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(IAAC) FWD: Naked-eye occultation tomorrow evening
Camcorder Occultation Saturday Evening, December 6
Basic local-time predictions are given below for about 200 North
American cities for tomorrow evening's possibly naked-eye occultation of
the 3.7-magnitude red star lambda Aquarii, visible from most locations
in North America east of the Rocky Mountains (and with telescopes
shortly BEFORE sunset west of them). Please copy this message to others
you know who might be interested in watching this spectacular event.
More detailed predictions (giving other conditions, altitude and azimuth,
PA, a and b factors, etc., and an explanation of these quantities) are
given on IOTA's Web site at http://www.sky.net/~robinson/iotandx.htm, but
the basic information below is all that is really needed by nearly everyone.
Also to be posted on our Web site this evening will be U.T. predictions for
IOTA stations across North America; those will be sent by e-mail upon
request. A Moonview showing the path of the star behind the Moon is
also given there for many North American cities. A spectacular grazing
occultation, with multiple disappearances of the star, will be visible
within about 2 miles of the southern limit of the occultation, which
crosses Florida approximately from Bradenton to Titusville. There will
be IOTA expeditions to observe it near both those cities, and also south
of Orlando. Some details of those efforts are on our Web site, and will
be distributed this evening; anyone is invited to join them to help
record the southern lunar pole profile in as much detail as possible
(the detail obtained is proportional to the number of observers who can
record it, as is the case also for the profile of the Moon determined
from the main occultation disappearance across North America).
The star will disappear behind the dark edge of the first quarter
Moon, which will be high above the southwestern horizon. If conditions
are good, the event might even be seen without optical aid. But
binoculars are recommended for a good view. Recording WWV shortwave
time signals at 5 or 10 megahertz and the occultation with a camcorder
can time the event to 0.03 second, which defines the star's position
relative to the Moon's limb to about 30 meters accuracy, better than the
Clementine spacecraft lunar laser altimeter measurements. These
observations are valuable for defining the lunar profile, information
needed to properly analyze solar eclipse observations to determine
climatically significant solar radius variations. Wherever you are, it
would be valuable if you can take a few moments to step outside and tape
the occultation with a camcorder. We will use CNN Headline News rather
than The Weather Channel for the TV time reference station. If you have
neither WWV nor cable, call the U.S. Naval Observatory master clock at
900-410-8463; the call should be placed via AT&T to ensure use of land
lines, which will give an accuracy of a few hundredths of a second, more
than sufficient for visual timings. If the call is not made via AT&T,
or if the National Bureau of Standards' WWV 303-area-code number are
used, the call might (or might not, you would not know) be routed
through a geosynchronous satellite, causing a quarter-second delay,
which is unacceptable, even for visual timings.
Occultation Predictions of lambda Aquarii on 1997 December 6 evening
