Occultazione asteroidale di 474 Prudentia su HIP 1927 con pre-pointing

TL;DR

This paper describes a method for observing asteroidal occultations using minimal equipment by pre-pointing the telescope to a nearby celestial object, demonstrated with an event involving asteroid 474 Prudentia and star HIP 1927.

Contribution

The paper introduces a practical pre-pointing technique to observe occultations with minimal equipment, enhancing observational opportunities.

Findings

Successful observation of the occultation using pre-pointing method

Method can be adapted for other occultation events

Enables wider participation in occultation observations

Abstract

An asteroidal occultation of a 8.5 V magnitude star can be difficult to be observed without an automatic pointing system. It was the case of 474 Prudentia occulting HIP 1927 on 5 September 2010, observed from the center of Rome. The solution of pre-pointing the telescope to Jupiter and leaving it fixed for 20 m 30 s, allowed to have the correct field of view and to observe successfully the phenomenon. This was possible because Jupiter was at the same declination of the target star, and 20m30s of right ascension to the west of it. With opportune modifications this method can be applied in similar cases, when the observing equipment is minimal. In that case, for example, many observers could have been witness of such an event, helping to recover the shadow path across the city.