The FK4 Equinox from Meridian Observations of Minor Planets

Abstract

Minor planets 1 (Ceres), 2 (Pallas), 3 (Juno), and 4 (Vesta) were observed during a five and a half year period with the Naval Observatory's 7-inch transit circle at El Leoncito, Argentina. From 1043 observations in right ascension and 1020 in declination the correction to the FK4 equinox was found to be +0".634 plus or minus 0".155, in good agreement With other determinations of this quantity. This successful equinox determination from a relatively short observing period was possible because the large number of clear nights at El Leoncito permitted many observations to be taken.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1979
Accession Number
ADA592468

Entities

People

  • Richard L. Branham Jr.

Organizations

  • United States Naval Observatory

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Agreements
  • Astrophysics
  • Cartesian Coordinates
  • Celestial Mechanics
  • Equations
  • Grids
  • High Density
  • Information Operations
  • Instructions
  • New York
  • Observation
  • Observatories
  • Orbital Elements
  • Physics

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Forest Ecology
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.