Moon: % illumination 47+, solar elongation 86
Disappearance
Local Time Sun
Location h m s Alt
Abilene TX 5 37 38 pm CST -2
Akron OH 7 18 48 pm EST
Albany NY 7 32 09 pm EST
Allentown PA 7 30 45 pm EST
Altoona PA 7 25 06 pm EST
Amarillo TX 5 35 13 pm CST -1
AnnArbor MI 7 14 19 pm EST
Asheville NC 7 19 32 pm EST
Ashland KY 7 17 28 pm EST
Atlanta GA 7 16 18 pm EST
AtlanticCity NJ 7 34 10 pm EST
Augusta GA 7 23 32 pm EST
Augusta ME 7 37 12 pm EST
Austin TX 5 41 29 pm CST -3
Baltimore MD 7 29 45 pm EST
Bangor ME 7 38 17 pm EST
Baton Rouge LA 5 59 28 pm CST -12
Battle Creek MI 7 11 39 pm EST
Bay City MI 7 14 02 pm EST
Beaumont TX 5 51 15 pm CST -8
Belleville ON 7 25 02 pm EST
Bethlehem PA 7 30 55 pm EST
Billings MT 4 38 18 pm MST -2
Biloxi MS 6 06 31 pm CST
Binghamton NY 7 28 44 pm EST
Birmingham AL 6 10 03 pm CST
Bismarck ND 5 49 52 pm CST -9
Bloomington IL 6 04 14 pm CST
Boston MA 7 37 06 pm EST
BowlingGreen KY 6 09 33 pm CST
Brandon MB 5 54 32 pm CST -11
Brantford ON 7 20 27 pm EST
Brattleboro VT 7 34 01 pm EST
Bridgeport CT 7 34 32 pm EST
Brockton MA 7 37 29 pm EST
Brownsville TX 5 42 26 pm CST -2
Buffalo NY 7 23 01 pm EST
Burlington ON 7 21 12 pm EST
Burlington VT 7 31 40 pm EST
Calgary AB 4 41 09 pm MST -2
Cambridge MA 7 37 00 pm EST
Camden NJ 7 32 09 pm EST
Canton OH 7 19 10 pm EST
Cedar Rapids IA 5 59 49 pm CST
CentralIslip NY 7 35 00 pm EST
Champaign IL 6 05 38 pm CST
Charleston SC 7 30 58 pm EST
Charleston WV 7 19 43 pm EST
Charlotte NC 7 24 11 pm EST
CharlottetownPE 8 44 37 pm AST
Chattanooga TN 7 12 58 pm EST
Cheyenne WY 4 36 43 pm MST -2
Chicago IL 6 07 04 pm CST
Churchill MB 6 09 16 pm CST
Cincinnati OH 7 13 20 pm EST
Cleveland OH 7 18 19 pm EST
Columbia MO 5 57 10 pm CST
Columbia SC 7 25 24 pm EST
Columbus GA 7 16 04 pm EST
Columbus OH 7 16 12 pm EST
Concord NH 7 35 26 pm EST
Crps Christi TX 5 42 16 pm CST -2
Dallas TX 5 44 43 pm CST -5
Dartmouth NS 8 46 09 pm AST
Davenport IA 6 01 37 pm CST
Dayton OH 6 13 51 pm CST
DaytonaBeach FL 7 38 49 pm EST
Decatur IL 6 04 11 pm CST
Denver CO 4 34 38 pm MST -1
Des Moines IA 5 56 06 pm CST
Detroit MI 7 15 36 pm EST
Dodge City KS 5 41 09 pm CST -4
Dubuque IA 6 01 51 pm CST
Duluth MN 6 02 06 pm CST
Durham NC 7 28 10 pm EST
Eau Claire WI 6 01 46 pm CST
Edmonton AB 4 46 08 pm MST -4
Elizabeth NJ 7 33 08 pm EST
Enid OK 5 44 17 pm CST -6
Erie PA 7 21 09 pm EST
Evansville IN 6 06 58 pm CST
Fall River MA 7 37 45 pm EST
Fargo ND 5 55 29 pm CST
Flint MI 7 14 19 pm EST
Fort Wayne IN 7 11 47 pm EST
Fort Worth TX 5 43 26 pm CST -5
Fredericton NB 8 40 11 pm AST
FtSmith AR 5 51 16 pm CST -9
Gadsden AL 6 11 51 pm CST
Gainesville FL 7 30 50 pm EST
Galveston TX 5 49 30 pm CST -7
Gary IN 6 07 39 pm CST
Grand Rapids MI 7 10 49 pm EST
Great Falls MT 4 37 45 pm MST -1
Green Bay WI 6 07 12 pm CST
Greensboro NC 7 25 52 pm EST
Greenville SC 7 20 33 pm EST
Guelph ON 7 20 21 pm EST
Gulfport MS 6 05 51 pm CST
Halifax NS 8 46 09 pm AST
Hamilton OH 7 13 09 pm EST
Hamilton ON 7 21 06 pm EST
Harrisburg PA 7 28 18 pm EST
Hartford CT 7 34 52 pm EST
Holyoke MA 7 34 35 pm EST
Houston TX 5 47 46 pm CST -6
Hull PQ 7 27 07 pm EST
Huntington WV 7 17 55 pm EST
Huntsville AL 6 09 53 pm CST
Indianapolis IN 7 09 51 pm EST
Iowa City IA 5 59 54 pm CST
Jackson MI 7 13 05 pm EST
Jackson MS 6 01 29 pm CST
Jacksonville FL 7 31 17 pm EST
Jersey City NJ 7 33 21 pm EST
Johnstown PA 7 24 12 pm EST
Joplin MO 5 51 46 pm CST -10
