Target Scheduler for Minor Planets

[astroarushi@gmail.com]

Hello All,

I am using the Sky Tools 4 Imaging to find PHA Asteroids visible at my location at a given night.

I downloaded the Latest list of PHA's through the Data -> Minor Planets tab.

When I try to search for asteroids in my location, I am not able to view asteroids from this list, and only see the default 55 bright asteroids.

How do I add all these downloaded PHA's into my Target List Folders?

Thank you.
Arushi

[PMSchu]

Hi Arushi,

The whole PHA list is really too large to work with all at one time, plus most of the PHAs will be to faint to detect. Have you checked out the Database Power Search (DBPS) feature? With the DBPS, you can specify how bright, how close, what type of MP and many other characteristics of the objects that you're looking for and put them into a smaller, more manageable list. Naturally this list will be time dependent as the MPs will change their positions. If you also have the SkyTools 4 Visual program, you can compute the ephemeris of the PHAs using the elements that can be downloaded from the Minor Planet Center (MPC) using the Data menu in SkyTools itself.

Can't offer more for now, let me know if ithis helps. 

Phil S.

[theskyhound]

It sounds like you may need to download the PHA Asteroids too. Select Minor Planets from the top-level Data Menu. Then click Download/Import Data. Click on MPC PHA to download all of the PHA asteroid elements. Then you can use the Database Power Search as above to limit their number for a usable list.

[PMSchu]

Hi Greg,

If I understood Arushi correctly, he already did the download of the PHAs from the MPC. There are several thousand NEOs on the PHA list, so it's pretty unwieldy to work with every night. I'd recommend downloading the MPC's list of "NEO's at Today's Epoch" data file and use the osculating elements from that data file. The DBPS search will then find any of the PHAs, since all PHAs are also NEOs. I don't know how often the elements are updated in the PHA data file.

Depending on Arushi's magnitude limit, he can select the parameters for the DBPS. For starters, I recommend a search for all NEOs within 0.05 AU, 2 days in the future. Depending on the phase of the moon, the DBPS should return 15-50 NEOs within 0.05 AU. He can display each NEO in the Interactive Atlas (IA) to determine its location in the sky & its apparent motion. An ephemeris calculation would be even better. 

He can also check the CNEOS website at:  NEO Earth Close Approaches (nasa.gov) 

and the MPC website at:  IAU Minor Planet Center

Another website with good information about NEOs is:  NEO Approaches | astro.vanbuitenen.nl

Hope this helps,

Phil S.

[theskyhound]

Right. Not sure how I missed that.

[PMSchu]

You have a lot on your plate, Greg  .

Phil S.

[PMSchu]

Hi Arushi,

Have your questions been answered about Targeting the PHAs listed by the Minor Planet Center? I'd be interested in learning more about your observations of the PHAs, if you don't mind sharing that information.

I hope that the information provided above was useful to you.

Phil S.