(last updated 2014 07 11)
observer notes / finder charts
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Across the globe pictured above, the three solid lines correspond to the northern limit, centerline, and southern limit of Pluto's shadow. The northern and southern limits correspond to a radius of 1400 km. The upper and lower dashed lines indicate 3-sigma errors. The shaded area represents where the sun is more than 0 degrees below the horizon.
Table 1: Prediction Details |
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Bright Star Occultation (Blue tracks) |
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Pluto Geocentric Mid-time (yyyy month dd hh:mm:ss) | 2014 July 27 07:17:36± 00:00:421 UT |
Pluto Minimum Geocentric Separation | 0.307± 0.0421 arcsec |
Position Angle (Pluto relative to the star; measured north through east) | 169.42 degrees |
Geocentric Velocity | 21.82 km/sec |
Occultation Star UCAC2 magnitude | 15.982 |
Measured Magnitude (USNO frames) | 15.86 |
Faint Star Occultation (Black tracks) |
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Pluto Geocentric Mid-time (yyyy month dd hh:mm:ss) | 2014 July 27 07:22:14± 00:00:421 UT |
Pluto Minimum Geocentric Separation | 0.198± 0.0421 arcsec |
Position Angle (Pluto relative to the star; measured north through east) | 169.42 degrees |
Geocentric Velocity | 21.82 km/sec |
Delta magnitude from brighter star | ~0.5 magnitudes fainter |
1One standard deviation of random error.
2The UCAC bandpass (579-642nm) is between V and R.
Table 2: Reference Star Position |
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Reference star position: (USNOB, at epoch of event) |
RA (h:m:s; J2000) | Dec (d:m:s; J2000) | Notes |
P20140727 Catalog | 18 49 10.1816± 0.2205 | –20 23 18.633± 0.213 | |
P20140727 Measured3 | 18 49 10.1810± 0.0132 | –20 23 18.508± 0.014 | USNO 61-inch Telescope frames. See note 4. |
P20140727 fainter Measured3 | 18 49 10.1640± 0.0132 | –20 23 18.664± 0.014 | USNO 61-inch Telescope frames. See note 4. |
Table 3: Projected KBO Offsets from Reference Ephemeris at the Time of the Event |
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Body | RA (arcsec) | Dec (arcsec) | |
Pluto |
+0.0202± 0.0381 |
+0.030± 0.039 | See Notes 5 and 6 |
3Measured position corresponds to RA offset of –0.0083'' and Dec. offset of +0.125" for the brighter sta. For the fainter star, the offsets are an RA offset of –0.2473'' and Dec. offset of +0.0306" 4All "offsets" are defined in the ("corrected" – "reference") or ("observed" – "calculated") sense. The offsets should be added to reference positions to get the measured positions, which we use to calculate the prediction. 4Data analyzed using UCAC2 reference network. A weighted average of the data from the two telescopes was used to calculate the RA and DEC. The errors given are 1 standard deviation. 5The reference positions for Pluto and Charon are those given by JPL Horizon's ephemeris (Pluto source file: PLU043; Earth center source file: DE431). Our residual model is based on the assumption that the same offsets in RA and Dec apply to both Pluto and Charon. 6Data from the USNO 61-inch, Lowell 42-inch telescope, SARA-South 24-inch telescope, and Lowell Astrograph telescopes over the span of 5 years were reduced with respect to stars in the UCAC2 catalog. A model was developed to fit the residuals obtained from our measured positions compared to that of the object's JPL ephemeris. All residuals obtained from the different telescopes were consistent with the model. The model includes the first-order effects of errors in the orbital elements of Pluto: (i) constant offsets in RA and Dec, (ii) linear (in time) offsets in RA and Dec, (iii) sinusoidal terms with the Earth's orbital period, and (iv) sinusoidal terms with the Pluto-Charon mutual orbit. The model was propagated to obtain the predicted position and error of the Pluto at the time of the occultation. The errors listed for the Pluto are the RMS of the models fitted. |
Table 4: Site Information
Site |
East Longitude |
Latitude |
Site Altitude6 (km) |
Pluto Distance7 (km) |
Pluto Distance7 (km) |
Velocity (km/s) |
Cerro Calan |
–70 32 48 |
–33 23 48 |
0.860 |
3908 N. |
1337 N. |
21.96 |
Kwajalein |
167 29 11 |
09 10 55 |
0.0 |
10092 N. |
7586 N. |
22.09 |
LCGTO - CTIO |
–70 48 54 |
–30 09 54 |
2.215 |
4201 N. |
1629 N. |
21.82 |
LCGTO - Haleakala |
–156 15 24 |
20 42 24 |
3.054 |
11457 N. |
8921 N. |
22.23 |
Las Campanas |
–70 42 00 |
–29 00 30 |
2.282 |
4301 N. |
1728 N. |
21.97 |
LCGTO - McDonald Obs |
–104 01 21 |
30 40 17 |
2.076 |
11271 N. |
8707 N. |
22.14 |
Mt. John |
170 27 50 |
–43 59 22 |
1.041 |
4581 N. |
2067 N. |
22.03 |
Geocenter |
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center of Earth |
7078 N. |
4548 N. |
21.82 |
6Altitude of each observatory is measured in kilometers above sea level.
7"Distance" refers to the closest approach distance of the "Site" to the center of Pluto's shadow in the shadow plane. The errors on all closest approach distances are ±961 km (one standard deviation). "S." means the site is south of the center of Pluto's shadow. "N." means the site is north of the center of Pluto's shadow.
Table 5: P20140727 Occultation Predictions for Individual Sites
Site |
Pluto Immersion (UT)9 |
Pluto Mid-Time (UT) |
Pluto |
Pluto Immersion (UT)9 |
Pluto Mid-Time (UT) |
Pluto |
Pluto Altitude |
Solar Altitude9 |
Cerro Calan |
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07:14:29 |
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07:18:45 |
07:19:04 |
07:19:22 |
35 |
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Kwajalein |
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07:21:22 |
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07:25:57 |
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25 |
–3 |
LCGTO - CTIO |
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07:14:19 |
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07:18:54 |
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35 |
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LCGTO - Haleakala |
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07:18:53 |
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07:23:26 |
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42 |
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Las Campanas |
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07:14:16 |
----------- |
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07:18:50 |
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35 |
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LCGTO - McDonald Obs |
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07:15:06 |
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07:19:40 |
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32 |
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Mt. John |
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07:20:56 |
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07:25:32 |
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38 |
–20 |
Geocenter |
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07:17:36 |
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07:22:14 |
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9The errors on all times are ±0:42 (42 seconds; one standard deviation). The solar altitude is given for locations where it is relevant (solar altitude greater than -18°). No entry in the immersion and emersion columns indicates that the occultation is not predicted to be visible at that site.
Last updated by Carlos Zuluaga (czuluaga@mit.edu) 2014-07-11 07:18
Please direct all inquiries to PAL (planetary-astronomy@mit.edu)