Chilében sikeresen megfigyelték a Charon okkultációját a 8 méteres VLT-vel,
az 1,2 méteres Svájci távcsovel és egy mobil állomásról az Atacama
sivatagból. Sajnos az amatorök Brazíliában és Uruguayban felho alatt voltak.
Részletek az alábbiakban.

----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Cc: ; ;
Sent: Monday, July 11, 2005 10:28 PM
Subject: [PLANOCCULT] GOOD NEWS from the important occn. by CHARON


>
> Communicated by J.Lecacheux.
>
> Bruno Sicardy (from Meudon Observatory) privately reports
> to us successful observations from south America of the
> occultation of 2UCAC 26257135 (V= 15.3, R= 14.6, K= 12.2)
> by CHARON, the big satellite of PLUTO, on the last night.
>
> Data were recorded at Cerro Paranal with the 8-m VLT4
> (+ adaptative optics), at Cerro La Silla with the 1.2-m
> Swiss telescope, at El Leoncito Observatory in Argentina.
>
> F.Colas also succeeded from an "amateur style" mobile
> station set in the Atacama desert, 70 km NE from the VLT.
> He used a portable 12" azimuthal telescope, an "Audine" CCD
> camera with no filter, automatic image datation by "1PPS"
> GPS. Due to Pluto unresolved, the combined magnitude of the
> target was V ~ 14.0 or R ~ 13.3, and the occultation drop
> was 0.35 mag. only.
>
> Were clouded out, frustrating enthusiastic observers, the
> Pico dos Dias Observatory in Brazil (in the path), and
> another observatory near Montevideo, Uruguay (this one
> maybe out of the path).
>
>
> With infrared cameras instead of CCDs, there was technical
> possibility to get an 1.4 mag. drop, in the K-band at 2.2
> microns. With adaptative optics besides, as that one running
> at the VLT4 telescope, CHARON and PLUTO resulted well
> separated, and so the observed drop in the K-band reached
> 2.7 mag.
>
> More successful observations should be known soon,
> especially, I guess, from major american observatories
> in Chile, as the 8-m South Gemini.
>
>                           *****
>
> Note:
> Unfortunately I have not found with WinOccult any occultation
> by Pluto or by Charon visible from Europe during the few next
> years... So expeditions will remain indispensable.
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