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Asteroids and Minor Planets

Introduction:

Asteroids and Minor plants are smaller in size, rocky in material and they orbit around the sun just like planets. Most asteroids are located on the Asteroid belt and some of them are Near Earth Objects (NEO).

Useful links:

The below websites will conclude with general details about the Asteroids and Minor Planets:

https://theskylive.com/asteroids-and-dwarf-planets

IAU Minor Planet Center Search page

How to find the right Asteroid:

Using the links above, you can observe asteroids from your designated location.

The skylive.com website is very handy and will give you the information needed to begin the search.

Things to keep in mind before choosing your object: 

    • (Elevation) Altitude ≥ 30° – it is the ideal altitude, above the horizon. (you do not want it to be too low.)
    • Magnitude (lower magnitude, brighter object. Do not want to faint) –  magnitude lower than 10th is ideal.
    • Location – your current location or designated location you will be observing from.
    • Visibility of an object. (generally can be checked by the constellation it is in currently)

Steps:

  1. Open the skyLive. (the first thing you will see is all the asteroids.)
  2.  To filter out your searches, click on “Night Guide” on the top right corner of your screen under SkyLive. On this page, you will see “Tonight’s Observing guide” according to your designated location.
  3. To set the current location, click on “change” next to the default location. (this is the first thing on the page, hard to miss.)
  4. Once you have selected your designated location, you will see asteroids that are visible from your sky. (Objects visible just after sunset, Objects visible that are visible in the sky once dark, Objects are visible just before sunrise.) — Recommended to observe when the sky is dark enough.
  5. If necessary, you can uncheck or check boxes of types of equipment used to observe an asteroid.  (Filter your targets even more)
  6. Click on “SkyMap” is usually in the same row of an object’s description to know where in the sky the asteroid is located.
  7. Now you will have all your options laid out on the page which you can choose from to observe.
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