Rosetta Earth Swing-By 1 - Images

page 1, until 04 Mar - go to page 2

Introduction

On this page you'll find all images of Rosetta before 04 Mar 2005 that were sent to ESA, both from amateurs and from professionals. For the non-specialist, a short explanation of the abbreviations: SCT is a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope, typically produced by the companies Meade or Celestron. 12" is the aperture in inch, i.e. 30 cm. The pointing position is given in Right Ascension (R.A.) and Declination (Dec.), which are coordinates in the sky. The magnitude is given in the astronomical magnitude system - the brightest stars are around 0 mag, the human eye sees down to about 6 to 7 mag. 17 mag is quite faint...

Enjoy!

Images from amateurs

	Image taken by: Thomas Hugentobler Date: 28 Feb 2005 Time: 21h38m - 21h53m UT Location: Bolligen, near Bern, Switzerland Exposure duration: 4 x 3 min Telescope: Meade SCT 12", f/2.7 Camera: SBIG ST-7 Pointing position: R.A.: 11h06m48s Dec.: +02deg15'31" Field of view: 22' x 17', North is up, included 17 deg to the right Estimated magnitude: 17 Distance to Earth: 1.44 Mio km URL: Astronomische Gesellschaft Bern http://bern.astronomie.ch
	Image taken by: Giovanni Sostero & Antonio Lepardo (Remanzacco Obs, Italy) Date: 02 Mar 2005 Time: 21h18m UT Location: Remzacco Observatory, Italy Exposure duration: 5 x 180 sec Telescope: SCT, 8" Camera: CCD with KAF402ME chip Pointing position: tbd Field of view: tbd Estimated magnitude: tbd Distance to Earth: to come URL: none given
	Image taken by: Carsten A. Arnholm Date: 02 Mar 2005 Time: 21h34m - 22h01m UT Location: Heggedal, south-west of Oslo, Norway Exposure duration: 209 x 7.5 sec Telescope: Celestron SCT, 8", focal reducer 0.33 x, on Vixen GPDX mount Camera: modified Vesta 690K webcam with b/w chip Pointing position: tbd Field of view: tbd Estimated magnitude: 15 mag Distance to Earth: to come URL: http://arnholm.org/ Other info: Click here for an animation.
	Image taken by: Francesco Manca Date: 01 Mar 2005 Time: 20h27m40s - 20h44m14s UT Location: Sormano Astronomical Observatory, Italy Exposure duration: 4 x 180 sec Telescope: 50 cm Ritchey-Chretien f/6 Camera: Apogee with 1k x 1k back-illuminated CCD Pointing position: R.A.: 11h06m10s, Dec.: 02deg24m Field of view: tbd Estimated magnitude: 16.6 mag Distance to Earth: tbd URL: http://www.brera.mi.astro.it/sormano Other info: Search for Rosetta close to the bright star just below the center.
	Image taken by: Steve Cox Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 08h36m UT Location: Rocky Top Observatory, Van Buren, AR, USA Exposure duration: 7 x 30 sec Telescope: Meade LX 200, SCT, 12", f/10 Camera: SBIG 2000 XM Pointing position: star GS 265-804 and GS 265-1092 Field of view: 13.1' x 8.7', north is up, east is left. Estimated magnitude: 15 mag Distance to Earth: tbd URL: http://hometown.aol.com/stevepacs/RTOPAGE.html Other info: Heavy overcast, max. maked eye visibility 3 mag
	Image taken by: Carsten A. Arnholm Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 21h40m - 21h47m UT Location: Heggedal, south-west of Oslo, Norway Exposure duration: 73 x 5.4 sec Telescope: Celestron SCT, 8", focal reducer 0.33 x, on Vixen GPDX mount Camera: modified Vesta 690K webcam with b/w chip Pointing position: R.A.10h49m52s, Dec.: 02deg59'17" Field of view: 24.6' x 18.5' Estimated magnitude: 13.5 mag Distance to Earth: 390000 km URL: http://arnholm.org/
	Image taken by: Nick James Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 20h49m - 20h56m UT Location: Chelmsford, Essex, England Exposure duration: 12 x 30 sec Telescope: 30 cm Newton f/5.2 Camera: SBIG ST9XE Pointing position: R.A.11h28m, Dec.: 03deg00', North is up. Field of view: 23.0' x 16.8' Estimated magnitude: 13.1 mag Distance to Earth: to come URL: none Other info: the galaxy just to the East of Rosetta is PGC 33240.
