Image of the Month - October 2004
Toutatis, the Movie
One of the more interesting objects of the Solar System, Minor Planet (4179) Toutatis and originally designated as 1989 AC, was
discovered on January 4, 1989 by J.-L. Heudier, R. Chemin,
A. Maury and C. Pollas on plates taken by with the 0.9m Schmidt Telescope at Caussols
station of the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur. Based on
Arecibo radar
observations obtained during the 1992 and 1996 close approaches, it
resembles two chunks of rock connected by a narrow neck-like structure. The rocky body's strange traits are believed to be the result
of a history of violent collisions.
Credit & Copyright: Scott Sinclair, Automated Patrol Telescopes Australia
Scott Sinclair of Automated Patrol Telescopes Australia captured (4179) Toutatis on the night of
September 29, 2004 from Rochedale, Australia, as it sped through the constellation
of Telescopium. Using a 0.25m Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector and SBIG ST7E CCD camera, he captured the 4km wide asteroid as it moved at
over 80" per minute. The animation covers a time span of 15 minutes, and the field of view of these images is approximately 14' x 21'.
Image of the Month
Previous | Archive | Next
[ Home |
Downloads |
Version History |
Star Catalogs |
Registration |
Mailing List |
About the Author |
Minor Planets |
Monthly Image |
Papers |
Links ]