approx 400,000km). So this one will pass just outside of the moon’s orbit.
Right now it is fairly faint, but as it approaches on the 28th, it will grow to about magnitude 10 which should be visible in moderate scopes (4″ or better). And it will cross the sky quite quickly. So fast that we won’t be able to use standard tracking rates on most computerized telescopes. You will be able to notice its movement against background stars as it passes through/near Pisces, Triangulum, Andromeda, Perseus and Camelopardalis. It will pass very close to M33 early in the evening.
While challenging, this could be a unique imaging opportunity for those who wish to undertake this quest. For the others, if the sky conditions are good, we’re planning to head out to Binbrook to observe this unusual event.
Closest approach isn’t until about 3am on Tues morning, but it will be visible all evening. So we’ll expect to open the gates about 8pm and stay as long as everyone can tolerate the chilly temps. Current long range forecast is promising, but we’ll provide updates as we get closer.
According to NASA’s JPL NEO website, there are about 7000 asteroids of this size that have been discovered (or expected to be discovered) and one would pass this close to Earth every 5 years on average. They also make it quite clear that this one will NOT hit Earth nor cause any effects anywhere. (There has been a surprising amount of FUD relating to this asteroid on many websites and blogs.)
I’ve included a very scaled down image of the asteroid’s path.
You can find a larger version (425kb) of this image at:
2007TU24h
(The dots represent 6 hours intervals, and 0H UT = 19:00EST)
This was obtained from JPL’s website and massaged a little so that it prints easier on most black & white printers.
(Original can be found at: neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news157.html)
I’ll be posting some more info shortly so stayed tuned.
Hope to see you on Mon 28 Jan at Binbrook.
UPDATE: Mon 28 Jan @ 11:00 am
Not surprisingly, the weather conditions are working against us. There is a new system moving in from the WNW that is going to bring some rain and wet snow. It should hit us around midnight (give or take a few hours). We may get lucky and the initial parts of the system may pass just to the north of us giving us a few hours of observing. Checking satelitte images and various CSC around the province, this seems like a possibility. If we were further south, then it’s pretty certain we’d have clearer skies for a better part of the evening. We’re right on the edge.
Closest approach (and therefore brightest and fastest apparent motion) won’t occur until about 3:30 am and its clear (no pun intended) we’re unlikely to be able to last this long. At least temperatures, winds and humidity aren’t expected to be too bad for the situation (at least until the rains start). And regrettably conditions Tuesday night are going to be worse for watching the asteroid depart. So it’s tonight or nothing.
Since the asteroid is only expected to be at magnitude 12 moving to 11 in the evening, it will be a bit more of a challenge to find – especially if there are some thin high level clouds. We’ll need to have accurate charts and coordinates to locate this object. I’ll try to get some printed up to bring along.
But we’ve gone out with worse forecasts. Sometimes we get lucky and it turns out better than expected, sometimes not. Let’s hope this will be one of the better experiences.
Therefore I’m going to suggest that we still give this a shot. It may look gloomy as we head out, but with the forecasted breaks, we may have a chance and I think this is one we don’t want to pass up.
I’ll try to head out and open the gate at 7:30’ish – it will depend on how swamped I am at work. I’ll try to get there earlier if I can. We’ll set up at our usual spot on the hill. Remember if the ground is soft/wet, then try to keep the cars on the roadway. If necesary, unload and then move it to the parking area.
See you tonight.
AIR TIME:
Just had a call from Shiona Thompson at 900CHML – she wants me to do a radio interview about the asteroid, Tuesday morning at 6:40am.
Tune in if you can – Glenn