	Image taken by: David Briggs Date: 27 Feb 2005 Time: 21h28m - 21h50m UT Location: Clanfield, England, MPC J84 Exposure duration: 8 x 60 sec @ 2 min intervals Telescope: 60 cm Newton f/4.75, Hampshire Astronomical Group Camera: Starlight Xpress MX916 Pointing position: R.A.11h07m05s, Dec.: 02deg15'45" Field of view: 10.3' x7.7', North is up Estimated magnitude: 18 mag Distance to Earth: 1.795 Mio km(!) URL: not given
	Image taken by: Sonka Adrian Bruno and Mihai Dascalu Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 21h08m - 21h15m UT Location: Bucharest, Romania Exposure duration: 7 min Telescope: 6" f/5 Newton Camera: Homemade CCD with TC237 chip Pointing position: not given Field of view: 13' long axis Estimated magnitude: 14 mag Distance to Earth: to come URL: www.astroclubul.org/planete/rosetta.html http://sonkab.tripod.com
	Image taken by: Carlos Reis Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 22h29m UT Location: Garcia - Marinha Grande - Portugal Exposure duration: 60 x 2 sec Telescope: Meade LX200 10" f/10 Camera: Mintron Pointing position: not given Field of view: 5.5' x 6.3' Estimated magnitude: not given Distance to Earth: to come Other info: At the end of the animation, Rosetta is occulting a star.
	Image taken by: Carlos Reis Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 21h16m UT Location: Garcia - Marinha Grande - Portugal Exposure duration: 1/50 sec Telescope: Meade LX200 10" f/10 Camera: Mintron Pointing position: not given Field of view: 5.5' x 6.3' Estimated magnitude: not given Distance to Earth: to come Other info: The enlargement of one single video frame, showing some structure. Detailed analysis of what can be seen there is still to come.
	Image taken by: Roberto Pellin Date: 01 Mar 2005 Time: 22h00m UT and 22h30m UT Location: Monastier TV, Italy Exposure duration: not given Telescope: Vixen R200SS Camera: CCD MX512 Pointing position: not given Field of view: not given Estimated magnitude: not given Distance to Earth: to come URL: not given
	Image taken by: Nick Quinn Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 22h22m - 22h48m UT Location: Steyning, UK Exposure duration: 60 x 20 sec Telescope: Celestron C11, f/10 Camera: Starlight XPress MX916 Pointing position: 11h00m, +03deg05' Field of view: 8' x 4' Estimated magnitude: 13 mag Distance to Earth: 383000 km URL: http://www.shadowchaser.demon.co.uk/recent/
	Image taken by: David Brown Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 23h03m - 23h10m UT Location: Dorset, UK Exposure duration: 5 x 60 sec, 30 sec breaks inbetween Telescope: Meade 10" LX200, F/7 Camera: Starlight XPress MX916 Pointing position: not given Field of view: not given Estimated magnitude: not given Distance to Earth: to come URL: http://astrodave.no-ip.com
	Image taken by: David Brown Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 23h03m - 23h10m UT Location: Dorset, UK Exposure duration: 5 x 60 sec, 30 sec breaks inbetween Telescope: Meade 10" LX200, F/7 Camera: Starlight XPress MX916 Pointing position: not given Field of view: not given Estimated magnitude: not given Distance to Earth: to come URL: http://astrodave.no-ip.com Other info: This is a still version of the animation above.
	Image taken by: David Brown Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 23h39m UT Location: Dorset, UK Exposure duration: 480 sec Telescope: Meade 10" LX200, F/7 Camera: Starlight XPress MX916 Pointing position: not given Field of view: not given Estimated magnitude: not given Distance to Earth: to come URL: http://astrodave.no-ip.com
