A call to those interested in Asteroid Observing

[higginsdj]

What is it that people need/want to know about getting into this field? Well I am planning on doing a lot of 'How to' papers, presentations, videos but thought I best ask what people needed/wanted to know.

Topics might include:

1. What equipment do I need and/or how to set it up?
2. How do I observe them once I have the equipment?
3. How to extract data from my images?
4. How to create a lightcurve?
5. Is it a multiple system?
6. Collaborations
7. Publishing results

or perhaps topics you want to know about. Note that these would be 'dummies guides' as I am no scientist - just an experienced observer.

We need more MP observers in Australia. We need them in a wide coverage of areas for 2 reasons - weather and time zones. In my timezone region, if the weather closes me down it would be good to have another observer in the same TZ with clear skies to carry on. The US and Europe are well covered but, quite frankly, there are just 2 observers in between covering the Western Pacific, Australasia and the Eastern Indian ocean on a regular basis (Julian in the Blue Mountains and me)

Check out this video to see how far we have come in our knowledge of whats out there over the past 30 years and the rapid expansion in the last 10 years:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_d-gs0WoUw

All those new discoveries are astrometric. We have a big job ahead of us getting photometry on all of them! Getting more targets covered shows up patterns and uncovers new things. For example in the last 20 years, the exponential increase in photometric data (most of it done by a small number of amateurs) uncovered the spin barrier and revealed that most asteroids are in fact rubble piles. This was the result of amateurs - not the professionals.

Between 1/3 and 1/2 of all known binary asteroids have been discovered by amateurs. The rapid increase in the number discovered and the physical properties uncovered lead to the rotation fission models for the creation of asteroids as well as the model for asteroid pairs (paper just released in Nature yesterday).

Amateurs are literally at the forefront of planetary science observations and discoveries and I will do whatever I can to assist those who wish to participate on a regular basis.

Cheers

David

[Alchemy (Clive)]

Probably start with, what kind of gear as a minimum is required.
Aperture
Camera
SoftwAre required
Location ..... Is city lights a problem in making it all work
Then a basic how to..... What to look for where to collect databases to select your target, how to submit your data for further use.

I have seen articles of those doing such, but with 12 inches or more SC scopes, it has seemed to me to be a selectively expensive proceedures, however, tell us what you can.

[rally]

David,

Heres some thoughts.

Some more posts on yours and others discoveries and projects would no doubt serve as stimulating motivation for others to be involved in this sort of astronomy and discovery process.

Keep em coming !

Maybe some run downs on your own hurdles and how you overcame them.

What doesnt work ! is always helpful to know.
I note you use an ST8 is a ST7 useable ?

I am not sure if the various astronomical societies around the country have dedicated asteroid groups, but having some critical mass in each state would be good for collaborative progression.

I think that ASSA might be able to be convinced in having you as a guest speaker ? - I will ask.
You certainly seem to have a lot of discoveries on your web site that would be of interest to others.

That could then trigger off local interest.

Asteroid Observing workshops might be a possibility
I realise that this is a lot of work for you.

Cheers

Rally

[higginsdj]

Keep the ideas coming.

There is a lot of 'misinformation' and 'opinions' out there. Because the bulk of what we do is differential photometry, ANY (and I do mean ANY) CCD/CMOS camera can be used.

There are limitations of course, but from a differential photometric perspective the ONLY limitation is the extent of linearity in your camera. A lot has been said about ABG cameras not being suitable - more misinformation. ABG cameras can have quite extensive linearity and some have wider linearity bands than NABG cameras. As the photometrist/observer, it is your responsibility to know the full characteristics of your camera and work to them.

Re discoveries - on the whole they are a team effort. In the team, the rule is whoever first images an eclipsing event gets the discovery credit - but everyone who participates in the observing of that target gets on the discovery notice. We hunt the asteroid binaries but we also get serendipitous discoveries as well. A side effect is that we have to chose many comparison stars in our differential photometry. Sometimes one of the comp stars turns out to be variable, showing rapid changes. I've nabbed as many eclipsing binaries as I have asteroid moons.

The AAVSO mob still call asteroids the 'vermin of the skies' but the Eclipsing Binaries are the vermin for me - because I have to remeasure my images at least twice

You can do MP photometry with as small as an 8" scope. Less targets since your limiting magnitude is a great deal lower - but for the resourceful there are ways around that - stacking images for example. 14" and larger are ideal to get all the types of targets I am working but there is a member of our group who uses a 10". Again, it comes down to experience and working within the limits of your setup and that comes down to proper planning.

Sure, some of you with small aperture scopes may not hit the 'big' time with new binary discoveries, but the asteroid photometry field is vast - there are H-G curves, Spin Axis Determination, Shape modeling etc and new avenues are constantly opening up. Do what I did - start small and build up and your experience increases. I started with an 8" LX-90, then moved to a 10" LX200GPS then to a 14" LX200GPS. I started with a tiny Starlight Xpress MX516 ABG camera (95% linearity) then moved up to a ST7 sized SX MX716 (now used as my guider) then onto a second hand parallel SBIG ST-8 (a very old camera). I had a second hand SBIG ST-9 as well - it also did a fine job (actually better than the ST-8 but its field was a little small for 100 percent reliability in robotic scope pointing).

If I had the money I would be putting up a second/third/fourth scope with cameras (a couple of my counterparts in the states have just done this) there are just so many targets out there - we (the few of us doing this work - pros included) just can't cover everything. Targets that are Prime Binary Suspects are often skipped/missed because we just don't have enough scopes to observe them all.

[Alchemy (Clive)]

I had a look at your website.... Recognized the picture, somewhere you have had an article in a magazine, either sky and telescope or the old now defunct sky and space.
It might help you if you offered a workshop, where you could show a handful of interested parties how it's done, this would be a full on the night type of thing. It's possible if not probable that knowing how to do it restricts those who have the gear, so perhaps mentoring for a short while is an idea.
As for getting those interested parties, you need to get the message out, this is a good start, the talk sounds like a great way to get interest.

[higginsdj]

Workshops are a pain - just never convenient for everyone given the small number of people actually interested in doing this type of work. That's why I want to do some video's. Most of what I do in 'Monkey See, Monkey Do'. That's all people need to get in through the front door and start getting data and results. Once you gain a little experience then you can delve deeper - but thats only if you want to.

I'm happy to 'mentor' anyone willing to put the time and effort into this work. I'm just an email away

[Rob_K]

I think this is a case where a word is worth a thousand pictures! The trouble with on-line tutes is that they are always prepared by people who know what they're doing through long experience, and inevitably there are oversights that stop tyros dead in their tracks!

To sit with someone while they go through a process from start to finish is pure gold - but as you say Dave, it's not always practical (and not necessarily fun for the demonstrator either).

Cheers -

[higginsdj]

Hey, don't get me wrong, I love showing people how to do things. But at best we'll get maybe 1 or 2 people per state seriously interested in the field. Everyones going to have different kit, different software and different levels of experience/knowledge. One on one visits certainly aren't practical!