Α.Σ.Π.Ρ.Ο.Σ. ΑΣΤΡΟΝΟΜΙΚΕΣ ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΣΕΙΣ A.S.P.R.O.S. OBSERVATORY

ΤΟ ΑΣΤΕΡΟΣΚΟΠΕΙΟ ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑΤΙΚΩΝ ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΣΕΩΝ ΡΟΗΣ ΟΥΡΑΝΙΩΝ ΣΩΜΑΤΩΝ ΕΣΤΙΑΖΕΙ ΤΟ ΕΡΕΥΝΗΤΙΚΟ ΤΟΥ ΕΡΓΟ ΣΤΗΝ ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑΤΙΚΗ ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΣΗ & ΜΕΛΕΤΗ ΑΣΤΡΟΝΟΜΙΚΩΝ ΦΑΙΝΟΜΕΝΩΝ ΠΟΥ ΑΠΤΟΝΤΑΙ ΤΩΝ ΔΥΝΑΤΟΤΗΤΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΣΙΑΚΗΣ ΕΡΑΣΙΤΕΧΝΙΚΗΣ ΑΣΤΡΟΝΟΜΙΑΣ ΣΤΑ ΠΛΑΙΣΙΑ ΠΟΥ ΕΥΡΥΤΕΡΑ ΥΠΑΓΟΡΕΥΟΝΤΑΙ ΑΠΟ ΤΗΝ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΣΤΡΟΝΟΜΙΑΣ. ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑΤΙΚΕΣ ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΣΕΙΣ : α) ΕΡΕΥΝΑ ΡΟΗΣ ΝΕΩΝ ΟΥΡΑΝΙΩΝ ΑΝΤΙΚΕΙΜΈΝΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΨΗΦΙΑΚΗ ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΣΗ ΚΟΜΗΤΩΝ. β) ΕΡΕΥΝΑ ΚΑΤΑΓΡΑΦΗΣ Lunar Transient Phenomena

http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/special/EdgarWilson.html

The Edgar Wilson Award

IAUC 6936 announced the establishment of an award for amateur comet discoverers. Each Award is composed of a monetary award from the Edgar Wilson Charitable Trust Fund and an Award plaque (sample photographs via links below). The Award is allocated annually among the amateur astronomers who, using amateur equipment, have discovered one or more new comets. Only comets officially named for their discoverers shall be included in the annual count. Since particular recognition is to be given to the amateurs who discover the most comets, identical fractions of the total Award funds are allocated for each comet with an eligible discoverer, except that if the same comet is credited to more than one independent eligible discoverer, each discoverer shall receive a full fraction. If the discovery is made as the result of information produced or prepared by some other person, it shall not qualify for consideration. Eligible discoveries may be made by visual, photographic or electronic means.

The Award is administered by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), as the beneficiary under the Will of Edgar Wilson of Lexington, KY. This administration shall specifically be through the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT), which, with the advice of the Committee on Small Body Nomenclature (CSBN; formerly the Small Bodies Names Committee) of IAU Division III, has the responsibility for naming comets.

The funds available for the first annual Award amounted to approximately US$20000 (twenty thousand dollars), as a total amount to be split among the award winners for that year; in the years since the first Award, the amount of money available has oscillated considerably, usually below, but sometimes above, the first-year amount (evidently due to the investment policies of the bank trustees, which are kept confidential). For the purpose of this Award, the Award year is the period of twelve months beginning and ending on June 11.0 UT. The first Award was for the year ending on 1999 June 11.0. The Award is usually announced within a month after the end of each Award year.

To be eligible for the Award an individual must demonstrate:

that he or she is acting in an amateur capacity, at least for the purpose of discovering the comet, and
that only amateur, privately-owned equipment was used for the discovery.

In years when there are no eligible comet discoverers, the Award shall be made instead to the amateur astronomer(s) judged by the CBAT to have made the greatest contribution toward promoting an interest in the study of comets.

SAO employees associated with the CBAT, CSBN members, as well as members of their immediate families, are not eligible for the Award.

