2022-09-15, 05:34 PM
Wow, that's a very impressive website there! Quite a gold mine of information.
It's quite disconcerting to see such large discrepencies in the predicted positions when using the elements provided by seemingly correct sources. It's hard to know who to believe. The JPL's HORIZONS elements are produced for the epoch of date, but so are the MPC's if you download the elements for the NEAs at Today's Epoch file. Both JPL & MPC apply purturbations to their calculations. Who to believe?
Which of the Lowell, JPL & MPC positions is closest to the NEO Approaches | astro.vanbuitenen.nl website?
I believe Dennis, but his weather sucks & he can't make many observations
. I need to use the iTelescopes more, but it's hard to capture 19th magnitude NEOs even with a 20" system. Since 2018 FE4 is predicted to be 27.5 magnitude currently, I've got no shot until Sep 25 by their predicted brightness chart.
Phil S.
It's quite disconcerting to see such large discrepencies in the predicted positions when using the elements provided by seemingly correct sources. It's hard to know who to believe. The JPL's HORIZONS elements are produced for the epoch of date, but so are the MPC's if you download the elements for the NEAs at Today's Epoch file. Both JPL & MPC apply purturbations to their calculations. Who to believe?
Which of the Lowell, JPL & MPC positions is closest to the NEO Approaches | astro.vanbuitenen.nl website?
I believe Dennis, but his weather sucks & he can't make many observations
. I need to use the iTelescopes more, but it's hard to capture 19th magnitude NEOs even with a 20" system. Since 2018 FE4 is predicted to be 27.5 magnitude currently, I've got no shot until Sep 25 by their predicted brightness chart.Phil S.