Useful Links
|
Observer tools
|
NEO
Confirmation page (NEOCP) |
Ephemerides configurable for your observatory for newly discovered
NEOs, comets and other interesting objects. Often updated with
discoveries from LINEAR and other US based surveys during the period
18:00-24:00 UT.
|
|
MPC
Ephemeris Service (MPES) |
Ephemerides configurable for your observatory for all minor planets
and comets.
|
|
MPC
NEAObs |
NEA Observation Planning Aid from the Minor
Planet Center.
Build a customised list of NEOs by specifying a number of selection
parameters, including the current sky uncertainty, to help choose NEOs
to observe that require astrometry.
|
|
NEODys
Risk page |
Similar listings from NEODys and JPL of currently
observable and lost NEOs with possible impact solutions, generally where
the orbital elements are not known very accurately and therefore require
further observations urgently.
|
| |
JPL Risk page
(SENTRY) |
|
USNO B1.0
Star Catalogue |
If at all possible astrometric reductions are performed (with
Astrometrica) using star catalogue data downloaded from this page.
|
|
Minor
Planet Checker |
The Minor Planet Center provide this page for observers to check
whether an object is a previously known minor planet. Enter the RA and Dec
(or paste in a standard MPC formatted observation) and the page will list
known minor planets in the vicinity at the time (but note
that Minor Planets observed at only one opposition that have not been seen
for several years are not included, so always send in
suspects to the MPC for full checking)
|
| |
New Object Ephemeris Generator |
Another Minor Planet Center facility where anything from 2 to 100
positions of a moving object can be used to generate a preliminary
ephemeris (by the Vaisala method). This is very useful when trying to get
a second night of observations for an object that is suspected of being a
new asteroid and works well for main belt asteroids but not for fast
moving objects. Report fast movers to the MPC immediately!
|
Community
|
The
Tracking News (formally
Major News about Minor Objects) |
News of astrometry published by the IAU MPC from professionals &
amateur observers around the world + Risk monitoring results. The Asteroid/Comet Connection News pages
published until 16 September 2007 (but still available on the A/CC site)
have given a very interesting account of issues about currently
observable objects, together with plenty of background.
|
| Minor
Planet Mailing List (MPML)
|
Discussion forum "for the active Asteroid and
Comet researcher... provides a way for researchers in this communitiy at
all levels an opportunity to share information, astrometric and
photometric techniques or to request specific observations of various
objects"
|
| |
Comets
Mailing List |
Discussion forum "for observers and anyone else
interested in comets. This includes discussion about visual,
photographic and CCD observing as well as about astrometric, orbital,
photometric, hunting or historical aspects."
|
|
Night
Sky Info |
Weekly information about the night sky,
astronomy articles and observations.
Good guide to the sky by Emil Neata (Romania), with details of
bright Planets, Comets, Asteroids and Deep Sky objects that are
currently visible. Interesting articles and sets of sketches of a
variety of objects. Updated regularly and well presented.
|
Reference
|
Guide
to Minor Body Astrometry |
The Minor Planet Center's guide to starting an astrometric program.
Essential reading.
|
|
Recent
MPECs |
The 20 most recent MPC Electronic Circulars (MPECs) and access to
previous MPECs, giving details of astrometry, orbital elements and
summary ephemerides of NEOs and comets
|
|
MPC
Elements and Ephemerides of Observable Comets |
Useful list of currently observable comets with orbital elements and
geocentric ephemerides
|
|
Previous NEO Confirmation Page
Objects |
Archived contents of the MPCs Previous
NEO Confirmation Page Objects page (which only provides details up
to about one month old). The archived list contains details from 2002 to
the present (a few gaps are indicated within the list).
|
