2024 Occultations by Main Belt Asteroids - Updated 2024 January 2
Corrected Occult Watcher link, and RASC Handbook corrections
These occultations are described and illustrated (in maps and tables) in this .pdf document. It includes several hot links to external Web pages, but links to internal files, the .xml input files used by the Occult program, are given below. CORRECTIONS TO THE OBSERVERS HANDBOOK 2024 The USA edition of the 2024 RASC Observers Handbook left out the column labels for all of the tables of occultations by asteroids on pages 245 to 251, an error that crept in just before the print run and after (correct) galley proofs had been sent to me for review. Corrected .pdf pages are posted on the website of the RASC Handbook. Another problem, spotted by Joan, is an updated link for Occult Watcher, on p. 246, 7th line counting up from “Occultations by Near-Earth Asteroids” the link given there can not be used to access the current version of the software. After I submitted the old link, Steve Preston created a better page for Occult Watcher that gives much information about it, as well as the link for the current version. This update is noted on the RASC 2024 Handbook updates page. Not yet on the RASC correction page is the following: On p. 248, 2nd line of “Occultations by Special Main-Belt Asteroids”, there are no spaces between any of the words on that line. I’m not sure how this happened, it is OK (with appropriate spaces) in the Word file I submitted, but this error is in all of the proof .pdf’s that were sent to me in late August and early Sept. I should have seen it in those, but missed it, as apparently did all the other reviewers; Joan found this last night. _ _ _ _ _ OCCULT INPUT FILES FOR 2024: When you open these files with your Web browser, you should get a display that looks like this. The larger files may take a couple of minutes to show this appearance, showing a messed-up display before then. Once the proper view appears, right-click anywhere on the display, then "Save as" to a directory on your computer; the best directory is the \Asteroid\ subdirectory in your Occult\ directory. 23 North American brighter main belt events, 23 events in the Handbook and the .pdf file. 649 North American main belt events to mag. 11.0 1427 North American main belt (and some NEA) events posted by Steve Preston Worldwide main belt (and some NEA) events from Steve Preston - for them, prediction maps and data are available at https://www.asteroidoccultation.com/. Worldwide main belt (and some NEA) events from Steve Preston, and major planet/moon events Occult Watcher, described in the .pdf document, is the best way to find out about updated upcoming events near your location. But the link there is not the best one; you should learn about and obtain the software at this link. Pages for maps and predictions of occultations by special classes of asteroids can be reached by clicking on the links below: Major Planets and their satellites These other pages below will be posted soon. Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) Selected Special Main-Belt Asteroids Trojan Asteroids (Lucy targets are emphasized) Distant objects (Comet SW1, Centaurs, and TNOs) ______ David and Joan Dunham, 2023 December 31; updated 2024 January 1 and 2 e-mail: dunham@starpower.net cell phone: 301-526-5590