Kalamazoo MI 7 10 56 pm EST
Kansas City KS 5 52 41 pm CST -11
Kansas City MO 5 52 46 pm CST -11
Kenosha WI 6 06 57 pm CST
Kingston ON 7 26 30 pm EST
Kitchener ON 7 19 58 pm EST
Knoxville TN 7 15 49 pm EST
La Salle PQ 7 30 20 pm EST
Lafayette IN 7 08 21 pm EST
Lancaster PA 7 29 36 pm EST
Lansing MI 7 12 48 pm EST
Laval PQ 7 30 07 pm EST
Lawrence MA 7 36 34 pm EST
Lethbridge AB 4 39 56 pm MST -2
Lexington KY 7 13 37 pm EST
Lima OH 7 13 52 pm EST
Lincoln NE 5 50 02 pm CST -9
Little Rock AR 5 56 04 pm CST -12
London ON 7 18 46 pm EST
Lorain OH 7 17 25 pm EST
Louisville KY 7 10 50 pm EST
Lowell MA 7 36 22 pm EST
Macon GA 7 19 36 pm EST
Madison WI 6 04 21 pm CST
Manchester NH 7 35 46 pm EST
Marshall TX 5 50 33 pm CST -8
Memphis TN 6 01 23 pm CST
Meriden CT 7 34 52 pm EST
Milwaukee WI 6 06 57 pm CST
Minneapolis MN 5 59 04 pm CST
Minot ND 5 50 56 pm CST -9
Mississauga ON 7 21 30 pm EST
Mobile AL 6 08 51 pm CST
Moline IL 6 01 44 pm CST
Moncton NB 8 42 36 pm AST
Montgomery AL 6 12 15 pm CST
Montpelier VT 7 32 52 pm EST
Montreal PQ 7 30 26 pm EST
Moose Jaw SK 5 48 50 pm CST -7
Muncie IN 7 11 23 pm EST
Nashville TN 6 08 57 pm CST
Natchez MS 5 58 26 pm CST -12
New Bedford MA 7 38 15 pm EST
New Britain CT 7 34 46 pm EST
New Haven CT 7 34 53 pm EST
New Orleans LA 6 03 11 pm CST
New York NY 7 33 28 pm EST
Newark NJ 7 33 08 pm EST
NiagaraFalls NY 7 22 36 pm EST
NiagaraFalls ON 7 22 35 pm EST
Norfolk VA 7 33 31 pm EST
North Bay ON 7 21 00 pm EST
OklahomaCity OK 5 44 24 pm CST -6
Omaha NE 5 51 46 pm CST -10
Orlando FL 7 42 06 pm EST
Oshawa ON 7 22 37 pm EST
Ottawa ON 7 27 09 pm EST
Paducah KY 6 04 43 pm CST
Paterson NJ 7 32 55 pm EST
Pensacola FL 6 11 45 pm CST
Peoria IL 6 03 06 pm CST
Peterborough ON 7 23 23 pm EST
Philadelphia PA 7 32 04 pm EST
Pierre SD 5 47 39 pm CST -8
Pittsburgh PA 7 22 01 pm EST
Pittsfield MA 7 33 12 pm EST
Port Arthur TX 5 51 49 pm CST -8
Portland ME 7 37 07 pm EST
Portsmouth NH 7 36 53 pm EST
Portsmouth VA 7 33 31 pm EST
Providence RI 7 37 06 pm EST
Quebec City PQ 7 33 03 pm EST
Racine WI 6 07 05 pm CST
Raleigh NC 7 29 15 pm EST
RapidCity SD 4 43 03 pm MST -5
Reading PA 7 30 06 pm EST
Regina SK 5 49 55 pm CST -8
Richmond VA 7 29 47 pm EST
Roanoke VA 7 24 21 pm EST
Rochester MN 5 59 42 pm CST
Rochester NY 7 25 08 pm EST
Rockford IL 6 04 35 pm CST
Saginaw MI 7 13 57 pm EST
Saint John NB 8 41 45 pm AST
Salina KS 5 46 42 pm CST -7
San Antonio TX 5 39 18 pm CST -2
Saskatoon SK 5 50 12 pm CST -8
SaultStMarie ON 7 13 32 pm EST
Savannah GA 7 28 49 pm EST
Schenectady NY 7 31 43 pm EST
Scranton PA 7 29 42 pm EST
Sheboygan WI 7 07 27 pm EST
Sherbrooke PQ 7 33 07 pm EST
Sheridan WY 4 38 48 pm MST -3
Shreveport LA 5 53 49 pm CST -10
Sioux City IA 5 52 00 pm CST -11
Sioux Falls SD 5 52 24 pm CST -11
Somerville MA 7 37 00 pm EST
South Bend IN 7 09 37 pm EST
Spartanburg SC 7 21 40 pm EST
Springfield IL 6 02 45 pm CST
Springfield MA 7 34 41 pm EST
Springfield MO 5 54 27 pm CST -11
Springfield OH 7 14 35 pm EST
StCatharines ON 7 22 15 pm EST
StCloud MN 5 58 08 pm CST
St John's NF 9 24 47 pm NST
St Joseph MO 5 52 39 pm CST -11
St Louis MO 6 01 23 pm CST
St Paul MN 5 59 18 pm CST
StPetersburg FL 7 40 09 pm EST
Stamford CT 7 34 00 pm EST
Steubenville OH 7 20 51 pm EST
Sudbury ON 7 18 40 pm EST
Superior WI 6 02 04 pm CST
Sydney NS 8 48 31 pm AST
Syracuse NY 7 27 43 pm EST
Tallahassee FL 7 21 35 pm EST
Tampa FL 7 39 54 pm EST
TerreHaute IN 7 07 17 pm EST
