The Minor Planet Bulletin BULLETIN OF THE MINOR PLANETS SECTION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF LUNAR AND PLANETARY OBSERVERS
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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.
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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.
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Smith, J.J.; Jones, A.A. (2019).
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"This asteroid was observed at three previous apparitions (Jones, 2015; 2017; 2018)..."
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The minor planet 1059 Mussorgskia has been observed for six nights during its opposition of 2002. Through differential photometric observations, the rotational period was determined to be 5.519 ± 0.002 hours with an amplitude of 0.25± 0.05 magnitude.
Two asteroids were observed during October and November of 2001 at the Oakley Observatory (MPC code 915). 2962 Otto was determine to have a period of 2.68 ± 0.01 hours and amplitude of 0.30 ± 0.03 magnitude. The period of 3165 Mikawa was found to be 5.07 ± 0.02 hours and the amplitude was 0.2 ± 0.1 magnitude.
Rotation Periods and Lightcurves of 1858 Lobachevskij, 2384 Schulhof and (5515)
CCD images of asteroid 1858 Lobachevskij recorded in May 2002 revealed a period of 7.00 ± 0.01 h with a lightcurve amplitude of 0.6 mag. Images of asteroids 2384 Schulhof and (5515) 1989 EL1 in March-April 2002 revealed periods of 3.294 0177 0.006 h and 5.230 ± 0.008 h, respectively. The lightcurve amplitudes were 0.55 mag and 0.7 mag.
Rotation Period and Solar Phase Coefficients of (202) Chryseïs
CCD photometry of (202) Chryseis during its 2000 apparition revelas a lightcurve with low amplitude of 0.08 mag. Careful attention to photometric calibrations was needed to derive a rotation period of 15.74 ± 0.03 hours. The corresponding best-fit values of the Lumme-Bowell solar phase coefficients of the 9- to 19-degree phase angles observer are H = 7.57 ± 0.04 and G = 0.29 ± 0.02. Additional observations are desirable because the available data don't completely rule out an alternate possible period of 16.82 hours.
CCD images of asteroid 3779 Kieffer were recorded at the Oakley Observatory and Sonoran Skies Observatory in May 2002. The combined data reveal a lightcurve period of 2.848 ± 0.002 h with an amplitude of 0.24 mag.
Photometry of 769 Tatjana, 818 Kapteyna, 1922 Zulu, and 3687 Dzus
Results for the following asteroids (lightcurve period and amplitude) observed from Santana Observatory during the period April - June 2002 are reported: 769 Tatjana (35.08 ± 0.01 hours and 0.46 ± 0.03 mag), 818 Kapteyna (16.35 ± 0.01 hours and 0.19 ± 0.03 mag), 1922 Zulu (18.65 ± 0.01 hours and 0.19 ± 0.03 mag), and 3687 Dzus (7.44 ± 0.01 hours and 0.25 ± 0.04 mag).
Asteroid Photometry at the Palmer Divide Observatory: Results for 1333 Cevenola and 2460 Mitlincoln
Lightcurves for two asteroids were measured at the Palmer Divide Observatory in February 2002. For 1333 Cevenola a period of 4.88 ± 0.02h and amplitude of 0.97 ± 0.03 mag was found. A preliminary finding was also made for 2460 Mitlincoln, that being a period of 2.77 ± 0.005h and amplitude of 0.04 ± 0.02 mag. The large scatter of teh data makes this finding a tentative one at best.
Results of a collaborative asteroid lightcurve project between Thornton Observatory and Oonoran Skies Observatory are reported. Using observations from late 2000 and early 2002, asteroid 1248 Jugurtha was determined to have a synodic period of 12.1897 hours ± 0.0001 hours, with an amplitude ranging from 0.70 to 1.40 mag.
Lightcurves and Period Determinations for 399 Persephone and 976 Benjamina
Minor planet 399 Persephone was observed over 40 days (58 rotations) during March and April, 2002. Lightcurves obtained on 6 nights with an unfiltered CCD yield a rotation (synodic) period of 9.136 ± 0.001 hrs. The lightcurve shows a total amplitude range of 0.40 ± 0.03 mag. Also in 2002 March-April, 976 Benjamina was observed for 5 nights over 38 days (59 rotations) yielding a synodic rotation of 9.746 ± 0.003 hours. The lightcurve shows a total amplitude range of 0.19 ± 0.04 mag.
Rotation Periods and Light Curves of Minor Planets (412) Elisabetha (547) Praxedis, and (7564) 1988 CA
Unfiltered differential photometry for minor planets (412) Elisabetha, (547) Praxedis, and (7564) 1988 CA is presented. Data obtained by the several authors provide unambiguous light curves and synodic perios for two of the three asteroids. A proposed synodic period is presented for (547) Praxedis.
I didn't know the Mojave Desert could be so desolate. I was making my way across the bottom of the western U.S. towards California where I would have the pleasure of attending the IAPPP Western Wing 2002 Symposium at the end of May. I'd been in the area before but only at night. I know now that I hadn't missed anything in the darkness. I can see why Grofe wrote such eerie music in one of his suites to describe the landscape.
When preparing this article, we notices that there are few remaining asteroids brighter than V = 13 with unknown or uncertain periods. Beyond V = 13, suitable targets are still plentiful.
