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| Observatorij Črni Vrh na razstavi Od Zemlje do vesolja |
| V Mednarodnem letu astronomije 2009 je bila v Jakopičevem sprehajališču v parku Tivoli postavljena razstava Od Zemlje do vesolja. Prva postavitev razstave je bila od 17. junija do 4. septembra 2009. Zaradi velikega zanimanja je bila ponovljena še od 26. novembra 2009 do 15. februarja 2010. Na 120 panojih so bile predstavljene najlepše astronomske fotografije, posnete z največjimi profesionalnimi teleskopi na Zemlji in z vesoljskim teleskopom Hubble. Vključuje tudi najboljše astronomske fotografije slovenskih astronomov. Na posebnem panoju se je predstavil tudi Astronomski observatorij Črni Vrh. Organizatorji razstave so izdali tudi katalog. |
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Pano Astronomskega observatorija Črni Vrh Predstavili smo dejavnosti astronomskega observatorija Črni Vrh s poudarkom na dosežkih programa iskanja kometov in asteroidov PIKA. Copyright © H. Mikuž, Observatorij Črni Vrh.
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Razstava Od Zemlje do vesolja Pogled na razstavo Od Zemlje do vesolja v Ljubljanskem parku Tivoli. Posneto v januarju 2010. Copyright © H. Mikuž, Observatorij Črni Vrh.
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Razstava Od Zemlje do vesolja Pogled na razstavo Od Zemlje do vesolja v Ljubljanskem parku Tivoli. Posneto v januarju 2010. Copyright © H. Mikuž, Observatorij Črni Vrh.
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| Sinoči nad Evropo vidna ločitev ameriške rakete Kentaver in vremenskega satelita (18. oktober 2009) | ||
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Animacija iz observatorija na Črnem Vrhu Sinoči (18. oktobra 2009) nekaj po 21 uri sta bila na nebu nad Slovenijo vidna dva svetla objekta, ki sta se počasi premikala od severozahoda proti severu. Šlo je za Ameriško nosilno raketo Kentaver, ki je odvrgla nad Evropo preostanek goriva in so jo sinoči lansirali iz vojaškega oporišča Vandebergh v Kaliforniji. Njej je sledil še vojaški vremenski satelit DMSP F-18, ki ga je raketa ponesla v vesolje. Očividka, ki je dogodek opazovala iz vasi Ravnik nad Hotedršico je poročala, da je bila raketa na nebu vidna kot komet s svetlim repom. To potrjujejo tudi posnetki, ki so jih objavili na spletišču Space Weather. Dogodek je pritegnil veliko pozornost, saj so ga opazovali in posneli iz več Evropskih držav. Na animaciji, ki jo je posnela vsenebna kamera observatorija na Črnem Vrhu (levo) se lepo vidi kako se tirnici obeh objektov ločujeta. Vsenebna kamera na Črnem Vrhu snema zaporedne minutne posnetke zato sta objekta na slikah pustila daljši sledi. Animacija se začne ob 21h10 in konča ob 21h16 poletnega časa. V smeri zahoda, kjer sta se gibali raketa in satelit so prehod občasno prekrivali oblaki. Copyright © 2009 Črni Vrh Observatory.
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| Stanislav Matičič prejel prestižno nagrado Edgarja Wilsona (25. avgust 2009) |
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Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
je objavil letošnji seznam dobitnikov nagrad Edgarja Wilsona, ki jih vsako leto podeljujejo odkriteljem kometov iz
vrst amaterskih astronomov. Med letošnjimi dobitniki te prestižne nagrade je tudi član naše opazovalne skupine
Stanislav Matičič. Nagrado in spominsko plaketo je prejel za odkritje kometa C/2008 Q1 (Matičič)
18. avgusta 2008. To je bilo obenem tudi prvo odkritje kometa iz Slovenije. Nagrade E. Wilsona sicer Harvard Smithsonian Center podeljuje že enajsto leto. Tokrat pa jo je prvič prejel astronom iz Slovenije. V skladu s pravili Mednarodne astronomske zveze dobijo kometi imena po njihovih odkriteljih. Stanetu vsi skupaj želimo še veliko odkritij. |
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Stanislav Matičič in teleskop Cichocki Stanislav Matičič s spominsko plaketo Edgarja Wilsona poleg teleskopa Cichocki na astronomskem observatoriju Črni Vrh. Copyright © 2010, H. Mikuž, Observatorij Črni Vrh.
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Spominska plaketa E. Wilsona Spominska plaketa Edgarja Wilsona s posvetilom Stanislavu Matičiču. Copyright © 2010, H. Mikuž, Observatorij Črni Vrh.
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| Discovery of a NEO Asteroid 2009 QO at Črni Vrh Observatory (Aug. 17, 2009) | ||
| On the evening of August 15, 2009 a new asteroid was discovered on images taken by Jure Skvarč in the scope of Comet and Asteroid Search Program PIKA at Črni Vrh Observatory. Follow up images, obtained on Aug. 16 evening showed that NEO rating increased from 29 % (Aug. 15) to 59 %, after which it was posted on NEOCP and later confirmed by another observation from H06 RAS Observatory in New Mexico. The orbital elements revealed that this object belongs to the Amor family of asteroids. |
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NEO Asteroid 2009 QO The animation shows discovery images of this object. Copyright © 2009 by J. Skvarč, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
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| Nova Sagittarii 2009 No. 3 (August 8, 2009) | ||
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Nova Sagittarii 2009 No. 3 Discovered on two 60-s frames on Aug. 6.494 and 6.495 UT by Koichi Nishiyama, Kurume, Fukuoka-ken, Japan; and Fujio Kabashima, Miyaki-cho, Saga-ken, Japan, using 105-mm f/4 lens + unfiltered CCD (limiting magnitude 13.3). Nova was at magnitude 7.7 and has the following precise position: R.A. = 18h07m07s.67, Decl. = -33d46'33".9 (equinox J2000.0). Discovery was announced in CBET No. 1899 This true color image of nova (in field center) was obtained on 2008 Aug. 8.80UT with 19-cm, f/4 flat filed S-C robotic telescope, BVR photometric filters and CCD. Color image was composed from two series of exposures (B=30s, R=20s, V=20s). Image scale is 3.50 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2009 by H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory.
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| Detection of optical counterpart of GRB 090726 at Črni Vrh Observatory (July 27, 2009) | ||
| We observed optical counterpart of Gamma Ray Burst GRB 090726 (Swift trigger 358422) using 60 cm Cichocki robotic telescope at Črni Vrh Observatory. A new object was detected at RA=16:34:43.04, DEC=+72:53:04.82 (J2000). Series of twenty connsecutive Rc filter exposures were taken, starting on 2009 July 26 at 22:44:31UT, 58 seconds after the GCN notice time. We confirm the presence of variable source, identified by A. Moskvitin, T. Fatkhullin & A. Valeev (GCN Circ. 9709). The object was clearly detected on all 20 frames. Complete results are published in GCN 9715 Circular. |
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Detection of optical counterpart of GRB 090726 Image show GRB 090726 in maximum outburst at mag. 17.7, 367 seconds after the Swift GRB detection. One minute exposures with R filter was obtained on 2009 July 26 (22h48m04s-22h49m04sUT). Copyright © 2009 by S. Maticic and J. Skvarc, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
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| Komet C/2008 Q1 (Matičič) na znamki Pošte Slovenije (29. maj 2009) |
| V počastitev Mednarodnega leta astronomije 2009 je Pošta Slovenije izdala priložnostni znamki z motivom kometa C/2008 Q1 (Matičič), ki je bil odkrit 18. avgusta 2008 na Astronomskem observatoriju Črni Vrh ter motivom Astronomskega observatorija na Golovcu, ki letos praznuje 50. letnico delovanja. Na znamki komet C/2008 Q1 (Matičič) je stilizirano prikazan medsebojni položaj Sonca, Merkurja, Venere, Zemlje, Marsa in kometa C/2008 Q1 Matičič v trenutku odkritja. Izdana je bila tudi ovojnica "Prvi dan". |
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Komet C/2008 Q1 (Matičič) Znamka Pošte Slovenije s stiliziranim motivom kometa C/2008 Q1 (Matičič). Prikazan je medsebojni položaj Sonca, Merkurja, Venere, Zemlje, Marsa in kometa C/2008 Q1 Matičič v trenutku odkritja. |
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50-letnica observatorija na Golovcu Znamka Pošte Slovenije s stiliziranim motivom Astronomskega observatorija na Golovcu, izdana ob 50-letnici njegovega delovanja. |
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Ovojnica "Prvi dan" Ovojnica "Prvi dan" z obema znamkama ter stiliziranima motivoma Astronomskega observatorija na Golovcu in kometa C/2008 Q1 (Matičič) ob odkritju. |
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| Discovery of Supernova 2009er in anonymous galaxy at Črni Vrh Observatory (May 22, 2009) | ||
| On images taken by S. Matičič in the course of the Črni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search program PIKA, an apparent supernova (mag 17.7) was detected using software for automatic discovery of static objects. Supernova was found on four consecutive unfiltered CCD images taken around 2009 May 22.99 UT with a 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki Sky Survey Robotic Telescope. |
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Discovery Image of Supernova 2009er Composite image of supernova 2009er was made by stacking four 40 second unfiltered discovery frames taken around 2009 May 22.99UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope. Image scale is about 1.86 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2008 by S. Matičič and H. Mikuž, Črni Vrh Observatory. |
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The new object is located at RA=15h39m29s.84, Decl.=+24o26'05".3 (equinox 2000.0; uncertainty about 0".2),
which is approximately 8" west and 9" south of the center of a nearby galaxy.
