MinorPlanet.info: Observing Guides

MinorPlanet.info Observing Guides
Home CALL Observing Guides Observation Planning ALCDEF Minor Planet Bulletin Lightcurve Database Minor Planet Center JPL Small Body DB CNEOS Lowell MP Services Minor Planet Mailing List Society for Astronomical Sciences Acknowledgement Development of this web site was made possible by several grants each from NASA and the NSF.		Some links on this page open new windows. Updated 2024 June 2 . Observing Guides Observing Planning Tools Visit this page for the Ephemeris Generator and other tools to plan your asteroid observing. Asteroid-DSO Appulses (2023-2025) Close approaches of deep-sky objects by asteroids. Asteriod-Star Appulses (2023-2025) Close approaches of bright stars by asteroids. Asteriod-Asteroid Appulses (2023-2025) Close approaches of asteroids to one another. Favorable Apparitions for Each Year (1995-2050, numbered only) New Format and Information! Those asteroids reaching one of their five best apparitions in a given year. The Five Best Apparitions (numbered only) New Format and Information! The circumnstances for the five best apparitions for each asteroid SkyWatch SkyWatch is a dynamic page that computes current lunar and planetary positions and lunar phases for the entire year. Rise/set/transit times are determined for your location. Observing Guides Creating Flat Fields From noted observer Stan Moore, one of the best Polar Alignment without drift Align using your CCD in a different way. Written by J. Hall. Drift Polar Alignment Bruce Johnson details the how and why of this classic approach. Romanashin CCD Photometry Handbook Excellent primer by William Romanashin. AAVSO CCD Manual Compiled by the AAVSO. The basics of CCD photometry are the same regardless of the target. Asteroid Photometry Guide A getting started set of FAQs for those wanting to do asteroid photometry. Standardizing Your Photometry A basic guide for putting instrumental magnitudes onto a standard system. Works for filtered and unfiltered data (with some caveats). Utility Programs / Information MPCORBLIST.ZIP Loads MPCORB.DAT into memory. Search data by number or unpacked designation.