Portable high speed photometry systems for observing occultations

Details Portable high speed photometry systems for observing occultations Portable high speed photometry systems for observing occultations

Sep 1986

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1986plas.rept...23e&link_type=abstract

In NASA, Washington Reports of Planetary Astronomy, 1985 p 23-24 (SEE N87-12407 03-89)

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Astronomical Photometry, Planetary Atmospheres, Planetary Rings, Stellar Occultation, Uranus (Planet), Ceres Asteroid, Spatial Resolution, Telescopes

Scientific paper

Ring orbit studies for Uranus have been particularly fruitful because of the ability, through occultations, to obtain data of high spatial resolution at the rate of 1 to 2 times per year. The occultation program at M.I.T. involves: (1) identifying the scientific questions that can be answered by occultation events, (2) predicting the zone of visibility for the useful events, (3) maintaining and improving a set of portable high-speed photometric systems, (4) obtaining the observations, and (5) reducing the data and interpreting the results. Two stellar occultations by Uranus occurred in May 1985, and were observed with a network of large telescopes that encompassed the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Portable quartz-oscillator time standards were used at all observatories, and were calibrated before and after each event. Observations obtained form Cerro Tololo and McDonald Observatories of the 4 May and 24 May 1985 occultations by the Uranian rings clearly show a companion to the delta ring on both the immersion and emersion traces. The occultation by Ceres that occurred on 12 November 1984 was observed. Preliminary results give a mean diameter of 933 + or - 10 km, which implies a geometric albedo, Pv = 0.07 + or - 0.01 and a density 2.7 + or - 0.3 gm cu/cm. Hence Ceres is likely composed of silicate material throughout.

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