Seeking Ceres: Following the Brave New World Through 2015

universetoday.com ^ | David Dickinson

[BenLurkin]

And the good news is, you can observe Ceres from your backyard if you know exactly where to look for it with binoculars or a small telescope. We’ll admit, we had an ulterior motive on pulling the trigger on this post three months prior to opposition on July 24th, as Dawn will soon be exiting its ‘shadow phase’ and start unveiling the world to us up close. The first science observations for Dawn begin in mid-April.

Ceres spends all of 2015 looping through the constellations of Capricornus, Microscopium and Sagittarius. This places it low to the south for northern hemisphere observers on April 1st in the early morning sky. Ceres will pass into the evening sky by mid-summer. Ceres orbits the Sun once every 4.6 years in a 10.6 degree inclination path relative to the ecliptic that takes it 2.6 AU to 3 AU from the Sun. The synodic period of Ceres is, on average, 467 days from one opposition to the next.

Shining at magnitude +8, April 1st finds Ceres near the Capricornus/Sagittarius border. Ceres can reach magnitude +6.7 during a favorable opposition. Note that Ceres is currently only 20 degrees east of the position of Nova Sagittarii 2015 No. 2, currently still shining at 4th magnitude. June 29th and November 25th are also great times to hunt for Ceres in 2015 as it loops less than one degree past the 4th magnitude star Omega Capricorni.

[BenLurkin]

The path of Ceres through the remainder of 2015. Credit: Starry Night Software.

[GeronL]

590 miles in diameter. I wonder if we could hollow it out and build a colony in there?

[BenLurkin]

I’m down. Just so long as it has enough water.

[GeronL]

We will get a long hose and steal it from Earth or maybe mine some ice asteroids.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Maybe we should start a new Freeper meme.

When something is really critical we can say it is Ceres.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin, extra to APoD.

[cripplecreek]

We'll be getting the first new pics soon.

Despite the statements that the Dawn spacecraft is in orbit, it actually isn't yet. Its been trailing some 40,000 beyond Ceres (thus no pics because its been on the dark side) Its begun dropping closer to the planetoid and will be in a real orbit in a week or so.

[cripplecreek]

Hugh and Ceres

[BenLurkin]

Thnx!

[cripplecreek]

The NASA Eyes on the solar system application is excellent for this kind of stuff.

[martin_fierro]

You. I see what you did there.