Asteroids

Main Page MM's Logbook for Asteroids SG's Logbook for Asteroids Annotated Bibliography of NOAO Annotated Bibliography of ACIH Annotated Bibliography of IAU: Minor Planet Center

Cited Milestone Report - MM



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media type="custom" key="408101" -uploaded by MM

[|Here] is the site to the Minor Planet Center

[|WHAT IS ASTEROID OCCULTATION????] - ANNOTATION!!!!!! [|Want to see an Occultation?]

The **Minor Planet Center** (MPC) operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, under the auspices of Division III of the International Astronomical Union, (IAU), with significant funding coming from subscriptions to the various services offered by the Center.

The MPC is responsible for the designation of minor bodies in the solar system: minor planets; comets; and natural satellites. The MPC is also responsible for the efficient collection, (computation,) checking and dissemination of astrometric observations and orbits for minor planets and comets, via many different publications.

It runs a number of free on-line services for observers to assist them in observing minor planets and comets. The complete catalogue of minor planet orbits (MPCORB, sometimes referred to as the 'Minor Planet Catalogue) may also be freely downloaded.

Working with the MPC, you would be working at Jordan Hall at Notre Dame for your observations. There will be a permanent spot with a telescope set up. [Information uploaded from the MPC Website]

Random fact: Because of their star-like appearance, Sir William Herschel coined the term "asteroid" for such bodies, writing in 1802: "They resemble small stars so much as hardly to be distinguished from them, even by very good telescopes."

[Information uploaded from Wikipedia]
 * Asteroids**, also called minor planets or planetoids, are a class of astronomical objects. The term asteroid is generally used to indicate a diverse group of small celestial bodies in the solar system that orbit around the Sun; you can research them with a telescope or view them with the naked eye.

October 23, SG Really only put this link here for myself, I suppose you all can view it if you please. I'm not really sure how useful or pertinent it will be for Murphy and myself, but I figured I should probably save the link SOMEWHERE.

[|Surface properties of asteroids: A synthesis of polarimetry, radiometry, and spectrophotometry]

October 26, SG Dr. Loughran gave us this link for the comet we may be visually capturing within the next week: [|JPL Small-Body Database Browser]