The Edgar Wilson Award is international in scope, and nationals of no country are excluded from consideration. An observer who suspects he or she has discovered a comet shall ensure that his or her discovery report reaches the CBAT according to the usual procedures. The CBAT shall maintain the necessary records and may contact the discoverers for eligibility documentation.

The decision of SAO (via the CBAT) is final and takes precedence over the description on this page.

http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/special/EdgarWilson.html

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How to Report a Comet Discovery

How to Report a Comet Discovery
by David H. Levy
So you think you’ve found a comet?
Here are some steps to follow in verifying your find:
Examine the object carefully. Is it symmetrical? If it is, chances are it’s a galaxy. Does it have a mottled, circular appearance? Maybe it’s a globular cluster. Switch to higher magnifications to try and see if you can resolve the individual stars.
Does the "comet" shift in position when you move the telescope around? It could be just a "ghost image" (internal reflection) in your telescope optics. Even if the object shows an obvious tail, make sure it isn’t something like Hubble’s variable nebula.
According to the International Astronomical Union’s Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT), the world’s clearinghouse for astronomical discoveries, more than 90 percent of all first-time comet reports turn out to be spurious.
Check its position (in right ascension and declination) on a suitable star atlas or sky-charting program. Make sure there are no known galaxies, star clusters, or nebulae plotted in that location. (If you’re using a sky program, don’t forget to have its limiting magnitude set faint enough.)
Note the object’s position relative to the background stars. If the suspect doesn’t show any movement within an hour, it’s probably not a comet.
Get a friend or a trusted member of your local astronomy club privately to confirm your find visually, photographically, or with a CCD camera. Multiple observations within a single night or on a second night are highly recommended.
Check Web sites, for lists of newly discovered comets or returning periodic ones to see whether you have picked up a known comet.
If you’re certain you have indeed discovered a new comet send an e-mail to CBAT at cbat@cfa.harvard.edu, or go to its Web site. CBAT needs to know the following:
the exact date and time of your observation in Universal Time
your observing site and telescope used
the object’s precise coordinates (in equinox 2000.0)
its rate and direction of motion
its estimated magnitude
its physical descriptionDon’t forget to include your name, postal address, phone/fax, and e-mail.

Good luck, and happy hunting!

The Edgar Wilson Award

The Edgar Wilson Award August 23, 2009by J. Kelly Beatty Each night giant telescopes around the world scan the sky for new solar-system objects, so it would be easy to conclude that the era of comet discoveries by amateur astronomers is over. But that's not the case! It's still possible for amateurs to bag interplanetary visitors that professional automated sky surveys miss. In fact, backyard observers continue to play a valuable role in finding and tracking new comets. Sky & Telescope contributing editor David Levy shared in the 2007 Edgar Wilson Award for his discovery of a periodic comet the previous year. IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical TelegramsNow amateur comet discoverers receive more than just naming rights and hearty congratulations for their efforts — because they can qualify for the Edgar Wilson Award. Established in 1998 in memory of American businessman Edgar Wilson, the award is given to amateurs (or to professional astronomers acting in an amateur capacity) who, in a given year, find one or more new comets using amateur, privately owned equipment. Wilson, who lived in Lexington, Kentucky, had a keen interest in astronomy before his death in 1976. Under the terms of his estate's bequest, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory administers the award through the IAU's Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Awardees receive individual plaques and share a cash prize. Recently the latter has totaled about $20,000, which is usually divided among two to six amateur individuals or groups. Not since the 1880s have backyard observers stood to gain such sizable financial bounty for their finds. The comet discoveries can be visual, photographic, or electronic; those made using spacecraft data, such as from SOHO, don't qualify. In years when no such discoveries are made, the SAO will present the award to amateurs who have made major contributions to promoting cometary studies.

11/08/1999 Total eclipse. I was down there in umbra on time

Here is what the Earth looks like during a solar eclipse. The shadow of the Moon can be seen darkening part of Earth. This shadow moved across the Earth at nearly 2000 kilometers per hour. Only observers near the center of the dark circle see a total solar eclipse - others see a partial eclipse where only part of the Sun appears blocked by the Moon. This spectacular picture of the 1999 August 11 solar eclipse was one of the last ever taken from the Mir space station, which was deorbited in a controlled re-entry in 2001.