JPL astronomers requested help in refining the orbit of the earth-crossing asteroid 2000 EH26 for radar studies at Arecibo. We responded and were able to image and do astrometry on this fast-moving, faint object!
Below are two motion-compensated image stacks of the NEO asteroid 2000 EH26. The images were taken out at the George Observatory, using the Fort Bend Astronomy Club's 18-inch (46 cm) reflector and Cookbook CCD camera. Each stack was made from 10, 30-second images. The stars are streaked as the images were shifted to follow the rapid motion (about 6 arcseconds/min) of the asteroid.
Observers were Joe Dellinger, Bill Dillon, and Cynthia Gustava. Images were processed by Randy Pepper and converted from fts to gif. Randy and Russ Wicker developed our motion-compensation code. The small red arrow points to the faint asteroid (~19th magnitude). Certainly one of the most challenging asteroids we've ever imaged!
Postscript: JPL astronomers succeeded in making radar contact with this asteroid!
B image stack, 02:41:08 UT, 25-April-2000
C image stack, 02:47:53 UT, 25-April-2000
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