164 observations have been performed between 2005, April and June ( 23 positive or possibly positive) about 54 events
( 11 positive or  possibly positive) by  81 observers, from the 14  following countries (and numbers of observers) :

AT = Austria ( 2 ), BE = Belgium ( 6 ),  CH = Switzerland  ( 2 ), CZ = Czech Republic ( 2 ), DE = Germany ( 8 ),
ES = Spain ( 19 ), FR = France ( 22 ), IT = Italy ( 4 ), NL = The Netherlands ( 2 ), PL = Poland ( 2 ),  PT = Portugal ( 1 ), RU = Russia ( 1 ),  TR = Turkey ( 1),  UK = United Kingdom ( 9 ).

You will find in the table hereafter the list of the observers abbreviations in alphabetical order, with the number of observations made by each of them.

TAROT (Acronym for “Télescope à Action Rapide pour les Objets Transitoires”) is an automatic telescope, located at Calern Observatory, dedicated to g-rays bursts optical study; when available, it can be used for various survey programs.

2005 (April to June) Observations

Observations are usually visual and negative, excepted when otherwise specified. All times are in UTC.

2005.04.02 : (8) Flora / 2UCAC 40508585

Only one positive :

ESE was just outside of the predicted shadow path, close to its  northern border; the predicted closest approach time was 18:11:10 at this location.

2005.04.03 : (798) Ruth / TYC 0238-02211-1                  BOL    DGG   SPS

SPS : CCD drift-scan.

2005.04.04 : (5083) Irinara / 2UCAC 41865965              SLO

2005.04.04 : (1596) Itzsigsohn / TYC 5502-01476-1        BOL    GDL

GDL : CCD imaging;  Itzigsohn passed 0.94" north of the star.

2005.04.04 : (6342) 1993VG /  2UCAC 37363328           SLO

2005.04.04 : (5361) Goncharov / TYC 1901-01518-1      BAO   OKE    SAU

OKE : videorecording.

2005.04.05 : (76383) 2000 EU 199 / TYC 5530-01146 -1                        ESE

Andrei Phlenakov prediction

2005.04.05 : (2236) Austrasia / TYC 5540-01353-1                     SLO

2005/04/07 : (1553) Bauersfelda  /  TYC 4957-00479-1               trt

2005.04.08 : ( - ) 2005AB / HIP 69616                                          GQR

2005.04.08 : (172) Baucis / TYC 1902-01770-1                ELL     JSZ      MBU     trt      TVH

ELL : videorecording. JSZ and MBU were in double station  in the Steve Preston up-dated predicted path. Their negative observation shows that real path has been shifted but the lack of positive ones made it impossible to locate precisely.

2005.04.10 : (8) Flora / TYC 1916-01204-1                      COF    DGE    ELL     JGS     JVA
                                                                                 MID (with CHR)           MLS    TVH

and four positive :

Difficult event as the brightness difference between star and asteroid was small (0.5 mag.)

SUM : second “event” from 20 28 45.8  to 20 29 02.0, due to clouds

COF at 6.7 km NNE from the centreline, missed the occultation due to the small brightness drop.

HRU : 0.1 mag. drop probably due to turbulence

ELL, JGS : videorecording; JVA : CCD imaging; MID, MUM : CCD drift-scan; MLS : CCD imaging, two telescopes

As JLX, MUM and SUM were nearly on the predicted centreline and observed events with duration close to (or even longer than) the predicted maximum one (8.3s), one can say that the prediction was nearly exact.

2005.04.10 : (5083) Irinara / TYC 1901-01018-1             BLM   ELL     JGS     JVA     PAW   SLO

ELL, JGS : videorecording; JVA, PAW : CCD imaging (with VIG and P. de Cat).

Small asteroid (14 km in diameter) and short duration event (0.6 s max.). BLM and JVA were in or at the immediate vicinity of the predicted path.

2005.04.10 : (1021) Flammario / TYC 1933-00636-1      HRU   JGS     OKE (with MSS)

and three positive :

JFY : unexploitable positive observation

JGS, OKE – MSS : videorecording; PAW : CCD imaging  (with VIG and P. de Cat)

HRU and OKE – MSS  (resp. PAW) stations were inside the predicted path (S. Preston's update) just close to its northern (resp. southern) limit. Positive JHP and PAW observations and their duration (less than one second and close to the predicted maximum one (6.2 s), respectively), show that the real path has been shifted toward SW by about half of its width.

2005.04.11 : (601) Nerthus / TYC 0318-00571-1             COF    ELL     HMG   HRU   JGS  JLX                                                                                                    MID (with CHR)

and one positive :

ELL : videorecording; JGS : videorecording; MID : CCD imaging, several clouds

JLX was in double station with COF.

