6047 is a dim 19.4 magnitude Apollo. Used 4-minute exposures but there’s nothing in 9 frames. And then cloud shut me down for a bit. But it’s cleared by 18:49 enough to be workable on the next target.
492143 is a 2 km sized Apollo now 0.4 AU distant and 18.3 magnitude. Uncertainty level is 1 and apparent motion is 1.6’/hr. Imaged from 19:08 – 19:25 at 3 minute exposure, 2X2 binning, -15°C cooling, 1 Hz guiding. Frames 1, 3 & 5 show dRA = -0.2’ and dDEC = +0.1’. S/N is 9 on the first 2 frames and only 4.8 on the last frame. And FWHM drops from 4.8 in the first frame to 2.8” in the last.
It’s down to 26°F and after the first 492143 image is collected I duck inside to run the astrometry from the warmth of the house.
23110 is a 10 km sized main belt asteroid in the 492142 FOV. It’s 2.2 AU distant, moving at a glacial 0.6’/hr. Using the 3min, 2X2, -15C, 1Hz frames as they collected on the primary target, frames 1-3, 4-6 & 7-9 show dRA = +0/1’ and dDEC = 0. With stacking, S/N improves to 7/1 and FHWM to 3.5”. (Run from the house)
338347 is a 1.5 km sized Amor now 18.2 mag and 0.5 AU out. Uncertainty level is 1 and motion is 1.8’/hr. Imaged from 19:46 – 19:59 at 3 min, 2X2, -15C, 1 Hz. Frames 1, 2 & 3 show dRA = -0.5’ and dDEC = +0.1’ S/N is 10 and FWHM is 4.
Comet P/Wiseman-Skiff attempted at 20:08 but is wiped out by moon on optics.
88959 is a 2 km sized Apollo now 18.8 mag and 0.7 AU distant. Uncertainty level is 2 and motion is 2.1’/hr. Imaged from 20:19 – 20:46 at 2 ½ min, 2X2, -15C, 2 Hz. Stacking, frames 1-3, 4-5 & 6-8 show dRA = +0.2’ and dDEC = -0.1’ S/N is crappy (over the roof of the warm house). Approximately 6/1. And FWHM gets dicey ranging from 4.0” to a really insufficient 2.0”
IC 342 (aka Caldwell 5) (aka The Hidden Galaxy) is 9.1 magnitude and somewhere between 7 to 11 million LY distant. Imaging initiated at 21:07. Changed to 1X1 full resolution binning. Cooled to -15°C and guided on a 9th magnitude star at an easy 3 Hz. Seeing is really good. Transparency is really good. First 3 frames run with a 5 minute exposure, and since it appeared that longer would work subsequent exposures at 8 minutes.
(Would have liked to have run longer 15 minute exposures at -30°C but didn't have the darks available.)
In at 23:45 hrs. It’s down to 21° now. 12 observations forwarded to the MPC. Most of the second half of the evening was spent working from inside the house. Not yet acclimated to the deep cold of night.
hgp