Nothing is visible at this location on archival unfiltered PIKA images obtained on 2005 June 16 (limiting mag
approximately 18.5) and 2009 Mar. 22 (limiting mag approximately 19.5). Also, nothing is visible at this
position on several Digitized Sky Survey red and blue images from the Palomar Sky Survey, listed here with
approximate limiting magnitudes: 1954 July 2, blue, [20.5; 1954 July 2, red, [20.0; 1990 May 17, J plate, [20.5; 1992
June 26, F plate, [20.0. The variable was confirmed on images obtained with the discovery telescope on
2009 May 23.838 at blue mag 17.6 and red mag 17.3.
Discovery was announced in CBET Electronic Telegram No. 1811. R. J. Foley and P. Challis, CfA, on behalf of the CfA Supernova Group, reports that spectroscopic observations (CBET No. 1818), obtained on May 27 UT by T. Groner with the F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope (+ FAST), shows it to be a type-Ib supernova. J. M. Silverman, S. B. Cenko, A. V. Filippenko, and W. Li, University of California, Berkeley, report that inspection of CCD spectra (range 340-1000 nm), obtained on May 28 UT with the 3-m Shane reflector (+ Kast) at Lick Observatory, shows that a spectrum of the galaxy near SN 2009er (CBET 1811) reveals a recession velocity of 10200 km/s. The spectrum of 2009er is very unusual: there are no conspicuous H Balmer lines or obvious Si II lines, and it bears some resemblance to the peculiar type-Ib/c supernova 2006jc (Foley et al. 2007, Ap.J. 657, 105), but with no obvious He I lines; the exact nature of the supernova is unclear, and follow-up observations are encouraged Relevant links:
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| Bright Fireball Over Slovenia (April 9, 2009) | ||
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Fireball Over Slovenia Robotic allsky camera at Crni Vrh Observatory recorded a bright fireball over the northern part of the sky. Event occured on 2009 Apr. 9, between 0h59m13s and 1h00m13s UT and was clearly detected in spite of nearly full Moon and clouds that covered most of the sky. Otherwise, only part of the fireball trail was recorded. One eye witness (located in village Prelska near Velenje, Slovenia) reported that the fireball "was bright like a full Moon". Copyright © 2009, Crni Vrh Observatory.
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| Discovery of Supernova 2009bv in galaxy IC4199 at Črni Vrh Observatory (Mar. 27, 2009) | ||
| On images taken by Jan Vales in the course of the Črni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search program PIKA, an apparent supernova (mag 18.1) was detected using software for automatic discovery of static objects. Supernova was found on four consecutive unfiltered CCD images taken around 2009 Mar. 27.00 UT with a 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki Sky Survey Robotic Telescope. |
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Discovery Image of Supernova 2009bv Composite image of supernova 2009bv was made by stacking four 40 second unfiltered discovery frames taken around 2009 Mar. 27.00UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope. Image scale is about 2 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2008 by J. Vales and H. Mikuž, Črni Vrh Observatory. |
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The new object is located at RA = 13h07m20s.47, Decl. = +35o47'03".8 (equinox 2000.0; uncertainty about 0".2),
which is approximately 17" south of the center of IC4199.
Nothing is visible at this location on archival PIKA images obtained during 2005-2009, the most recent ones being on
2008 Apr. 27 (limiting unfiltered mag 19.5) and 2009 Jan. 10 (limiting R magnitude 18). Also, nothing is
visible at this position on several Digitized Sky Survey red and blue images from the Palomar Sky Survey.
Discovery was announced in CBAT Electronic Telegram No. 1741. Spectroscopic observations (CBET No. 1742), obtained on Mar. 27 UT by M. Calkins with the F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope (+ FAST), shows it to be a type-Ia supernova about one week before maximum brightness. Relevant links:
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| Discovery of a NEO Asteroids 2009 CN5 and 2009 CT5 at Črni Vrh Observatory (Feb. 13-14, 2009) | ||
| On the night of 13. and 14. February 2009, two NEO asteroids were discovered on images taken by Stanislav Matičič (Feb. 13) and Jure Skvarč (Feb. 14) in the scope of Comet and Asteroid Search Program PIKA at Črni Vrh Observatory. Both newly discovered NEOs belong to the Apollo family. Object 2009 CN5 is classified also as a PHAs - Potentially Hazardous Asteroid. |
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PHA NEO Asteroid 2009 CN5 The animation shows discovery images of this object. Copyright © 2009 by S. Matičič, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. NEODyS summary data for 2009 CN5. |
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NEO Asteroid 2009 CT5 The animation shows discovery images of this object. Copyright © 2009 by J. Skvarč, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. NEODyS summary data for 2009 CT5. |
| Detection of optical counterpart of GRB081126 at Črni Vrh Observatory (Nov. 26, 2008) | ||
| We observed optical counterpart of Gamma Ray Burst GRB081126 (Swift trigger 335647) using 60 cm Cichocki robotic telescope at Črni Vrh Observatory. A new object was detected at RA=21:34:03.56, DEC=+48:42:38.62 (J2000). Series of twenty connsecutive Rc filter exposures were taken, starting at 21:35:32UT, 67 seconds after the GCN notice time. We confirm the presence of variable source, identified by Sergeev and Pozanenko (GCN Circ. 8558). The object was clearly detected on all 20 frames. Complete results are published in GCN 8569 Circular. |
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Detection of optical counterpart of GRB081126 Animation of GRB081126 outburst and decay was made by stacking 20 connsecutive 60 s exposures with R filter, obtained on 2008 Nov. 26 (21h35-21h57UT). GRB optical counterpart is marked with square. Images contain the time since the Swift GRB detection to the middle of exposure in seconds. Copyright © 2008 by J. Skvarc & PIKA project, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
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| Discovery of Supernova 2008gk at Črni Vrh Observatory (Oct. 20, 2008) | ||
| On images taken by Stanislav Matičič in the course of the Črni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search program PIKA, an apparent supernova (mag 18.2) was detected using software for automatic discovery of static objects. Supernova was found on four consecutive unfiltered CCD images taken around 2008 Oct. 20.74 UT with a 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki Sky Survey Robotic Telescope. |
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Discovery Image of Supernova 2008gk Composite image of supernova 2008gk was made by stacking four 40 second unfiltered discovery frames taken around 2008 Oct. 20.74UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope. Image scale is about 1.4 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2008 by S. Matičič and H. Mikuž, Črni Vrh Observatory. |
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The new object is located at R.A. = 18h53m04s.48, Decl. = +38o45'44".4 (equinox 2000.0; uncertainty about 0".2),
which is approximately 7" west and 6" north of the center of a nearby uncatalogued galaxy
Four PIKA R-band archival images obtained around Sept. 9.80 under moonlit conditions clearly show this
object at magnitude R = 17.7 +/- 0.1. Nothing is visible at this position on unfiltered archival PIKA
images obtained on 2005 July 4 (limiting magnitude 18.5) or on several Digitized Sky Survey red and blue
images from the Palomar Sky Survey.
Discovery was announced in CBAT Electronic Telegram No. 1544. Spectroscopic observations (CBET No. 1548), obtained on Oct. 22 UT with the 3-m Shane reflector (+ Kast) at Lick Observatory, shows it to be a type-Ib/c supernova. Relevant links:
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| NEO Asteroid 2008 TC3 few hours before the impact (October 7, 2008) | ||
| A tiny asteroid (about 3 meter wide) 2008 TC3 was discovered on 2008 Oct. 6.27767UT by astronomers at Mt. Lemmon in Arizona, a day before it entered the atmosphere in Northern Sudan and exploded. Asteroids the size of 2008 TC3 hit Earth several times a year, but this is the first time one has been discovered before it hit. |
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NEO Asteroid 2008 TC3 few hours before it hit the Earth The video shows animated motion between the stars, just few hours before the impact at 2h46 UT on October 7, 2008. This false color animation was composed from series of 20 second unfiltered exposures, obtained remotely during the NEO approach on 2008 Oct. 6 (19h15-21h43UT) with 60-cm, f/3.3 Cichocki telescope, and CCD. The telescope was programmed to precisely follow asteroid motion. Image scale is 2.79 arc sec/pixel. Movie composed and Copyrighted to © 2008 J. Skvarč, Črni Vrh Observatory. High resolution AVI movie (56Mb). |
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| Discovery of a NEO Asteroid 2008 TR2 at Črni Vrh Observatory (Oct. 5, 2008) | ||
| On the night of 4-5 October 2008 a new NEO asteroid was discovered on images taken by Herman Mikuž in the scope of Comet and Asteroid Search Program PIKA at Črni Vrh Observatory. After the measurements were published on NEOCP the object was confirmed by several observatories worldwide. The orbital elements reveal that this object belongs to the Amor family of asteroids. Closest approach to Earth will be on 2008 Oct. 20 at 0.307AU. The object is designated as 2008 TR2 by the Minor Planet Center. The orbital period is 2.35 years. |
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NEO Asteroid 2008 TR2 The animation shows discovery images of this object. Copyright © 2008 by H. Mikuž, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
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| Fireball from Delta Aurigid Meteor Shower (September 30, 2008) | ||
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Delta Aurigid Fireball Delta-Aurigids are weak meteor shower, active between September 18 — October 10, with ZHR about 3. The maximum is not well defined and is presumed to occur between 2008 September 23 - October 3. September 28 is about the middle of this peak interval. This Delta Aurigid fireball animation is composed from 6 consecutive 1 minute exposures, obtained on 2008 Sep. 30, between 2h26m17s and 2h32m37sUT with remote all-sky camera. The fireball left a train of hot, ionized gas that persisted for more than 6 minutes. It quickly changed the shape as it was blown by winds some 100 kilometers above the ground. Copyright © 2008 by Crni Vrh Observatory.
