Pluto Stellar
Occultation Observation
From Tucson Arizona
March 18 2007 Updated March 27
2007
Victor Herrero
hubble_edwin@yahoo.com
Claude Plymate ***
inspired this observation
Steven Peterson provided his observatory, 14 inch
telescope, software and much hospitality Keith
Schlottman ***
provided his st402me camera
Steven Peterson and Victor Herrero collaborated in the planning,
observing and data reduction
Many thanks to Bruno Sicardy ***
for his web page that assisted us in planning the observation
Differential magnitude versus Julian date, MPO Canopus software
The central time for the occultation is near 10h 54m UT
Data points are 4 second exposures spaced 5.2 seconds, clear
filter, 14" aperture, F 5.5
Binned 2x2 , 2 arcsec/pixel
This plot shows about 26 minutes of nearly an hour of observing
Preparing for the observation: Pluto and target star
imaged March 11
4 sec exposure with clear filter, binned 2x2, 2 arcsec/pixel
Detail of Pluto in the center of the field of view, during the
observation March 18
Same imaging conditions as above
Color coded gray
scale image, SAO ds9 software
Steve and his 14 inch Schmidt Cassegrain with auto guider
Close up of the camera and focuser
Computer driving the system
Bruno Sicardy's estimate of the limb and
edge of atmosphere tracks
Notice the milli arcsecond precision for the star's coordinates and the
10 micro arcsecond precison for Pluto's ephemeris offsets !!
Bruno's model of the lightcurve at Kitt Peak, ours
is similar with about 7 seconds delay
Bruce Gary's *** beautiful
plots from his Hereford Arizona Observatory
He sent several very interesting emails to the southern Arizona
observers
Bruce's Hereford Arizona Observatory
Bruce Gary
Calvin-Rehoboth (red) and Cloudbait
Observatories (blue with 0.5 offset) plots
superimposed on the model
Calvin-Rehoboth ***
robotic Observatory , 5 miles east of Gallup New
Mexico
Cloudbait Observatory *** 5 km north of Guffey
Colorado
40 miles west of Colorado Springs
bravenet.com