	Image taken by: Ole Nielsen Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 22h51m45s - 23h11m45s UT Location: Rijswijk, The Netherlands Exposure duration: 18 x 15 sec Telescope: 203 mm SCT, f/6.3 Camera: Starlight XPress SHV-H9 Pointing position: not given Field of view: not given Estimated magnitude: not given Distance to Earth: to come URL: http://www.ngc7000.org
	Image taken by: Ole Nielsen Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 22h51m45s - 23h11m45s UT Location: Rijswijk, The Netherlands Exposure duration: 18 x 15 sec Telescope: 203 mm SCT, f/6.3 Camera: Starlight XPress SHV-H9 Pointing position: not given Field of view: not given Estimated magnitude: not given Distance to Earth: to come URL: http://www.ngc7000.org
	Image taken by: Stefano Sposetti Date: 02 Mar 2005 Time: 00h01m - 01h25m UT Location: Gnosca, Switzerland Exposure duration: 150 x 30 sec Telescope: 0.4 m f/4 Camera: CCD Pointing position: RA 11h05m, Dec. 02d26m Field of view: 15.8' x 12.8', East is left, North is up Estimated magnitude: 17 mag Distance to Earth: to come URL: http://aida.astronomie.info/sposetti/ Other info: "At about 1/5 of the trace, i.e.about at 00h20m UT one can evidently see a brightness increase of the trace, maybe due to a more favourable reflection of the sunlight."
	Image taken by: Antti Kuosmanen Date: 03 Mar 2005 Time: 20h50m - 21h10m UT Location: Espoo, Finland Exposure duration: 10 x 50 sec Telescope: 11" Celestron SCT, f/6.3 Camera: Canon 300D, set to ISO 800 Pointing position: R.A. 11h00m Dec. 02deg57' Field of view: cropped to 15' x 10' Estimated magnitude: 13 mag Distance to Earth: to come Other info: The frames were exposed for 50 seconds each. The exposure midtimes for each frame (for Rosetta's movement from left to right) were in UT: 20.52.31, 20.54.29, 20.56.27, 20.58.25, 21.00.25, 21.02.23, 21.04.21, 21.06.19, 21.08.19, 21.10.17.
	Image taken by: Martin Fiedler Date: 03 March 2005 Time: 21h13m07s - 21h55m07s UT Location: Radebeul, Germany, 51°06'59" N 13°37'20"E Exposure duration: different, 20s and 10s per Frame Telescope: 35cm f/4.5 Maksutov Newtonian Camera: ST10XME CCD Kamera Pointing position: 11 00 25 +03 03 09 (start) 10 59 48 +03 04 57 (end) Field of view: ~20' x 13', North is at 238° Estimated magnitude: ~12,7 mag Distance to Earth: --- Other info: For a higher quality version, go the Martin's web site here.
	Image taken by: Martin Fiedler Date: 03 March 2005 Time: 21h13m07s - 21h55m07s UT Location: Radebeul, Germany, 51°06'59" N 13°37'20"E Exposure duration: different, 20s and 10s per Frame Telescope: 35cm f/4.5 Maksutov Newtonian Camera: ST10XME CCD Kamera Pointing position: 11 00 25 +03 03 09 (start) 10 59 48 +03 04 57 (end) Field of view: ~20' x 13', North is at 238° Estimated magnitude: ~12.7 mag Distance to Earth: --- Other info: Same as above, but total frame.
	Image taken by: Martin Fiedler Date: 03 March 2005 Time: 21h59m49s UT Location: Radebeul, Germany, 51°06'59" N 13°37'20"E Exposure duration: 5 min Telescope: 35cm f/4.5 Maksutov Newtonian Camera: ST10XME CCD Kamera Pointing position: 11 00 25 +03 03 09 (start) 10 59 48 +03 04 57 (end) Field of view: ~20' x 13', North is at 238° Estimated magnitude: ~12.7 mag Distance to Earth: ---

Images from professional observatories

Image taken by: Reto Musci, Tim Flohrer, Martin Ploner

Date: 01 Mar 2005
Time: 23h11m31s - 23h15m31s UT
Location: Zimmerwald, Switzerland
Exposure duration: 3 sec each
Telescope: ZIMLAT 1 m telescope
Camera: CCD42-40
Pointing position: tbd
Field of view: 4.1' x 9.2'
Estimated magnitude: 16.3 mag
Distance to Earth: tbd

URL: http://www.aiub.unibe.ch/rosetta.html

Other info: Rosetta is the moving dot to the right of the center. The elongated object in the center of the field of view is a reflection.

page prepared by Detlef Koschny, 03 Mar 2005, last update 11 Apr 2005, 12h00m UT
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