The Minor Planet Bulletin BULLETIN OF THE MINOR PLANETS SECTION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF LUNAR AND PLANETARY OBSERVERS
Click on image to zoom
The Minor Planet Bulletin is the journal for almost all amateurs and even some professionals for publishing
asteroid photometry results, including lightcurves, H-G parameters, color indexes, and shape/spin axis models.
It is considered to be a refereed journal by the SAO/NASA ADS.
All MPB papers are indexed in the ADS.
Print subscriptions are no longer available to individuals. Institutions (e.g., college libraries) can still
obtain print copies via a special subscription. See details in MPB 37-4 or contact the editor, Richard Binzel.
Annual voluntary contributions of $5.00 or more in support of the publication are welcome.
Please send a check, drawn on a U.S. bank and payable in U.S. funds, to "Minor Planet Bulletin" and send it to:
Minor Planet Bulletin
c/o Melissa Hayes-Gehrke
UMD Astronomy Department
1113 PSC Bldg 415
College Park, MD 20742
Authors Guide and Word Templates
(v.3.0: updated 2024 February 2)
The ZIP file contains the Authors Guide PDF as well as a "starter" paper in Word 2007+ (DOTX).
Those using Word 97 (DOC/DOT) are encouraged to download
OpenOffice and convert their files to
the most recent Word format (DOCX). Please read this updated guide since there are a number of changes from previous guides.
A new, optional, table is available for those wanting to include physical and
discovery information
in a more accessible way.
See the announcement in Minor Planet Bulletin51-2.
The Pts column is no longer required and has been removed from the template for the standard
table
to allow more room for the other columns.
The phase column should have only two values: for the first and last date in the range.
If the phase reaches an extrema between those dates, put an asterisk before the first value.
For example,
*7.2,13.7.
Use semicolons to separate names in the references section. For example:
Smith, J.J.; Jones, A.A. (2019).
This also applies if using several references to the same author in the text. For example:
"This asteroid was observed at three previous apparitions (Jones, 2015; 2017; 2018)..."
Issues for the upcoming quarter-year are released on about the 21st of March, June, September, and December.
Full issues and individual papers from vol 1 (1973) to present are available via links on this page.
Important: If the ADS bibcode and "Download PDF" links are missing for the latest issue, it is because the ADS has
not processed the files. The links will be made available after the ADS processes the files.
If the "Download PDF" link is visible and there is no PDF available, clicking the link will download an arbitrary
page. We are working with ADS to make sure all papers are available and, if not, being able to diasable the link.
The "Download Full Issue" link does retrieve the correct file.
Vol 1-7 run Jul-Jun. Vol 8-present run Jan-Dec. Only papers indexed in the ADS are included.
Earlier volumes often contain more papers than listed here. It's recommended to download the
full issue in vol 1-9.
For many decades hardly any amateur astronomers observed minor planets due to alleged difficulties of distinguishing them from field stars. The availability of the Vehrenberg photographic star atlases eliminated this problem to magnitude 13 or 14, and In the late 1960's enabled several amateur astronomers independently to Initiate asteroid observing programs. Of these I especially praise two.
Photoelectric Studies of Asteroids: The Amateur Contribution
High school students at Globe High School in Globe, Arizona are currently involved in a program of photoelectric photometry of asteroids which has yielded a considerable volume of important information as to the rotational rates and surface properties of 25 bright asteroids.
Careful readers will have noticed that the masthead on the first page of this issue lists it as ·part I" of Volume 12, Number 4. Part 2 will be a comprehensive index of the 11inor Planet Bulletin for Volumes 1-12 covering the years of 1973-1985. This extremely useful resource Is being compiled by Clifford Cunningham. This index will be completed in the near future and will be mailed with issue 13-1 In late 1985. Iknow that all readers will join me In thanking Hr. Cunningham for undertaking this monumental task.
Photoelectric photometry for asteroid 4 Vesta was made from North Valley Stream Observatory during the nights of April 28 and 30, 1985. Vesta's rotational period has been previously reported as either 5 hours zo minutes or 10 hours 40 minutes. The data presented here favor the longer period, but not conclusively. The amplitudes observed on April 28 and 30 were 0.11 ± 0.01 and 0.14 ± 0.02 magnitudes, respectively.
The table below lists asteroids which come to opposition during the months of November, 1985- January, 1986 that represent useful targets for photoelectric photometry observations. Observations are needed because the asteroid has either an unknown or ambiguous rotational period or because the asteroid will be observable at a very low phase angle.
Based on recent correspondence. now appears to be a good time to repeat the reasons for this quarterly list. Asteroids that pass through very low phase angles undergo a strong surge in brightness known as the opposition effect. The reason or reasons for the opposition effect are still being debated.
