Nov. 5th 72 Feronia event timed in western Maryland
New: 2003 November 10I just barely managed to outrun the clouds and fog moving in from the east, video recording a 3-second occultation of 8.4-mag. SAO 117986 by 72 Feronia from the Sidling Hill Visitor Center on I-68 8 miles west of Hancock, Maryland, and about 100 miles west of Washington, DC. Observers throughout the Piedmont, even at Gettysburg, PA, reported low overcast and fog hours before the event. At 10 pm, I phoned the Washington County sheriff's office, and they said it was still clear in Hagerstown, just west of the first two ridges of the Appalachian Mountains. With that encouragement, I decided to drive there, but although there were substantial breaks, it was still mostly cloudy there. But a few miles earlier, Jared Zitwer had called my car phone and gave me the encouraging news that it was still clear, even low in the east, from his location in westernmost Maryland. I stopped at Indian Spring, about 10 miles east of Hancock, and started to set up my telescope there, but I could see that the clouds were increasing in the east; I had to go farther west to have a reasonable chance to observe it. I had to stop for gas in Hancock, and could see that even there the eastern sky was deteriorating. After the successful observation, there was no eastward return to I-68 from the visitor center, high on the east side of Sidling Hill with a great view to the east. So I had to travel a few miles farther west to the next road exit to turn around. By the time I got back to Sidling Hill, fog was starting to form there. The location was a little less than halfway from Steve Preston's center to the northern limit. Hope someone else managed to time the occultation. [unfortunately, so far I have received no other reports] David ___________________________________________________ My preliminary report of the occultation: IOTA ASTEROIDAL OCCULTATION REPORT FORM Asteroid (or other object):_(72) Feronia______ Star:_SAO 117986_=_HIP 48618 Date (U.T.):_2003 November 5__________ Predicted Time (U.T.):__7h_02.3m____ Observer Name:___David W. Dunham___________ Telephone:_+1-301-474-4722_____ Postal Address:__7006 Megan Ln.; Greenbelt, MD 20770-3012; USA______________ E-mail Address:__dunham@erols.com_______________ Fax:__+1-240-228-0355_____ TELESCOPE: Aperture:_20 cm_ Focal length:_66 cm Type:_SCT________________ Eyepiece Power:__n/a___ Observing site name: _Sidling Hill, MD_________ Longitude:__78 deg. 16' 47.8" W.__ Latitude:__39 deg. 43' 04.0" N._____ Height above sealevel:_1225 ft._ How determined?:_GPS_acc'y_17 ft._____ Sky Transparency (Circle one, or delete two): Fair Star Image Stability ("seeing"; as above): Fair Other Conditions: (Wind, Clouds, Lights, etc.):_alright; fog 45 min. later_ EVENT TIMINGS: (All times in Universal Time) Time Source:_WWV_5_mHrtz_ Recording method:_video, with PC164C camera______ Was the Asteroid Visible in your Scope? _No___ Approx. Limiting Mag.:_10.5_ Universal Time Estimated Accuracy, Remarks h m s Reaction Time, Started Observing: __7:_00:_00.___ (sec.) ____________________ Star and Object Merged: ___:___:___.___ _not observed_______ Disappearance: __7:_02:_17.2__ _n/a__ _+/-0.1s_preliminary Estimated Closest Approach: ___:___:___.___ ____________________ (if no D/R) Reappearance: __7:_02:_20.2__ _n/a__ _+/-0.1s_preliminary Star and Object Separated: ___:___:___.___ ____________________ Stopped Observing: __7:_05:_00.___ ____________________ Was your reaction time applied to the above timings? _n/a_____ If you could tell, did the object pass NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, or WEST of the star (cicle one, or delete three)? If possible, estimate the distance of closest approach in arc seconds: _Feronia not seen List all Interruptions in Observing: Reason From ___:___:___ to ___:___:___ __________________________________ From ___:___:___ to ___:___:___ __________________________________ Additional comments: _f/10 telescope with f/3.3 focal reducing lens_________ Timings determined by playing back tape using a stopwatch, to be refined later with a copy via a Manly time inserter with WWV trigger This was my 7th positive (all video recorded) asteroidal occultation this year, but the first of 2003 from my home state of Maryland. The star was 14 deg. above the eastern horizon. Send Jan Manek Fax: +420-2-61216822 report to: Stefanik Observatory E-mail: jmanek@mbox.vol.cz Petrin 205 If an occultation is timed, copy to: 118 46 Praha 1 dunham@erols.com Czech Republic