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| Discovery of Supernova 2008fi at Črni Vrh Observatory (Sept. 4, 2008) | ||
| On images taken by Jure Zakrajšek in the course of the Črni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search program PIKA, an apparent supernova (mag 16.7) was detected using software for automatic discovery of static objects. Supernova was found on four consecutive unfiltered CCD images taken around 2008 Aug. 26.99 UT with a 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki Sky Survey Robotic Telescope. |
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Discovery Image of Supernova 2008fi Composite image of supernova 2008fi was made by stacking four 40 second unfiltered discovery frames taken around 2008 Aug. 26.99UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope. The inserted DSS image shows the area around the supernova host galaxy (barely visible on discovery image) to approximately the same scale. Image scale is about 0.9 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2008 by J. Zakrajšek and H. Mikuz, Črni Vrh Observatory. |
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The new object is located at R.A. = 1h53m23s.17, Decl. = +29o21'28".4 (equinox 2000.0),
which is approximately 2" east and 2" south of the center of a nearby faint galaxy.
Nothing is visible at this location on several Palomar Sky Survey
images from the Aladin database. Nothing is visible at this location even on archival PIKA images, obtained
on 2003 Sept. 26, 2007 July 19 and 2008 Aug. 2 (limiting magnitude 18.5-19.0).
Additional photometry of 2008fi obtained with the 60-cm Cichocki reflector: 2008 Aug. 29.01, R = 17.47 +/- 0.02, V = 17.53 +/- 0.03; Sept. 2.91, R = 17.55 +/- 0.1; V = 17.80 +/- 0.1. Discovery was announced in CBAT Electronic Telegram No. 1493. Spectroscopic observations (CBET No. 1499), obtained on Sep. 4.0 UT with F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope (+ FAST), shows it to be a type-IIb supernova at about maximum light. Relevant links:
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| 2008 QT3 First discovery of a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid at Črni Vrh Observatory (Aug. 24, 2008) | ||
| On the night of 24 August 2008 an object with unusual motion was automatically detected on the images taken by Jure Skvarč in the scope of Comet and Asteroid Search Program at Črni Vrh Observatory. After the measurements were published on NEOCP the object was confirmed by several observatories worldwide. The orbital elements reveal that this object belongs to the Apollo family of asteroids. It will cross the Earth orbit mid-January 2009. Since it can approach Earth orbit closer than 0.05 AU and is big enough to cause substantial damage (500 - 1000 meter diameter), it is classified as a PHA - Potentially Hazardous Asteroid. At this moment the orbit is not well enough determined to estimate the risk of impact but probability is probably close to 0. Currently there are 976 PHAs. The object is designated as 2008 QT3 by the Minor Planet Center. Orbital elements after one day of observations show that it orbits the Sun in an elliptical orbit at a distance between 0.97 and 1.97 AU and an inclination of 7 degrees. The orbital period is 2.8 years. |
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PHA 2008 QT3 The animation shows discovery images of this object. Copyright © 2006 by J. Skvarč, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
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| Discovery of comet C/2008 Q1 (Matičič) at Črni Vrh Observatory (Aug. 20, 2008) | ||
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On images taken by S. Matičič in the course of the Črni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search
program PIKA,
on August 18, 2008 an object with unusual motion was automatically detected.
A new comet (first comet discovery from Črni Vrh Observatory) was detected on images taken between 2008 Aug. 18.81364UT and 18.84247UT with a
0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki Sky Survey Telescope.
Further inspection of series of 1 minute unfiltered followup exposures obtained with the same telescope around 2008 Aug. 19.816UT show that this object has diffuse appearance (coma dia. ~10 arc sec) with strong condensation. After being posted on NEO Confirmation Page, additional measurements were obtained by several observatories. The discovery was announced in IAU Circular 8966. Complete observations and preliminary parabolic orbit were published in MPEC 2008-Q12. |
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Comet C/2008 Q1 (Matičič) Comet C/2008 Q1 (Matičič) discovery image, obtained on 2008 Aug. 18 at 19h32UT with 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki Sky Survey Telescope at Črni Vrh Observatory. Image scale is 1.86 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2008 by S. Matičič, Črni Vrh Observatory. |
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Comet C/2008 Q1 (Matičič) Animation image was made by stacking four 40 second discovery frames, taken between 2008 Aug. 18.814UT and 18.842UT with a 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki Sky Survey Telescope at Črni Vrh Observatory. Image scale is 1.86 arc sec/pixel. At the time of discovery, the comet was of magnitude 17.8 and moved at 1.4 arc sec/min in PA 255 degree. Copyright © 2008 by S. Matičič, Črni Vrh Observatory. |
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Comet C/2008 Q1 (Matičič) Series of 60 second followup images were obtained around 2008 Aug. 19.818UT (left image) with the same telescope. The object cometary appearance with ~10 arc second diameter coma is clearly visible. Image scale is 0.93 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2008 by H. Mikuž, Črni Vrh Observatory. |
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| 2008 Perseids from Črni Vrh Observatory (Aug. 14, 2008) | ||
| High activity of Perseids meteor stream was recorded during the nights of 2008 Aug. 11-12 and 12-13. Several fireballs and meteors were recorded with newly set up Deep All Sky Camera, comprising Peleng 3.5/8 mm fisheye lens and FLI 1024 x 1024 back illuminated CCD camera. The camera lens was stopped to f/5.6 to give sharper images on standard 90 second exposures. Occasional cloud passages slightly affected observations. All images have dark and bias subtracted. |
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Perseid meteors Two Perseid meteors recorded with Deep All Sky Camera on 2008 Aug. 11, starting at 23h21m34s UT. Exposure time was 90 seconds. Copyright © 2006 by H. Mikuž, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
| Alpha Capricornid Fireball (August 3, 2008) | ||
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Alpha Capricornid Fireball The Alpha Capricornid meteor shower is active from mid-July to mid-September. Maximum seems to have several activity peaks (July 22, July 28 and August 5) with ZHR ranging from 6-14 meteors. The shower has the reputation of producing some of the brightest meteors of the major showers, with the average magnitude being estimated as about 2.2. More on Meteor Showers Online. This false color fireball image was obtained on 2008 Aug. 3 at 23h50m01sUT (center of exposure) with robotic all-sky camera. Exposure time was 1 minute. Copyright © 2008 by Crni Vrh Observatory.
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| Expedition of Dark Sky Slovenia to Lastovo Island (May 10, 2008) | ||
| During the April. 30. - May 4, 2008, a group of DS Slovenia members visited Island Lastovo in southern Adriatic. The aim of visit was to check the quality of night sky over Lastovo and verify it by obtaining images and instrumental measurements. Since the island is far away from large urban areas and with population of only around 800, we expected exceptionally dark night sky. In September 2006, Lastovo and surrounding islands were designated the Lastovo Archipelago Nature Park by Croatian Parliament. |
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Night Sky on Lastovo Island Unprocessed 300 second guided exposure obtained on 2008 May 3 at 1h16UT (start) with Canon 5D camera at ISO 1000 and 8mm, f/3.5 Sigma fisheye lens. North is up, East to the left. Illuminated clouds and skyglow over the NW, N and NE horizon indicate the sources of light pollution along the Dalmatian coast and islands north of Lastovo. The sky is very dark in other directions. Copyright © 2008 by H. Mikuz and A. Mohar, Dark Sky Slovenia.
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Sagittarius Star Clouds Unprocessed 180 second guided exposure of our Galaxy center in Sagittarius. Image was obtained on 2008 May 3 at 2h01UT (start) with Canon 5D camera at ISO 1000 and 50mm, f/3.5 Asahi Pentax lens. North is up, East to the left. Copyright © 2008 by H. Mikuz and A. Mohar, Dark Sky Slovenia.
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Milky Way over the Adriatic Sea Unprocessed 180 second guided exposure of Milky Way over the Adriatic Sea. Image was obtained on 2008 May 4 at 0h56UT (start) with Canon EOS 20D camera at ISO 1600 and 8mm, f/4 Peleng fisheye lens. Reflections of planet Jupiter and even Sagittarius star cloud are clearly visible in the sea. Such reflections are visible only at very dark locations! The skyglow on left is from Dubrovnik, 100 km away. Skyglow sources toward the S-SW direction, coming from the Italian coast are clearly visible, although they are about 180 km away. Copyright © 2008 by H. Mikuz and A. Mohar, Dark Sky Slovenia.
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Although our night sky monitoring on Lastovo was limited to only three nights, there is strong evidence that
the sky is very dark, no doubt one of the darkest in Europe. Some light pollution is arriving from urban
areas in Dalmatian and Italian coast as well as from towns/villages on Lastovo and Korcula. Because of
growing tourism, state and local authorities should consider to protect this nice location from LP in future.
Action should be taken on two levels: if Croatia will adopt similar law as Slovenia (zero emission over the 90o),
the LP will be efficiently controlled. A less effective possibility would be to adopt the law in local Lastovo
commune. This would at least reduce emission from local unshielded light sources. Most of outside lighting in
Lastovo, Ubli, Skrivena Luka and Pasadur is very old and need to be replaced in near future. Now it is nice
opportunity to choose and set up fully shielded lamps and help to preserve this excellent location to future
generations. Lastovo has a good potential to became a European center of astro tourism which is not limited
only to summer but would be of interest all over the year.
