Halloween near-Earth asteroid 2003 YT1 has Polaris encounter on 2 November – Astronomy Now

Near-Earth asteroid 164121 (2003 YT1) was 0.0355 astronomical units (5.3 million kilometres; 3.3 million miles) from Earth and travelling at almost 31 kilometres/second when captured in this 460-second exposure starting at 21:40 UT on 31 October. The eleventh-magnitude asteroid's trail is 7¼ arcminutes (0.12 degrees) long. At 2:30am GMT on 2 November, 2003 YT1 passes less than one-tenth of a degree from Polaris, the pole star. Image credit: Ade Ashford/Scarning Observatory. — Close to-Earth asteroid 164121 (2003 YT1) was 0.0355 astronomical items (5.3 million kilometres; 3.3 million miles) from Earth and travelling at nearly 31 kilometres/second when captured on this 460-second publicity beginning at 21:40 UT on 31 October. The eleventh-magnitude asteroid’s path is 7¼ arcminutes (0.12 levels) lengthy. The brilliant star is sixth-magnitude HD36496 within the constellation of Camelopardalis. At 2:30am GMT on 2 November, 2003 YT1 passes lower than one-tenth of a level from Polaris, the pole star. Picture particulars: Ade Ashford used a Starlight Xpress Ultrastar C digital camera coupled to a Hyperstar-enabled Celestron C11.

It could appear that All Hallows’ Eve is an efficient time to identify near-Earth objects (NEOs). In 2015 we had the shut passage of an appropriately skull-shaped useless comet, designated 2015 TB₁₄₅, that missed our planet by simply 1.3 lunar distances, or about 302,000 miles (486,000 kilometres). This 12 months, it’s the flip of asteroid 164121 (2003 YT₁) to go Earth by a considerably safer margin — 3.2 million miles (5.2 million kilometres) at 9:24am GMT on 31 October 2016.

NEO 164121 (2003 YT₁) is a 1.7-kilometre-(1.1-mile)-wide Apollo asteroid found by the Catalina Sky Survey on 18 December 2003. It completes an orbit each 427 days in a considerably eccentric ellipse that carries it to inside 73 million miles (118 million kilometres) of the Solar. The asteroid additionally has an orbit with a comparatively excessive inclination of 44 levels, which has attention-grabbing penalties for the thing’s visibility over the following few days.

This chart shows the track of near-Earth asteroid 164121 (2003 YT1) from 30 October to its close brush with Polaris at 2:30am GMT on 2 November 2016. It covers the period during which the eleventh-magnitude object is closest to Earth (9:24am GMT on 31 October) and moving at almost 23 degrees/day through northern Auriga. Thereafter, 2003 YT1 traverses the constellation of Camelopardalis (the Giraffe), briefly dips into Cepheus (the King) on 1 November, then has its aforementioned close encounter with Polaris. The chart is 60 degrees wide, or about three spans of an outstretched hand at arm’s length. Stars are shown down to the sixth magnitude naked-eye limit. Click the graphic for a greyscale version suitable for printing. AN graphic by Ade Ashford. — This chart reveals the observe of near-Earth asteroid 164121 (2003 YT₁) from 30 October to its shut brush with Polaris at 2:30am GMT on 2 November 2016. It covers the interval throughout which the eleventh-magnitude object is closest to Earth (9:24am GMT on 31 October) and shifting at nearly 23 levels/day by northern Auriga. Thereafter, 2003 YT₁ traverses the constellation of Camelopardalis (the Giraffe), briefly dips into Cepheus (the King) on 1 November, then has its aforementioned shut encounter with Polaris, passing lower than one-tenth of a level from the pole star. The chart is 60 levels extensive, or about three spans of an outstretched hand at arm’s size. Stars are proven right down to the sixth magnitude. See under for an in depth finder chart and UK-centred ephemeris. Click on the graphic for a greyscale model appropriate for printing. AN graphic by Ade Ashford.

Because the final day of October 2016 dawns, 2003 YT₁ is already a circumpolar object for observers within the British Isles the place it should stay above the horizon 24/7 till the third week of November. The asteroid’s movement is northerly, nearly solely in declination at the moment.