Texarkana TX 5 51 35 pm CST -9
Thunder Bay ON 7 07 08 pm EST
Toledo OH 7 14 46 pm EST
Topeka KS 5 50 37 pm CST -10
Toronto ON 7 21 49 pm EST
Trenton NJ 7 32 33 pm EST
TroiRivieres PQ 7 31 26 pm EST
Troy NY 7 32 12 pm EST
Tulsa OK 5 48 04 pm CST -8
Urbana IL 6 05 43 pm CST
Utica NY 7 29 17 pm EST
Waco TX 5 43 27 pm CST -4
Washington DC 7 29 18 pm EST
Waterbury CT 7 34 25 pm EST
Waterloo IA 5 58 54 pm CST
Wheeling WV 7 20 45 pm EST
White Plains NY 7 33 35 pm EST
Whitehorse YT 3 49 07 pm PST -1
Wichita KS 5 47 54 pm CST -8
WichitaFalls TX 5 41 20 pm CST -4
Wilkes Barre PA 7 29 25 pm EST
Wilmington DE 7 31 29 pm EST
Wilmington NC 7 33 50 pm EST
Windsor ON 7 15 37 pm EST
Winnipeg MB 5 58 00 pm CST
WinstonSalem NC 7 24 42 pm EST
Worcester MA 7 35 55 pm EST
Yellowknife NT 5 00 33 pm MST -10
Yonkers NY 7 33 26 pm EST
York PA 7 28 50 pm EST
Youngstown OH 7 20 28 pm EST
Zanesville OH 7 18 14 pm EST
There are several other occultations that can be taped with a
camcorder pointed into the eyepiece of a telescope; predictions for them
can be provided upon request. At about 11:20 pm PST, 12:30 am MST, and
1:30 am CST, Saturn will disappear behind the dark side of the gibbous
Moon on Monday night, Dec 8-9; details of this naked-eye event are given
on pages 100-101 of the December issue of Sky and Telescope, and are
also on our Web site. Although very interesting to see, there is no
value in observations of that event, since the phenomena will not be
sharp and precisely timeable, as they are for occultations of stars.
The Hyades disappearances that precede Aldebaran's disappearance on
Friday evening, Dec. 12, will be easy just using autofocus since those
events will all occur close to the terminator, providing a good
reference for the autofocus. See the Sky and Telescope article and
IOTA's Web page for more information. Sample predictions below were
computed for Greenbelt, Maryland, about 12 miles northeast of downtown
Washington, DC. Predictions for other locations will be supplied upon
request by e-mail for observers who will try to time many of these
events.
I.O.T.A. TOTAL OCCULTATION PREDICTIONS FOR 1997 December
for Greenbelt, Maryland, David Dunham
Longitude W 76d 52' 09.9", Latitude +38d 59' 10.1", Height +53 meters
DAY E.S.T. P Z.C. VIS SP PCT SN MN MN CUSP WA A B Star
H M S NO. MAG SNLT AL AL AZ ANG M/O M/O Name
DECEMBER
6/19 29 29/D* 3353 3.7 M0 47+ 39 210 59S 122 -2.1 -1.0 lambda Aquarii
6/20 45 22/D 3360 6.3 K0 48+ 30 230 88S 93 -1.2 -0.3 78 Aquarii
7/20 17 26/D 3505 5.6 K0 59+ 43 212 60N 61 -1.1 +1.3 20 Piscium
10/17 41 58/D 368 6.3 K0 88+ -11 34 106 30S 146 -1.8 -0.3
12/19 55 29/D 667 5.3 G5 98+ 42 104 77N 57 -0.7 +2.3 75 Tauri
12/20 04 12/D 672 6.6 F8 99+ 44 106 52S 107 -1.4 +0.8
12/21 00 03/D 677 4.8 A5 99+ 54 119 35S 124 -2.1 -0.2
12/21 15 14/D 680 6.7 F2 99+ 56 124 16S 144 -2.7 -2.0
12/22 59 57/D 685 6.5 F0 99+ 67 172 15S 143 -2.7 -3.0
13/00 16 38/D* 692 0.8 K5 99+ 64 215 37S 120 -2.1 -1.5 Aldebaran
13/01 26 26/R 692 0.8 K5 99+ 54 241 -84S 241 -1.7 +0.8 Aldebaran
19/04 59 46/R 1486 4.6 K2 73- 60 198 43N 317 -1.0 -3.3 31 Leonis
20/06 18 18/R 1589 5.7 M2 64- -12 53 211 90N 269 -1.9 -1.4 56 Leonis
21/00 26 51/R 1678 5.8 F5 56- 11 95 11S 190 -0.4 +7.4 89 Leonis
22/00 57 16/R? 1772 3.9 A0 47- 6 96 46S 225 -0.3 +2.3 eta Virginis
24/02 49 32/R 1994 6.5 F8 28- 6 106 41N 320 +0.1 -1.6
26/04 49 32/R* 2223 4.0 K0 12- 7 115 83N 283 -0.4 +0.4 gamma Librae