Relevant links:
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| Nova Sagittarii 2008 (April 20, 2008) | ||
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Nova Sagittarii 2008 Nova was discovered on Apr. 18.784 UT by K. Nishiyama (Kurume, Fukuoka-ken, Japan) and F. Kabashima (Miyaki-cho, Saga-ken, Japan) using a 105-mm f/5.6 camera lens. The nova was at magnitude 8.4, having the following precise position: R.A.= 18h05m58s.88, Decl. = -27o13'56".0 (equinox 2000.0). This false color unfiltered image of nova (in field center) was obtained on 2008 Apr. 20.116UT with 19-cm, f/4 flat filed S-C camera and CCD. Image scale is 2.44 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2008 by H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory.
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| Total Moon Eclipse (February 21, 2008) | ||
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Total Moon Eclipse, February 21, 2008 Image of total Moon Eclipse, obtained on 2008 Feb. 21 (3h22UT) with 10-cm, f/10 Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope and Canon EOS 20D DSLR camera. Exposure time was 15 seconds. Camera gain set to ISO 400. All images were taken from Slovenske Gorice, region in NE part of Slovenia. Copyright © 2008 by H. Mikuz and J. Vales, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
| NEO Asteroid 2007 TU24 Flyby (January 29, 2008) | ||
| On January 29, 2008, NEO asteroid 2007 TU24 passed the Earth at a distance of 0.0046 a. u. (690.000 kilometers), which is less than twice the Earth-Moon distance. |
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NEO Asteroid 2007 TU24 Flyby Movie This false color animation was composed from series of 5 second exposures, obtained remotely during the NEO closest approach on 2008 Jan. 29/30 (22h10-4h00UT) with 60-cm, f/3.3 Cichocki telescope, R filter and CCD. The telescope was programmed to precisely follow asteroid flyby. Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2008 by J. Skvarc and H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory.
High resolution DivX movie (5Mb). |
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NEO Asteroid 2007 TU24 Flyby This false color image of NEO asteroid 2007 TU24 was obtained during the NEO closest approach on 2008 Jan. 29 (21h26-21h31UT) with 60-cm, f/3.3 Cichocki telescope, R filter and CCD. Exposure time was 5 minutes. The object brightness was about magnitude 10 and moved accross the northern sky at about 2 degrees per hour. Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2008 by J. Skvarc and H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory. Flyby ephemeris for 106 Crni Vrh Observatory. |
| Detection of optical counterpart of GRB071112C at Črni Vrh Observatory (Nov. 12, 2007) | ||
| We observed optical counterpart of Gamma Ray Burst GRB071112C (Swift trigger 296504) using 60 cm Cichocki robotic telescope at Črni Vrh Observatory. A new object was detected at RA=02:36:50.95, DEC=+28:22:16.8 (J2000). Series of nineteen connsecutive Rc filter exposures were taken, starting at 18:35:51UT, 118 seconds after the GCN notice time. We confirmed optical afterglow found by UVOT. The object was clearly detected on first nine frames after which it dropped below the detection limit. Complete results are published in GCN 7078 Circular. |
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Detection of optical counterpart of GRB071112C A 90 second R filter image above was obtained on 2007 Nov 12.77490UT and clearly show the GRB optical counterpart (marked) in outburst at R=17.25 magnitude. The object faded rapidly below the detection limit. Copyright © 2006 by S Maticic & PIKA project, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
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Relevant links:
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| Discovery of Supernova 2007od at Crni Vrh Observatory (Nov. 2, 2007) | ||
| On images taken by S. Maticic in the course of the Crni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search program PIKA, an apparent bright supernova (mag 14.4) was detected using software for automatic discovery of static objects. Supernova was found on four consecutive unfiltered CCD images taken around Nov. 2.850 UT with a 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki Sky Survey Robotic Telescope. |
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Discovery Image of Supernova 2007od Composite image of supernova 2007od was made by stacking four 40 second unfiltered discovery frames taken around 2007 Nov. 2.850UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope. Image scale is 1.8 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2007 by S. Maticic, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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The new object is located at R.A. = 23h55m48s.68, Decl. = +18o24'54".8 (equinox 2000.0),
which is approximately 38" east and 31" south of the center of the nearby galaxy UGC 12846.
Nothing is visible at this location on PIKA archive images obtained
on 2004-09-11, 2005-09-30, 2006-09-01, 2006-09-20 and 2006-10-18.
Limiting magnitude on this images is 18.5 - 19.0. We checked POSS2/UKSTU Red, POSS2/UKSTU Blue, POSS2/UKSTU IR, POSS1 Red and POSS1 Blue at STSCI archives but there was no trace of any object at this position. Confirming images of 2007od, obtained with the 60-cm Cichocki reflector on Nov. 3.713 reveal magnitudes R = 13.9 and B = 14.5. Discovery was announced in CBAT Electronic Telegram No. 1116. Spectroscopic observations (CBET No. 1119), obtained on Nov. 4.11 UT with F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope shows it to be a type-II supernova about two weeks past the explosion. Relevant links:
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| Discovery of Supernova 2007kg at Crni Vrh Observatory (Sept. 22, 2007) | ||
| On images taken by H. Mikuz in the course of the Crni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search program PIKA, an apparent supernova (mag 17.1) was detected using software for automatic discovery of static objects. Supernova was found on four consecutive unfiltered CCD images taken around Sept. 22.90 UT with a 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki Sky Survey Robotic Telescope. |
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Discovery Image of Supernova 2007kg Composite image of supernova 2007kg was made by stacking four 25 second discovery frames taken around 2007 Sept. 22.90UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope, operating in Scanning Along the Great Declination Circles mode. The inserted DSS image shows the area around the supernova host galaxy (barely visible on discovery image) to approximately the same scale. Image scale is about 1.5 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2007 by H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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The new object is located at R.A. = 23h58m37s.43, Decl. = +60o59'06".7 (equinox 2000.0),
which is approximately 7".0 east and 6".0 north of the center of a nearby faint galaxy.
Nothing is visible at this location on several Palomar Sky Survey
images (limiting B and I magnitudes 20.0; limiting R mag 20.5) and 2MASS
images from the Aladin database. Further confirming CCD photometry with the
same telescope on Sept. 23.974 using the USNO-B1 R2 catalogue yields R =
17.17 +/- 0.04 and B = 18.62 +/- 0.10.
Discovery was announced in CBAT Electronic Telegram No. 1086. Spectroscopic observations (CBET No. 1095), obtained with F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope shows it to be a type-Ia supernova about three months past maximum. Relevant links:
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| Discovery of a New Variable Star in Perseus (Sep. 16, 2007) | ||
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A new star-like object with coordinates ra=03:57:28.01, dec=+35:37:16.3 (J2000) was found by H. Mikuž on
unfiltered CCD images (limiting mag 19.0) in the course of the PIKA project
with the 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki telescope
at Črni Vrh Observatory. The object was visible on all four images of the same region taken around 2007 Sep. 16.078UT.
The magnitude was 17.9+-0.05, (using comparison stars from USNO B catalog), roughly equivalent to
R band and no motion was detected for this object. Nothing is visible at this location on our archive images
with 19.0 limiting magnitude taken on 2005-01-11, 2004-02-09 and 2003-09-26, as well as on several POSS
and 2MASS images from the Aladin database. However, the object position is consistent with USNO-B1
catalogue star 1256-0061977 with B magnitude 21.51. MPC checker returned no hits of slowly moving objects
at this location. Confirmation R and B filter photometry was obtained with 60 cm, f/3.3 Cichocki telescope, using comparison stars from USNO-B1 catalogue:
2007 Sep 16.955 R=17.65 +/- 0.05; B=17.90 +/- 0.10
Sep 17.037 R=17.39 +/- 0.04; B=17.60 +/- 0.09
The discovery was announced in IAUC 8870
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New Variable Star in Perseus Discovery image is a 25 second exposure obtained in Drift Scan Along the Declination Circles mode, now used in searching for new objects. The variable star was found using software for detection of new static objects. Copyright © 2007 by H. Mikuz.
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| Perseids 2007 from La Palma (August 12, 2007) | ||
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Perseids 2007 from La Palma Crni Vrh Observatory team member Jure Skvarc observed the 2007 Perseids next to the Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope on the Roque de los Muchachos mountain on La Palma Island. The night was perfectly clear with some wind but it did not affect observations. The images were taken on the night of Aug. 12-13, 2007 using a Canon 350D digital camera and 8 mm/f3.5 Peleng fisheye lens on static photo mount. The camera was controlled from a notebook computer. He obtained dusk to dawn long series of 30 second exposures at ISO 1600 and composed a (61 MB) AVI video animation. A 47 MB WMV video animation is also available. The image with bright Perseid shown on left is a 30 second exposure at ISO 1600, starting on Aug. 13 at 2h05m55sUT. Copyright © 2007 by J. Skvarc, Crni Vrh Observatory.
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Perseid meteor and bright zodiacal light Another bright Perseid meteor was recorded just before dawn on Aug. 13 at 4h43m08sUT. Also there is conspicious zodiacal light extending from just rising constellation Gemini up to Taurus. Copyright © 2007 by J. Skvarc, Crni Vrh Observatory.
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| Bright Fireball Animation (April 22, 2007) | ||
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Bright Fireball Animation Bright fireball of about magnitude -8 was recorded over the eastern horizon with the All-Sky camera on 2007 Apr. 22 at 23h11m25s UT (center). Trace of fireball afterglow and its motion toward the south is evident on several successive exposures. The animation was prepared by Javor Kac and cover the time span of about 8 minutes. Copyright © 2007 by J. Kac and Crni Vrh Observatory.