FQS was nearly on the centreline, as he observed an event with duration close to the predicted maximum one (5.3 s). These positive observation and the ELL, JGS, MID negative ones, these three observers all in the predicted shadow path, show the real path has been shifted by about two times its width, toward NE, relative to the prediction.

2005.04.13 : (1178) Irmela / TYC 1302-00059-1                         ESE

ESE : was within the track predicted by A. PLEKHANOV.

2005.04.17 : (1695) Walbeck / TYC 6186-00404-1                      SCB

2005.04.20 : (5144) Achates / TYC 1913-1983-1                          MDT

2005.04.20 : (482) Petrina / TYC 0753-00358-1                           HRU   RTH    STP

RTH : videorecording; STP : CCD drift-scan

2005.04.21 : (106) Dione / 2UCAC 40987613                  DGG   FQS     HRU   JGS     JVA     MLS                                                                                                RTH    THO

JGS, RTH : videorecording; JVA, MLS : CCD drift scan

MLS :  no event longer than 0.8 s ; JGS : possible occultation of a second or two centred around 20:42:37 but JGS think it was probably just a spell of poor seeing.

As MLS was nearly on the predicted centreline, the real shadow path has been shifted; the event observed by JGS could have been real, since the appulse time was predicted at 20:42:30 at his location.

2005.04.23 : (379) Huenna / TYC 1359-01468-1                          MDT   RTH

RTH : videorecording, no event > 0.3 s

2005.04.23 : (1734) Zhongolovich / TYC 4961-00073-1              DGG   RTH

RTH : videorecording; many interruptions due to clouds.

2005.04.26 : ( - ) 2002GW31 / TYC 4931-01103-1                       BOL

2002 GW 31 is a Trans Neptunian Object (TNO)

2005.04.27 : (5889) Mickiewicz / 2UCAC 34276169                   HRU

2005.04.27 : (1963) Bezovec / TYC 2996-00003-1                       BAO   BLM   BTG    HRU   MDT

and one positive :

OKE – MSS : videorecording; site was about 6 km east of the predicted centre line (S. Preston's update). As the maximum predicted duration was 3.1 s, they were slightly closer to one of the path border. “Shepherd” observers are HRU and BLM.

2005.04.27 : (13) Egeria / HIP 55187                                           MDT

2005.04.28 : (4093) Bennet / TYC 6768-00773-1                         PAH

2005.04.29 : (349) Dembowska / HIP 75598                    CAS    CLP     FOC    GCV   JLX (with COF)                                                                                 JVD     JVM    LAB    LJM (with A.M. JACQUEY)                                LZJ     MBU                                                         PAH    PEC     RVJ     SAN    SCB

CAS, SAN, SCB : CCD imaging; JVD, LJM  : CCD drift-scan; GCV,  JLX : videorecording; JVM in double station with SAN.

Most of observers were in the predicted shadow path (north-east of Spain and Portugal); their negative observations show the real path has been shifted but the lack of positive lets its position remaining unknown.

2005.04.29 : (1306) Scythia / HIP 36153                                       JSZ      MBU

Observers in double station, 61km(about one path width)  from predicted central line.

2005.05.02 : (2778) Tangshan / TYC 0293-00011-1                    DGE    ESE

2005.05.04 : (2742) Gibson / 2UCAC 36297832                          IVY

2005.05.08 : (686) Gersuind / TYC 0562-02045-1                       DGE    ELL

ELL : videorecording;

2005.05.10 : (34868) 2001TB136 / TYC 6843-2381-1                  PCI

2005.05.10 : (1746) Brouwer / 2UCAC 40506485                       THO

2005.05.15 : (2268) Szmytowna / TYC 4961-00149-1                 SCB

2005.05. 20 : (168) Sibylla / TYC 6238-01428-1                           DPY    SUB

and four positive :

DPY : CCD imaging;  SUB : CCD drift scan

LAQ : Personal Equation not given, and probably > 1 s for D.

Reduction show that M. Kretlow prediction was nearly exact, with DPY as the northern “shepherd” observer and SCB nearly on the central line  (150 km long chord, nearly the maximal 12.9 s one).  Relative to S. Preston prediction, the real path has been shifted by half of its width toward South.  Chords are scattered and cannot be fitted satisfactorily.

2005.05.20 : (307) Nike / 2UCAC 38794447        JLX (with COF)

JLX at Pic du Midi Obs. (pdm) : N 42 56 10.8 E 00 08 32.2 +2880 m

                [asteroid 0".223 ± 0".020 (468 ± 42 km)  (2 sd)  SSW of star at 22:20:09 UTC ± 2 sec., from 37 CCD images]

According to this measurement, the path crossed over Portugal and south of  Spain (predicted paths were situated  too much northerly).

