Animation of Asteroids in Inner Space Solar System – courtesy of Minor Planet Center
I finally finished putting together the color image of Tippy D’Auria’s asteroid sneaking between Regulus and dwarf galaxy Leo I (UGC 5470). The color version shows the 17th magnitude planet starting at about 9PM EST on Feb. 20 imaged remotely at Chiefland from Boca using my RCOS scope and Apogee camera. Those colors are 40-minute subframes taken with red, green, blue and again red filters (RGBR). 11378 Dauria was heading towards the edge of Leo I but it clouded up later. The planet was flanked by two other main belt asteroids as you will see on the inverted version (shown above). The chart above shows the IAU Minor Planet Center search page that describes all about 11378 Dauria. Click on the first link below and type in “11378” before “show” and scroll down and hold on to your hat! Notice that 11378 was, in hindsight most likely, imaged in 1987 by the Crimean Nauchnij Observatory – Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (USSR – Ukraine) at magnitude 15.5! And there are hundreds of CCD observations of 11378 there the last one being Feb 4, 2011 by the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona at magnitude 17.6. There is a long list of observatories that have spied in on Tippy’s planet but just try to find one available image! You can get updated info on 11378 from link #2 below; just change the dates. I think I was fortunate to have gotten the interesting Regulus-Leo I photo op when Tip’s asteroid was well placed and “bright”!
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search – Just type 11378 in the box before show!
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?s_body=1#top – go to the change buttons and put in your asteroid and specify dates and steps – Great Ephemeris Retriever!
http://minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/InnerPlot2.html – Try the animation of the asteroids!
http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/css/ – Catalina Sky Survey