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| Discovery of Supernova 2007bk at Crni Vrh Observatory (Apr. 21, 2007) | ||
| On images taken by H. Mikuz in the course of the Crni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search program PIKA, an apparent supernova (mag 16.5) was detected using software for automatic discovery of static objects. Supernova was found on four consecutive unfiltered CCD images taken around Apr. 20.005 UT with a 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki Sky Survey Telescope. |
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Image of Supernova 2007bk Composite image of supernova 2007bk was made by stacking four 25 second discovery frames taken around 2007 Apr. 20.005UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope, operating in Scanning Along the Great Declination Circles mode. Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2007 by H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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Supernova Finder Interface Supernova 2007bk as displayed in user interface for verification of new object candidates. Copyright © 2007 by B. Dintinjana, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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The new object is located at R.A. = 15h28m45s.58, Decl. = +58o52'12".8 (equinox 2000.0),
which is approximately 5".0 east and 12".5 north of the center of a nearby faint galaxy.
Nothing is visible at this location on three consecutive unfiltered PIKA images obtained on
2005 Apr. 4.882 (limiting mag 18.5) or on several Palomar Sky Survey and 2MASS images from the
Aladin database. A confirming R-filtered image of 2007bk taken on Apr. 20.950 yields magnitude
R = 16.65 +/- 0.02.
Discovery was announced in CBAT Electronic Telegram No. 933. Spectroscopic observations (CBET No. 937), obtained with Heute Provence Observatory 1.93-m telescope shows it to be a type-Ia supernova around 50 days after maximum. Relevant links:
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| Detection of optical counterpart of GRB070411 at Črni Vrh Observatory (Apr. 11, 2007) | ||
| We observed optical counterpart of Gamma Ray Burst GRB070411 (Swift trigger 275087) using 60 cm Cichocki robotic telescope at Črni Vrh Observatory. A variable object was detected at ra=07:09:19.95, dec=+01:03:52.8. Alternating exposures using R and B photometric filters were taken. Full results are published in GCN 6270 Circular. Detailed B and R photometry, confirming the object rebrightening was performed and published in GCN 6288 Circular. |
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Detection of optical counterpart of GRB070411 A 90 second R filter image above was obtained on 2007 Apr 11 20:19:31UT and clearly show the GRB optical counterpart (green circle) in outburst at R=18.2 magnitude and the surrounding comparison stars used in analysis. The object faded rapidly below the detection limit. The first image with GRB detection started only 48 seconds after the receipt of SWIFT alert. Copyright © 2006 by B. Dintinjana and H. Mikuz, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
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Those interesting to study our original images
may download them here.
It is a 15MB tar file, including 12 individual exposures in B and R filters. In case you intend to
publish results, obtained from our images, please credit them to PIKA program at Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia.
Relevant links:
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| Asteroid 2007 EH flyby (March 10-11, 2007) | ||
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Asteroid 2007 EH flyby On 10-11 March 2007 a small asteroid 2007 EH flew by the Earth at a distance of only 165000 km. At a point of the closest approach it had sky motion of about 20 arc-minutes / minute. In spite of the cloudy weather we managed to make more than 300 images of this object and composed an animation showing the curved trajectory relative to the star field. The 60-cm Cichocki telescope was tracking on the object, therefore the stars appear as streaks. Exposure times were 7 second, and images were made using 2x2 binning, giving pixel size of 5 arc seconds. The animation cover a time span of 80 minutes, starting at 23h12UT on March 10. Flyby ephemeris for 106 Crni Vrh Observatory. Copyright © 2007 by J. Skvarc and H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory. High resolution movie. |
| Popolni Lunin mrk v noči 3-4 marec 2007 | |
| Posnetki popolnega Luninega mrka so bili narejeni na Astronomskem observatoriju Črni Vrh. Po začetnem oblačnem vremenu se je kako uro pred mrkom nebo zjasnilo. Šele po koncu mrka se je spet pojavilo nekaj oblakov. Sodeč po meritvah vsenebne kamere in naprave Unihedron je bilo nebo med mrkom za okoli 0,2m temnejše kot je sicer za to lokacijo običajno v nočeh brez Lune. |
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Total Eclipse of the Moon, March 3-4, 2007 True color image of total Moon eclipse, obtained on 2007 Mar. 3 (23h30UT) with 20-cm, f/6.3 S-C telescope and Nikon D80 camera. Camera gain set to ISO 800. Copyright © 2007 by T. Fabjan, Kobdilj Observatory. More ... |
| Discovery of NEO Asteroid 2007 DB83 at Crni Vrh Observatory (Feb. 24, 2007) | ||
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Click for animation of NEO asteroid 2007 DB83 discovery. Animation image was made by stacking three 25 second discovery frames taken on 2007 March 24.07 - 24.09UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope and CCD. Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2005 by S. Matičič, Črni Vrh Observatory. |
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On images taken by S. Matičič in the course of the Črni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search
program PIKA on February 24, 2007 an asteroid with unusual motion was automatically detected.
Confirmation images were taken on the night 26-27 February, again by S. Matičič at 106 Črni Vrh. With the semimajor axis of 1.75 AU,
inclination of 11 degrees and eccentricity of 0.30, this object belongs to the Amor asteroid family.
Estimated object diameter is about 1400 m. Closest approach to Earth will be 0.35 AU on April 15, 2007.
The orbit has been linked to observations made on 1996 Oct. 9 by 691 Steward Observatory, Kitt Peak and by
703 Catalina Sky Survey on Jan. 16 and Feb. 10, 2007.
Further observations and orbit details are in MPEC 2007-D78.
The NEO asteroid 2007 DB83 was discovered with the drift-scan along the declination circles technique that we regularly use on the 60-cm Cichocki robotic telescope. The telescope was operated remotely and the new object was automatically found by Fitsblink software. Relevant links:
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| (89818) Jureskvarč (January 18, 2007) |
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Asteroid (89818) was recently named in honour of our team member Jure Skvarč.
He is one of key members of Črni Vrh Observatory team, creating the
Fitsblink software
for automatic detection and astrometry of asteroids and comets. Also he give indispensable
contribution by developing electronics and software for the
60-cm Cichocki telescope as well as part of hardware and software for remote robotic
observations at Črni Vrh Observatory. The naming is important recognition to our observing
team and will stimulate further activities. It was proposed by Asiago-DLR Asteroid Survey at University of Padova. See full citation below. |
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(89818) Jureskvarč = 2002 AX203 Discovered 2002 Jan. 2 by the Asiago-DLR Asteroid Survey at Cima Ekar. Jure Skvarč (b. 1964, Slovenia) created data analysis software for automatic astrometric measurements and asteroid search used in the scope of asteroid and comet search project at the Črni Vrh Observatory (Slovenia) and in the Astrovirtel survey at University of Padova (Italy). Naming published in MPC 58597, issued on 2007 Jan. 6. |
| Geminids Fireball Activity (December 14, 2006) |
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We observed high activity of Geminid meteors during the nights 12. - 15. December 2006.
Several fireballs were recorded during the night of Dec. 14./15. with the Crni Vrh Observatory
All Sky Camera.
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Geminid Fireballs High activity of Geminid meteors was recorded during the night of 13./14. and 14./15. December 2006. Several fireballs were recorded during the night of Dec. 14./15. with the Crni Vrh Observatory All Sky Camera. The 60 sec false color image of fireball was obtained on 2006 Dec. 14 at 21:52:49UT (center). Copyright © 2006 Crni Vrh Observatory. More ... |
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Geminid Fireballs The 60 sec false color image of fireball was obtained on 2006 Dec. 14 at 19:59:03UT (center). Copyright © 2006 Crni Vrh Observatory. More ...
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Geminid Fireball The 30 sec color image of a Geminid fireball was obtained on 2006 Dec. 14 at 23:06UT (start) with Canon EOS 20D DSLR camera and Peleng 3.5/8 mm fisheye lens closed to f/4. The camera gain was set to ISO 1600. Copyright © 2006 by H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory.
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| Leonids from La Palma, Canary Islands (Nov. 19, 2006) | ||
| This year predicted maximum of Leonid meteors was expected for Nov. 19 at about 4h45UT. One of potentially best observing places with darkness and meteor radiant high on the sky was La Palma, Canary Islands. Unfortunately, the observations were strongly affected by clouds, so that only few meteors were recorded. |
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Leonids 2006 from La Palma Although the sky was partially obscured by clouds, a trail of bright Leonid meteor was recorded on this wide field image, obtained from 2400m elevation Roque de los Muchachos mountain on La Palma. Image was taken on 2006 Nov. 19 (starting at 03:34:11UT) with 8mm, f/3.5 Peleng fisheye lens attached to Canon 350D DSLR camera. Exposure time was 30 seconds at camera gain set to ISO 1600. See also this video animation taken from the same location on 18-19 Novemeber 2006. High activity of Leonids was predicted at about 5 UT, but nothing unusual was observed. Clouds and high humidity, causing water condensation on the camera, prevented creation of an uninterrupted animation, therefore only discontinuous patches could be joined together. Copyright © 2006 by J. Skvarč. |
| Discovery of a New Variable Star in Taurus (Oct. 26, 2006) | ||
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A new star-like object (mag about 15.2) was discovered by J. Skvarč on four unfiltered CCD images
(limiting mag 18.5) taken during Oct. 26.010-26.037 UT in the course of the PIKA project
with the 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki telescope
at Črni Vrh. The new object is located at R.A. = 3h29m12s.26, Decl. = +12d50'17".6 (equinox 2000.0); nothing is visible at this
location on Črni Vrh archival images taken on 2004 Sept. 10, Nov. 16, and 2005 Jan. 22 (limiting mag 18.5) or on several Palomar Sky Survey
and 2MASS images from the Aladin database. Confirming unfiltered CCD images were taken with a 0.40-m f/3.6 telescope by R. Palčič at
Rezman Observatory (Slovenia) during Oct. 26.905-26.909 showing the object at
similar brightness. The discovery was announced in CBET 701
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New Variable Star in Taurus Follow-up observations published in CBET 701 indicate that the object is most probably SU UMa-type cataclysmic variable. Copyright © 2006 by J. Skvarč.