2005.05.22 : (7) Iris / HIP 83097                DGG  

and one positive :

UTF was on the real centreline as he observed an event with duration equal to maximum value (15.7 s) : the shadow path was slightly shifted (0.2 path width) toward S.

2005.05.25 : (1831) Nicholson / 2UCAC 28029277          DGG   OJR

OJR was close to the predicted path

2005.05.27 : (2929) Harris / TYC 0357-00305-1              CAS    CQU   FOC    JSZ      LAQ    MBU JSZ and MBU in double station; CAS : CCD imaging                                             SCB      trt

2005.05.28 : (1977) Shura / TYC 0824-00788-1               PAR (with NGK)

and one positive :

DGG was on the real centreline (maximum predicted duration : 2.7 s) : the shadow path has been shifted by 3 to 4 widths toward NE, relative to M. Kretlow prediction. The event occurred nearly one minute before the predicted time.

2005.05.30 : (583) Klotilde / TYC 6263-00510-1 

only one possibly positive :

ELL : videorecording; As the maximum predicted duration was 6.8 s, ELL was on the real centreline; the shadow path has been  shifted by about half path width toward north. The event occurred at the predicted time for his location.

2005.05.31 : (991) McDonalda / TYC 5808-01123-1                   IVY

IVY was in the predicted path or at its immediate proximity; the uncertainty was large for this small asteroid (31 km).

2005.06.02 : (1187) Afra / TYC 7883-1941-1                               LZJ

2005/06/03 : (34698) 2001 OD22 / TYC 0953-00323-1                 trt

2005.06.08 : (3801) Thrasymedes / 2UCAC 33781344   ELL     JNK     OKE    OTA    RTH    SHB

ELL, OKE, RTH, SHB : videorecording

2005.06.09 : (2165) Young / TYC 6810-01212-1              FAR    JNK     OKE    OTA

FAR  : videorecording, was in the predicted path

OKE : videorecording, no occultation longer than 0.5 s.  Star lost in noise from 22:18:22 to 28.

2005.06.09 : (2165) Young / 2UCAC 22262983               GAR

GAR : possible blink

2005.06.11 : (318) Magdalena / 2UCAC 28423945                     MBU

and one possibly positive :

JLX : CCD imaging; the star seemed fainter during the given interval. The Pic-du-Midi observatory was 5 km south from S. Preston's centreline, or 58 km south from J. Manek's one, to be compared with a shadow path width of 71km. The appulse time at this location was predicted at 01:36:45.

MBU  was 1km south of the centreline calculated by J. Manek; star disappeared from  01:36:56.36  to  59.08 (± 0.06 s) but MBU think it is spurious, since mid-event was expected at 01:36:36 for his location.

2005.06.13 : (2843) Yeti / TYC 6304-00498-1                  UCK

UCK : CCD imaging

2005.06.19 : (233) Asterope / TYC 5689-00710-1            BDE    OKE

and two  positive or possibly positive :

BDE : CCD imaging;  RTH : videorecording

Positive observations are coherent with a  shift of the shadow path toward S by half of its width :  such a shift put RTH nearly on the real centreline (since he observed an event with duration close to the maximum predicted one : 9.8 s) of the shadow path and  JNK close to its southern edge.

2005.06.19 : (483) Seppina / TYC 0420-01701-1             DGG   FMY   HRB    PAR    PNL    PVI

                                                                                                         SCJ      TCH

and three positive :

FRP : videorecording; 240m north of the southern limit from J. Manek prediction; HRB : videorecording; many  interruptions due to clouds; JLX : many  interruptions due to clouds; PAR : videorecording; no event longer than 0.3 s;  PNL : CCD drift scan; PCI : CCD imaging. PVI and TCH were in double station.

Reduction shows that the prediction was nearly exact and that Seppina must have an elongated shape, its short axis lying parallel to apparent motion, explaining why JLX and FRP registered long chords despite of their respective locations (close to northern and southern edges respectively of the shadow path).

2005.06.24 : (483) Seppina / 2UCAC 32899392             CNS

CNS was in the predicted path

2005.06.29 : (215) Oenone / TYC 6864-00155-1              trt        UTF

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Received reports and results are summarized on www.euraster.net, a web page maintained by Eric FRAPPA from Saint-Etienne Observatory.

Predictions with finder charts and up-dated shadow path are regrouped on the EAON web-site: http://astrosurf.com/eaon, maintained by Jean SCHWAENEN.

It is necessary to send a report even if there has been no occultation from your place (negative observation). These negative observations can sometimes be of as great interest as positive ones : they can be decisive to determine the shape (“shepherd observations” : see the case of DPY for the Sibylla event in this info), refine the orbit of the asteroid or discover un unknown satellite !  

Please DON’T FORGET to use the IAU format for the date, YYMMDD.

G. REGHEERE gillesregheere@yahoo.fr

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