Photographing 2003 YT₁ close to Polaris: no costly monitoring mounts required!
As seen from the guts of the British Isles, 2003 YT₁ passes simply 4.6 arcminutes — lower than one-tenth of a level — from Polaris at 02:30 UT (2:30am GMT) on 2 November. Since this near-Earth asteroid passes so near the pole star, an attention-grabbing astrophotographic alternative presents itself: nearly anybody with a tripod-mounted DSLR digital camera who can get to a darkish sky web site can have a go at capturing 2003 YT₁.

Near-Earth asteroid 164121 (2003 YT1) is poised to pass just 4.6 arcminutes — less than one-tenth of a degree — from Polaris at 02:30 UT (2:30am GMT) on 2 November. This detailed finder chart shows an area of sky centred on Polaris that is 2 by 2&frac23; degrees in extent, corresponding to the field of view of a typical telescope at 20x magnification. The track of the magnitude +11.9 asteroid is shown for the centre of the British Isles at the stated Universal Times (UT ~ GMT). Stars down to the fourteenth-magnitude are shown, roughly the limit of a 12-inch aperture telescope. Click the graphic for a greyscale version suitable for printing. AN illustration by Ade Ashford. — Close to-Earth asteroid 164121 (2003 YT₁) is poised to go simply 4.6 arcminutes — lower than one-tenth of a level — from Polaris at 02:30 UT (2:30am GMT) on 2 November. This detailed finder chart reveals an space of sky centred on Polaris that’s 2 by 2&frac23; levels in extent, akin to the sphere of view of a typical telescope at 20x magnification. The observe of the magnitude +11.9 asteroid is proven for the centre of the British Isles on the acknowledged Common Occasions (UT ~ GMT). Stars right down to the fourteenth-magnitude are proven, roughly the restrict of a 12-inch aperture telescope. Click on the graphic for a greyscale model appropriate for printing. AN illustration by Ade Ashford.

Any object passing this near the north celestial pole shall be nearly stationary within the sky in the course of an publicity that shall be lengthy sufficient to report it. An 85mm lens, for instance, used with a typical APS-C sensor DSLR will ship a discipline of view nearly 15 x 10 levels in extent. (Our on-line DSLR Calc internet app will allow you to work out the sphere of view of different lens/digital camera mixtures.) Recall that the asteroid passes lower than one-tenth of a level from Polaris at closest method, so using an extended focal size lens implies that the NEO’s faint path is much less more likely to be misplaced within the glare of the pole star.

Merely focus your chosen DSLR lens on infinity at full aperture (you need to use a distant landmark throughout the daytime for this, being cautious to not disturb the main focus of the lens till dusk), set the ISO ranking to 800 or 1600, level at Polaris and shoot some 30 second, 1 or 2-minute exposures with a cable launch. If in case you have the suitable software program in your pc, stacking a number of of those rigorously registered photos (every of the identical publicity time) will enhance signal-to-noise ratio and 2003 YT₁ shall be recognized because the dot that strikes between photos.

Viewing 2003 YT₁ close to Polaris
In case you are lucky to have clear skies round 02:00 UT (2am GMT) on 2 November, notice that it is a uncommon alternative for customers of undriven telescopes equivalent to Dobsonians to watch an object at size with out the necessity for monitoring. In reality, homeowners of telescopes on alt-azimuth mounts are at a definite benefit right here since equatorial mounts are harder to make use of so near the celestial pole.

If in case you have a telescope with an aperture of 6-inches (150-millimetres) or bigger, get Polaris inside the discipline of view of your medium- to high-power eyepiece near the appointed time and search for the twelfth-magnitude speck of sunshine that’s 2003 YT₁ shifting in opposition to the background stars of Ursa Minor at a fee of 12 levels per day, or half a lunar diameter per hour.

Ephemeris of 2003 YT₁ for the UK

This hourly topocentric ephemeris of 2003 YT1 is computed for the asteroid’s period of visibility from the centre of the British Isles. Observers in the UK with computerised GoTo mounts or digital settings circles can therefore enter the J2000.0 epoch coordinates directly with negligible parallax error for the whole of the UK. Computing credit: JPL’s HORIZONS system. — This hourly topocentric ephemeris of 2003 YT₁ is computed for the asteroid’s interval of visibility from the centre of the British Isles. Observers with computerised GoTo mounts or digital settings circles can enter these J2000.0 epoch coordinates instantly with negligible parallax error for the entire of the UK. Computing credit score: JPL’s HORIZONS system.

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