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| Detection of optical counterpart of GRB060904B at Črni Vrh Observatory (Sept. 4, 2006) | ||
| We observed optical counterpart of Gamma Ray Burst GRB060904B (Swift trigger 228006) using 60 cm Cichocki robotic telescope at Črni Vrh Observatory. A variable object was detected at ra=03:52:50.52, dec=-0:43:30.9. Alternating exposures using R and B photometric filters were taken. Full results are published in GCN 5511 Circular. The movie shows fast fading of this distant cosmic explosion. |
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Video Animation of optical counterpart of GRB060904B The animation above was obtained with R filter and cover the time span of 47 minutes, starting 45 seconds after the trigger from Swift satellite was received. Copyright © 2006 by J. Skvarč, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
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GRB060904B Light Curve First quasi real time detection of a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) optical afterglow at Črni Vrh Observatory exhibits a peculiar light curve with a distinct peak about 10 minutes after the burst. This has been observed both using R and B filters. Copyright © 2006 by J. Skvarč, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
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Those interesting to study our original images
may download them here.
It is a 15MB tar file, including 10 individual exposures. In case you intend to
publish results, obtained from our images, please credit them to Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia.
Relevant links:
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| Obisk aktivnega vulkana Stromboli v času meteorskega roja Perzeidov (Avgust, 2006) | ||
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Misel, da živimo na mirni in okolju prijazni Zemlji, se nam na vrhu aktivnega vulkana takoj spremeni v
zmotno. Od nastanka Zemlje, pred 4,5 milijardami let in vse do danes, naša Zemlja ni povsem ugasnila
in se ohladila. Ker njeno delovanje in s tem povezani vulkani vznemirjajo vsakega preprostega človeka,
sva se z Matejem Mihelčičem v avgustu 2006 odpravila na posebno odpravo - vzpon na vulkan Stromboli in si na
lastne oči ogledati njegove izbruhe.
Vulkan Stromboli je otok, ki se nahaja v Eolskem/Liparskem otočju v Italiji. Pred 160.000 leti je Stromboli pokukal iznad morske gladine in začel je nastajati otok, ki ima sedaj nadmorsko višino 924 metrov. Vzrok za njegov nastanek je enak kot za vse ostale vulkane (Etna in Vezuv) v Italiji - trk dveh litosferskih plošč.
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Perseid fireball over the Stromboli Vulcano Fireball belonging to Perseid meteor shower was recorded on 2006 Aug. 12 (22h12UT), during the nightime imaging of Stromboli vulcano (Italy) from the coastal village San Vicenza. The wanning moon illuminate the scene with constellations Hercules and Corona Borealis far in the background. Nikon D70s DSLR with 18mm, f/8 lens, 180 second exposure at ISO 400. Copyright © 2006 by Matej Mihelčič & Teja Fabjan, Kobdilj, Slovenia. |
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Stromboli Vulcano Eruptions Stromboli vulcano is located in Lipari chain of islands in Italy. Its creation started some 160.000 years ago with magma ejections that continue to occurr until today. At present, the vulcano island, is composed of lava deposits that rise some 925 meters above sea level. Outstanding video animation (20Mb) about the visit of this active vulcano was composed by Teja Fabjan. Copyright © 2006 by Teja Fabjan, Kobdilj, Slovenia.
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Stromboli Vulcano Eruptions Stromboli is active vulcano with periodical eruptions occurring at about 10 minutes intervals. However, this periodicity is sometimes interrupted by stronger eruptions or even lava ejections. Due to safety reasons, visit to the top is admitted only with a qualifyed guider. The ascenscion to the vulcano begins in late afternoon, starting from the village San Vincenzo. The summit is reached after 2,5 hours and observed in complete darkness when the eruptions are visible at its best and are even most impressive. Copyright © 2006 by Matej Mihelčič & Teja Fabjan, Kobdilj, Slovenia.
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Stromboli je zanimiv po svoji aktivnosti, ki se ponavlja na približno vsake 10 minut v obliki bruhanja
kosov magme. Vendar od časa do časa se tudi ta »urejenost« izbruhov poruši in lahko nastopi močnejši
izbruh ali celo izliv lave. Tako se je decembra 2002 zgodil izliv lave, ki je povzročil večmetrski
tsunamij, ko se je lava potopila v morje. Aprila 2003 pa je močnejši izbruh lažje poškodoval vas Ginostro
na jugozahodni strani otoka. Kljub temu lahko vsak, ki si želi videti Strombolsko aktivnost, pripleza
na vrh vulkana. To pa samo pod enim pogojem: da te po celotni poti vodi vodič, ki je za to usposobljen.
Hoja na vrh traja 2,5 uri. Na vrhu se ostane 1 uro. Vzpon se začne v poznih popoldanskih urah v vasi
San Vincenzo, tako da se izbruhe opazuje v mraku oziroma že temi, saj so takrat bolje vidni in
bolj impresivni. Spust pa traja 1,5 ure po mehki vulkanski mivki v popolni temi in z lučjo na glavi.
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Vsekakor obisk Strombolija priporočava vsakomur, ki ga tovrstne stvari pritegnejo, saj v nas pusti
poseben prečat. Besedilo, slike in avtorske pravice © 2006 by
Matej Mihelčič & Teja Fabjan, Kobdilj, Slovenia.
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| 2004 XP14 Close Flyby (July 5, 2006) | ||
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NEO asteroid 2004 XP14 close flyby Near Earth asteroid 2004 XP14 made a close approach to our planet on July 4 2006. On the night of 4 - 5 July a sequence of images was taken with the 60 cm Cichocki telescope using 15 second R filter exposures and tracking on the asteroid. The animation consists of 134 images taken in a time span of 1 hour 40 minutes. The asteroid was moving at a rate of 15 arcseconds / minute. Copyright © 2006 by J. Skvarc, Crni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
| Total Solar Eclipse from Side, Turkey (March 29, 2006) | |
 Splošne informacije o popolnem Sončevem mrku 29. marca 2006 |
| Images of total solar eclipse were obtained near Side, Turkey very close to central line with totality duration 3min 45 sec. We used a wide range of observing equipment, including 500mm, f/8 telephoto lens and Canon EOS 20D DSLR camera, Olympus DSLR with 7.2 megapixels for taking both video and still images and Sony digital video camera which we used for making video animation of the eclipse. Beside digital cameras, we observed also with two classical cameras having ordinary film for color slides (Velvia 100). The 250 mm, f/4 lens was used for making wide field images of the corona, while Peleng 8 mm fisheye lens was used for imaging the entire sky during the totality. A 12V/220V power converter was connected to our rental car and supplied 220V current for the video and Canon 20D cameras. |
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Total Solar Eclipse March 29, 2006 Image is stacked from 7 individual exposures, obtained with 500mm, f/8 telephoto lens and Canon EOS 20D DSLR camera. Camera gain set to ISO 200. Copyright © 2006 Crni Vrh Observatory. |
| Discovery of Supernova 2006at at Crni Vrh Observatory (Mar. 9, 2006) | ||
| On images taken by B. Dintinjana and H. Mikuz in the course of the Crni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search program PIKA, an apparent supernova (mag 17.1) was detected using software for automatic discovery of static objects. Supernova was found on four consecutive unfiltered CCD images taken around Mar. 8.055 UT with a 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki Sky Survey Telescope. |
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Image of Supernova 2006at Composite image of supernova 2006at was made by stacking four 25 second discovery frames taken around 2006 Mar. 8.055UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope, operating in Scanning Along the Great Declination Circles mode. Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2006 by B. Dintinjana and H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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Supernova Finder Interface Image of user interface for verification of new object candidates. Copyright © 2006 by B. Dintinjana, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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The new object is located at R.A. = 13h12m41s.11, Decl. = +63o16'45".4 (equinox 2000.0),
which is approximately 8".0 east and 10".5 north of the center of a nearby very faint galaxy.
Nothing is visible at this location on three consecutive PIKA R-band images obtained on Feb.
12.074 (limiting mag 18.5) or on a Digital Sky Survey (DSS) image from
1993 Mar. 19 (limiting blue mag stated as 19.6).
Discovery was announced in CBAT Electronic Telegram No. 424 and confirmed by H. Yamaoka, Kyushu University; and H. Naito and N. Tokimasa, Nishi-Harima Astronomical Observatory. They obtained a low-resolution spectrum, indicating that it may be a very young supernova. Relevant links:
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| NASA astronaut Russell L. Schweickart visited Crni Vrh Observatory (Oct. 2, 2005) | ||
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On September 8-11, 2005, former NASA astronaut Russell L. Schweickart
visited Slovenia together with his wife Nancy Ramsey.
He piloted Apollo 9's
lunar module in 1969 and served as a backup
commander for the first Skylab mission in 1973. He currently chairs the board of directors
for the B612 Foundation. Since we have common interest in NEO asteroids, he also visited Crni Vrh
Observatory.
His current interest is devoted to the NEO asteroids that are potentionally threatening our planet and plans to send the unmanned space mission trying to deflect such body and prevent it from hitting Earth. In October 2001, more than 20 like-minded engineers and astronomers, including few former and current astronauts gathered in the Johnson Space Center in Houston to discuss what they saw as the missing element in the space program - attention to the possibility of our planet being struck by a near Earth asteroid.
