Abstract

The Observation of Grazing Occultation of Aldebaran on November 15, 1997

Claudio Costa

Am 15. November 1997 wurde bei Castel S.Pietro Terme, nahe Bologna/Italien,
Europas erfolgreichste Beobachtung einer streifenden Sternbedeckung registriert.
Die gute wissenschaftliche Ausbeute wurde durch einen neuen Rekord der Beobachterzahl erreicht.

On 15 November, 1997 at Castel S.Pietro Terme, near Bologna (Italy), a grazing occultation of Aldebaran was successfully observed. The organization of the observing team, provided in the scope of IOTA-ES activities, with an important local support by AAB and UAI-Occultation Section, led to the best European results for a single graze, both for the number of participants and for the scientific outcome obtained.

The event casually occurred 500 years after a lunar occultation of Aldebaran, observed in Bologna by Copernicus in March 1497, and by him skilfully described in his major work "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium".

We report the description of preparations, problems and results of the observation and, last but not least, the satisfaction in seeing for the first time a large number of amateur astronomers coming from various European Countries, exclusively attracted by the interest for a graze. Apart from the flattering outcome of this event, this is a proof of confidence by our foreign friends, and a positive encouragement for future observations.

 

Station	Dist.	Observer	Assistants	TV/Vis	Scope	Timings	note
N5	1400	Pasolini		Vis	C 8	0
N4	1000	Caleffi Luppi	Fumagalli	Vis TV	Mak 100 R 90	0
N3	650 590	Riedel Beisker		TV CCD	Mak 150 R 100	2 2
N2	450	Ercolino	Papi	Vis	C 8	2
N1	340	Di Luca	Bassini	TV	C 8	2
RAD	N420	Bourgeois		TV	Cass. 230	2
S1	120 140	Jorczyk Buechner		Vis Vis	R 100	6
S2	250	Vingerhoets De Jonge Bruijns Willaert		Vis Vis Vis Vis	Mak 100 R 90 R 60 R 75	6 10 6 9
S3	330	Dall'Occo	Muzzi	TV	C 8	16
S4	510	Norelli Dalle Donne	Biavati Bolognini	TV Vis	R 65 N 155	16 16
S5	590 620	Bredner Hartmann	Wickord Menkle	TV TV	Mak 100 Mak 150	9 8
S6
S7	900	Franco Corbisiero		Vis TV	N 114 C 8	2
S8	1000	Frisoni Garcia	Gonzalez Bisagni Brankart	Vis Vis	Mak 100 C 8	2
S9	1160	Guhl		TV	R 80	2
S10	1510	Andersson Mandelli	Palazzolo	Vis TV	R 50 C 8	2
S11	1580	Farago	Ruggeri	TV	C 8	2
S12	1710	Kowollik Schlichte Baroni D.		TV Vis Vis	Mak. 100 Mak. 100 Mak.
S13	1840	Teufel Grunwald		TV Vis	R 80 N 76	2 2
S14	2150	Costa	Porcellana	TV	Mak. 90	4
S15	2440	Tozzi Innocenti Tarchi	Travaglini	TV Vis Vis	R 90 N 110 R 80	6
S16	2950	Pierantoni Mengoli	Pupillo	TV Vis	C8 Mak 100	8 8
S17	3550	Busi	Cavazzoni	TV	C8	4
S18	3940	Boccadoro Camaiti Colombo		TV Vis Vis	R 80 R 70 R 80	2 2 2
S19	4300	Passerini	Innorta	TV	N 150	2
S20	4400	Forlivesi Ballardini		Vis Vis	N 200 C8	2 2
S21	5100	Brambilla	Bolzoni	Vis	C8	2
S22	5370	Tronchin	Marchi	Vis	R 90	6
S23	5700	Serpilli Braga		Vis Vis	N 150 N 80	2 1
S24	5900	Prosperini	Amico	Vis	Binoculars

Dr. Claudio Costa, UAI (Unione Astrofili Italiani) and ARA (Associazione Romana Astrofili)
Address: Via Virgino Paladini 7, Roma, Italia E-Mail: c.costa@mclink.it
Telephone: +39 6 3380169 Fax: +39 6 4197-2665

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