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Russell L. Schweickart at Crni Vrh Observatory R. Schweickart and H. Mikuz during the inspection of the 60-cm Cichocki robotic telescope at Crni Vrh Observatory. In the course of PIKA search programe, 7 NEO asteroids were discovered so far with this telescope. Copyright © 2005 Crni Vrh Observatory.
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Inspecting virtual asteroid impact on Earth R. Schweickart and B. Dintinjana in the control room of Crni Vrh Observatory, inspecting the virtual asteroid impact on Earth and its consequences. See California for a simulation of a 2004MN4 impact generated tsunami in the Pacific Ocean and same object impacting in the Gulf of Mexico. Copyright © 2005 Crni Vrh Observatory.
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In order to facilitate their work, they formed the B612 Foundation, a non-profit corporation named
after the home asteroid of the title character in Antoine de Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince.
Also they proposed to NASA a B612 Mission
that would be sent to appropriate NEO asteroid with well known orbit and either speed up the body by pushing it in
the direction of its orbital motion or slow it down by pushing in the opposite direction. Rather than
giving the asteroid a powerful shove, they proposed the asteroid-tug concept that would deliver
a gentle but constant pressure, causing a slight but large enough deflection of orbit. The space tug
would need to rendezvous with a target asteroid, attach itself to the surface and show its ability
to maneuver the object. Thus the goal of a B612 mission is to significantly alter the asteroid's
orbit in a controlled manner. If successfull, they would clearly demonstrate that the deflection of
small Solar System bodies from hitting Earth is possible.
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In a recent article published in Sept.-Oct. 2005
issue of American Scientist they stressed
the importance of such space mission, following a recent addition of the 330-m diameter
asteroid designated 99942 Apophis to the list of small bodies that have small but real chance
of striking the Earth.
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| 2005 Perseids from La Palma, Canary Islands (Aug. 12, 2005) | ||
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During the night of 2005 Aug. 12-13, Crni Vrh Observatory team member Jure Skvarc set up his Canon
Digital Rebel DSLR camera and Peleng 3.5/8 mm fisheye lens on a fixed tripod atop the 2400m
elevation Roque de los Muchachos mountain on La Palma Island - one of the best observing places on
our planet. He obtained dusk to dawn long series of 30 second exposures, covering nearly the
whole sky. During the photo session, he recorded many meteors and two bright fireballs.
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Perseid Fireball Animation of a -10 magnitude fireball from Aug. 13 at 3h38UT and its afterglow. Copyright © 2005 by J. Skvarc. |
| Transneptunian objects 2003 UB313 and 2003 EL61 (Aug. 4, 2005) | ||
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These objects were successfully imaged with 60-cm Cichocki Sky Survey Telescope
during the July 29 - Aug. 2 period. We took a series CCD exposures on each night and co-added them to obtain a single, long exposure
image of distant Solar System objects.
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Transneptunian object 2003 UB313, so called 10th planet recently reported in
IAUC 8577
was successfully imaged on July 31 and Aug. 2 early morning sky with 0.6-m, f/3.3 remote robotic telescope, R+W
filters and CCD. The object was nearly 97 astronomical units from the Earth (current Sun-Pluto distance is 30 a.u.), slowly
moving toward the S-SW at only 11 arc sec/day. Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Further details are displayed on images.
Copyright © 2005 by J. Skvarc & H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory.
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Transneptunian object 2003 EL61, recently reported in
IAUC 8577
was successfully imaged on two consecutive nights July 29-30, 2005 with 0.6-m, f/3.3 robotic telescope, B+W
filters and CCD. The object was nearly 52 astronomical units from the Earth, slowly
moving toward the SE at about 50 arc sec/day. Further details are displayed on images.
Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2005 by J. Skvarc & H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory.
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| Southern Milky Way with Nova Sagittarii 2005 No. 2 (July 22, 2005) | ||
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While staying on the Island of Cres (Croatia) for holidays, I took some wide field night sky scenes using a fixed tripod and
Canon EOS 20D DSLR camera. In spite of modest equipment (lack of motorized mount), I was able to obtain surprisingly good images of the
central region of our Milky Way Galaxy. By chance, the Nova Sagittarii 2005 No. 2 was also recorded 2.9 days
after discovery by William Liller in Chile (IAUC 8559).
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Milky Way Central Region from Cres Island This true color view was taken on 2005 July 6.9UT. It is a composite image, made by adding four 30 second exposures obtained from a fixed tripod with Canon EOS 20D camera and 20 mm lens. In order to reduce the image smear due to Earth rotation, the camera sensitivity was boost to 1600 ASA. Stars down to -42o declination are visible just over the southern horizon (middle of frame). Some clouds moved over the horizon during the exposure, slightly reflecting the HP sodium light from the distant towns of Osor and Mali Losinj. Copyright © 2005 by H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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Nova Sagittarii 2005 No. 2 Enlarged part of the above image with the Nova Sagittarii 2005 No. 2 marked. Nova was at magnitude 8.0 at the time of discovery, reaching 7.2 on July 5.0 and faded to about mag. 8.5 on the above image. Copyright © 2005 by H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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Island of Cres is the largest in Adriatic sea but so far also relatively unpopulated, with only few smaller
tourist centers. The light pollution is consequently low. As soon as you move in the island countryside, the night sky
is very dark -- a good place for imaging the sky and the Southern Milky Way in particular. Perhaps, one of the darkest
places in Europe.
Some additional testing images, recently obtained with Canon 20D are collected in our
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| Discovery of NEO Asteroid 2005 FV2 at Crni Vrh Observatory (Mar. 18, 2005) | ||
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Click for animation of NEO asteroid 2005 FV2 discovery. Animation image was made by stacking three 25 second discovery frames taken on 2005 March 18.90 - 18.92UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope and CCD. Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Bright trail on the 3rd image is due to artificial satellite passing through the telescope field. Copyright © 2005 by S. Maticic and B. Dintinjana, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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On images taken by S. Maticic in the course of the Crni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search
program PIKA on March 18, 2005 an asteroid with unusual motion was automatically detected.
After being posted on the NEO Confirmation Page, further measurements were obtained by
P. Birtwhistle (J95, Great Shefford) and S. Sposetti (143, Gnosca). They provided enough observations to determine basic
orbital parameters. With the semimajor axis of 2.05 AU, inclination of 19 degrees
and eccentricity of 0.71, this object belongs to the Apollo asteroid family. Estimated object diameter is ~500 m.
Closest approach to Earth was 0.265 AU on March 11, 2005.
Further observations and orbit details are in MPEC 2005-F28.
The NEO asteroid 2005 FV2 was discovered with the drift-scan along the declination circles technique that we regularly use on the 60-cm robotic telescope. The telescope was operated remotely and the new object was automatically found by Fitsblink software. Relevant links:
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| Discovery of NEO Asteroid 2005 CR37 at Crni Vrh Observatory (Feb. 8, 2005) | ||
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Click for animation of NEO asteroid 2005 CR37 discovery. Animation image was made by stacking three 25 second discovery frames taken on 2005 February 8.14 - 8.16UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope and CCD. Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2005 by H. Mikuz and B. Dintinjana, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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On images taken by H. Mikuz in the course of the Crni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search
program on February 8, 2005 an asteroid with unusual motion was automatically detected.
The rate and direction of motion indicated that
the object does not belong to the main belt asteroids.
After being posted on the NEO Confirmation Page, further measurements were obtained by
observers worldwide. They provided enough observations to determine basic
orbital parameters. With the semimajor axis of 1.9 AU, inclination of 26 degrees
and eccentricity of 0.46, this object belongs to the Amor asteroid family. Estimated object diameter is ~900 m.
Closest approach to Earth is 0.063 AU on February 27, 2005.
Further observations and orbit details are in MPEC 2005-C32.
The NEO asteroid 2005 CR37 was discovered with the new drift-scan along the declination circles technique that we regularly use on the 60-cm robotic telescope. The telescope was operated remotely and the new object was automatically found by Fitsblink software. Relevant links:
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| Discovery of NEO Asteroid 2005 CC37 at Crni Vrh Observatory (Feb. 6, 2005) | ||
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Click for animation of NEO asteroid 2005 CC37 discovery. Animation image was made by stacking three 25 second discovery frames taken on 2005 February 6.86 - 6.87UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope and CCD. Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2005 by S. Maticic and B. Dintinjana, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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On images taken by S. Maticic in the course of the Crni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search
program on February 6/7 2005, an asteroid with unusual motion was automatically detected.
The rate and direction of motion (2.6o/ day in PA 113o) indicated that
the object does not belong to the main belt asteroids.
After being posted on the NEO Confirmation Page, further measurements were obtained by
H. Mikuz and other observers worldwide. They provided enough observations to determine basic
orbital parameters. With the semimajor axis of 2.2 AU, inclination of 6 degrees
and eccentricity of 0.56, this object belongs to the Apollo asteroid family. Estimated object diameter is ~200 m.
Closest approach to Earth was 0.0534 AU on January 27, 2005.
Further observations and orbit details are in MPEC 2005-C30.
The NEO asteroid 2005 CC37 was discovered with the new drift-scan along the declination circles technique that we regularly use on the 60-cm robotic telescope. The telescope was operated remotely and the new object was automatically found by Fitsblink software. Relevant links:
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| Bright Fireball (Feb. 6, 2005) | ||
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Bright Fireball Bright fireball of about magnitude -10 was recorded with the All-sky camera on 2005 Feb. 6. One minute exposure was centered at 22h32m40s UT. Trace of fireball afterglow was also recorded on next image taken one minute later. Several fireballs and other phenomena were recorded with this camera since we put it in regular operation in August 2004. Copyright © 2005 by H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory.
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| Geminid Fireball (Dec. 12, 2004) | ||
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Geminid Fireball Bright fireball, belonging to Geminid shower was recorded with the All-sky camera in early morning of 2004 Dec. 12. One minute exposure was centered at 4h25m46s UT. Several fireballs and other phenomena were recorded with this camera since we put it in regular operation last August. Copyright © 2004 by H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory.
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| Venus in conjunction with Jupiter (Nov. 5, 2004) | ||
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Venus in conjunction with Jupiter (Image Gallery) This scenic view of conjunction was obtained from Slovenia Karst region on early morning of November 5, 2004. Canon EOS 20D digital camera and 17-40 mm lens at f/4 was used. Exposure time was 30 seconds at ISO set to 400. Dark image of the same duration was automatically subtracted. Copyright © 2004 by H. Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory. Enter gallery ... |
| Discovery of NEO Asteroid 2004 RS109 at Crni Vrh Observatory (Sep. 10, 2004) | ||
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Click for animation of NEO asteroid 2004 RS109 discovery. Animation image was made by stacking three 25 second discovery frames taken on 2004 September 10.96 - 10.98UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope and CCD. A numbered main belt asteroid 86034 is in the same field and marked with a green square. Note the difference in speed and direction of motion. Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2004 by H. Mikuz and B. Dintinjana, Crni Vrh Observatory. |
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On images taken by H. Mikuz in the course of the Crni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search
program on September 10/11 2004, an asteroid with unusual motion was automatically detected.
The rate and direction of motion (3o/ day in PA 163o) indicated that
the object does not belong to the main belt asteroids.
After being posted on the NEO Confirmation Page, confirmation measurements were taken on the
Sep. 11 evening by S. Maticic and other observers worldwide. They provided enough observations to determine basic
orbital parameters. With the semimajor axis of 2.34 AU, inclination of 34 degrees
and eccentricity of 0.5, this object belongs to the Amor asteroid family. Closest approach
to Earth is on 2004 Sep. 16.5UT at the distance of 27 million km. Estimated diameter of this object is ~1 km.
Further observations and orbit details are in MPEC 2004-R61.
The NEO asteroid 2004 RS109 was discovered on the first night we used the new drift-scan along the declination circles technique on the 60-cm robotic telescope. It was operated remotely and the new object was automatically found by Fitsblink software. Relevant links:
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| CARA Meeting, June 19-20th 2004 | ||
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CARA Meeting, 2004 Some 15 comet observers from Italy, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia gathered on a two day CARA conference which take place at Crni Vrh elementary school. The aim of conference was discussion on how to improve the quality of comet observations by using new observational techniques (remote robotic telescopes, narrow band filters and various software tools). See conference programme for further details. On Sunday afternoon, participants visited nearby Crni Vrh Observatory where the new 60-cm robotic telescope is now in full operation. Part of telescope time is devoted also to comet observations. Unfortunately, evening remote observations were not possible due to bad weather. See also some nice pictures, taken during the conference. |
| Venus Transit, June 8th 2004 |
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Venus Transit Live, June 8th 2004 Venus transit was successfully imaged with 500 mm, f/8 lens, webcam and solar filter. Video animation was prepared by using 360 images taken at 1 minute intervals. Time recorded on images is Central European Summer Time (UT+2h). North is up and East to the left. Copyright © 2004 by H. Mikuz, B. Dintinjana and S. Maticic, Crni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. We prepared also public observation at the Crni Vrh Elementary School where B. Mikuz and J. Vales conducted observations with 15-cm Maksutov telescope and solar filter. |
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You can look at image archive which
contain images at 10 sec intervals, starting from 5h30UT. The file name contain information on when
particular image was obtained. Thus image 74154.jpg was taken at 7h 41min 54 sec. Transit data for Crni Vrh Observatory
h m s
Fist contact 7:20:05.4
Second contact 7:39:40.1
Third contact 13:04:08.4
Fourth contact 13:23:22.4
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| Discovery of NEO Asteroid 2004 FF29 at Črni Vrh Observatory (Mar. 28, 2004) |
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Click for animation of NEO asteroid 2004 FF29 discovery. Animation image is made by stacking three 30 second discovery frames taken on 2004 March 28.994 - 29.005UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope and CCD. Image scale is 1.85 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2003 by H. Mikuž, S. Matičič and B. Dintinjana, Črni Vrh Observatory. |
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On images taken by H. Mikuž in the course of the Črni Vrh Asteroid and Comet Search
program on March 28/29 2004, an asteroid with unusual motion was automatically detected.
The rate of motion (1.8 degree / day in PA ~250o) indicated that
this object does not belong to the main belt asteroids. Confirmation images were taken
next night by S. Maticic and object reported to the Minor Planet Center. After being posted
on the NEO Confirmation Page for a day, enough observations were provided to determine basic
orbital parameters. With the semimajor axis of 1.94 AU, inclination of 8 degrees
and eccentricity of 0.62 this object belongs to the Apollo asteroid family. Closest approach
to Earth was on 2004 Mar. 10.62UT at the distance of 25 million km. Estimated diameter of this object is ~1 km.
Further observations and orbit details are in MPEC
2004-F85. Relevant links:
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| Discovery of NEO Asteroid 2003 SS214 at Črni Vrh Observatory (Sept. 26, 2003) |
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Click for animation of NEO asteroid 2003 SS214 discovery. Animation image is composed from three 30 second discovery frames taken on 2003 September 26.88UT with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope and CCD. Image scale is 1.85 arc sec/pixel. Copyright © 2003 by S. Matičič and J. Skvarč Črni Vrh Observatory. |
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On images taken by Stane Matičič in the course of the Črni Vrh Asteroid and Comet
Search program on 26 September 2003, an asteroid with unusual motion
was automatically detected. The direction and rate of motion (PA = 90 degrees at
almost 1.1 degree / day) indicated that this object does not belong to the main belt
asteroids. Confirmation images were taken next night by J. Skvar?and object reported to the
Minor Planet Center.
After being posted on the NEO Confirmation Page for a day, enough
observers provided additional position measurements to determine basic orbital
parameters. With the semimajor axis of 2.3 AU, inclination of 8 degrees and
eccentricity of 0.52 this object belongs to the Amor asteroid family. At the
closest approach to Earth it will be at the distance of 24 million km. Estimated
diameter of this object is 400 m. Relevant links:
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| First NEO discovery at Črni Vrh Observatory (March 5, 2003) |
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Images of comet C/2001 RX14 (LINEAR) with NEO asteroid 2003 EM1. On the right side image, taken with R filter the asteroid trace has unequal intensity which imply brightness changes due to rapid rotation. Copyright © 2003 J. Skvarč Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. |
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Fast moving object, crossing the field of Comet C/2001 RX14 (LINEAR) was found by J. Skvarc on 2003 March 5 in the
course of our sky survey program with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph telescope.
Due to rapid motion, the object left ~2 arc min trace on both 120 second images taken 4 minutes apart. NEO is just S-SW of the comet and
moves toward the SW direction. After beeing confirmed by several observatories it received the designation 2003 EM1. Preliminary
measurements indicate that this is a very fast rotating asteroid, probably first of this size with rotating period of less than 2 minutes.
It belongs to Aten type of asteroids which have their orbit entirely inside the Earth's. Further orbit details are published in
MPEC 2003-E28.
Image scale is 2.49 arc sec/pixel. Dark columns in the middle of frames are due to bad CCD cosmetics.
Copyright © 2003 by J. Skvarč, Črni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia.
Relevant links:
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| First Light on the 60-cm Telescope (September 2, 2002) |
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Early in the morning we obtained first images with the new
60-cm telescope.
We carefully assembled all telescope parts and on Sept 1st, the system was ready for first light. After the laser collimation procedure, we performed the Faucault test and adjusted the telescope back-focus to within 0.1mm off the ideal position. Then we put 1k x 1k CCD and took few images. The first one was out of focus and shows the telescope is well collimated. After some focus adjustment, we obtained second image with sharp stellar images accross the whole field. We slewed the telescope to M33 and took a 3-min unguided exposure with R filter. Again, stellar images remain pin-point, although the mount was not yet aligned and the telescope drive constants only roughly set. Since the CCD was not used for a few months, all images have lot of ice crystalls all over the frame and are unprocessed. We just want to demonstrate that the optics, mechanics and electronics performed well. Real images will follow soon. See also one minute CCD exposure of M15 globular cluster, using a 60-cm telescope and R filter. |
| 60-cm Telescope Near the Completion (May 13, 2002) |
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Works on the construction of a 60-cm telescope are well in progress. The telescope optics
was ordered at Astrooptik Co. in August 2000 and delivered in April 2001. Technical solutions and project drawings were
completed early in 2001. Later, we switched our activity to observatory reconstruction. In August 2001,
we received servo motors and drive electronics. At the same time, work on the completion of control
electronics started. During November 2001 - March 2002, most of telescope parts were made in a local
workshop and on March 22, we started to assemble all parts together.
The upper ring, containing corrector and motorized focusing device was assembled first. On April 25th, the telescope servo drives were successfully tested for the first time. The most time consuming and rather difficult process was the making of motorized flaps that cover the mirror cage and protect it from moisture and dust. After all parts were assembled, the telescope was tested in a workshop once again on May 13, 2002. Mechanical and electronics tests passed well and the telescope was disassembled for painting. It will be installed at the Crni Vrh Observatory in June 2002. |
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