Desert Moon Observatory (Minor Planet Center
#448) is a roll-out observatory with an 12-inch (0.3 m) LX-200
with an AP-7B CCD camera. The telescope is controlled through
an umbilical to a computer in the garage. That computer is, in
turn, connected via powerline Ethernet to the main computer in
the house.
The co-directors of the Observatory are Bert
and Janet Stevens.
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Desert Moon Observatory Status:
Desert Moon Observatory is currently
operational. The desert southwest is between windy season and
monsoon season. Monsoon season will be starting shortly, but we
are trying to get as many observing nights in as we can. We
continue to work on good nights to produce good astrometry of
NEOs.
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Our first reported astrometric
observation was on October 15, 2001 of (5587) 1990 SB. We also
made a confirmation observation of comet C/2002 F1
(Utsunomiya).
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Total Observations Through 06/01/2013:
25,010
NEO Observations Through 05/31/2013:
15,256
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Minor Planet Discovery List
(111558) Barrett (2002 AZ)
(205698) Troiani (2002 AO3)
(55561) Madenberg (2002 AF9)
(126749) Johnjones (2002 DQ1)
(247433) 2002 DX2
(89903) Post (2002 DL3)
(215398) 2002 DH4
(203602) Danjoyce (2002 ED)
2002 EW153
2002 FK41
(310835) 2002 XS59
(90138) Diehl (2002 YD)
(259212) 2003 AZ80
(143575) 2003 EB60
(213783) 2003 FF
2003 FG1
2003 FQ7
(230600) 2003 FR7
(128065) Bartbenjamin (2003 OK)
2003 WW2
(206579) 2003 WX2
(174764) 2003 WK25
(133807) 2003 WQ152
(313797) 2004 AA
2004 RD109
2004 RK111
2004 WK9
2004 XQ5
(229225) 2004 XU16
(216023) 2005 VH
2005 VH7
(265803) 2005 XE5
2005 XL8
2005 XM8
(224659) 2006 AR
(178079) 2005 SJ131
(214716) 2006 TD8
2006 TA10
2006 UG
(292663) 2006 UC62
(300081) 2006 UB217
2006 WL27
(214854) 2006 WF185
2006 YA13
(256476) 2007 DF61
2007 HM4
(227980) 2007 HA88
(320235) 2007 JF21
(236812) 2007 RS19
(294793) 2008 CX70
(249214) 2008 EC
(256951) 2008 EF68
(257085) 2008 GD2
2008 SC149
2008 ST151
2008 SV151
2008 TM
(228111) 2008 TK10
2008 UA1
2008 UM2
2008 UV4
2008 UR90
2008 UQ199
2008 UR199
2008 VX14
2008 VY14
2008 WV2
2009 BK10
2009 TC13
2009 WR105
(332838) 2010 AE79
(264168) 2010 CW19
2010 FN9
2010 TW98
(356685) 2011 UT111
2012 SF45
2012 XN117
2013 CX49
Co-Discovery List
Janet (with David
Dixon, MPC 715):
(60186) Las Cruces (1999 VH22)
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Lost Discovery
List
2002 EF8 was linked with (40430) 1999
RL28
2002 DM3 was linked with (156507) 2002 CH166
2002 HE12
2002 X93Y was linked with (90138) 2002 YD
2003 BK85 was linked with 2003 AF5
2003 FD9 was linked with (178667) 2000 QW137
2003 FE9 was linked with (190819) 2001 SP14
2007 FQ7 was linked with 2012 FW76
2004 VU14 was linked with 1999 XA66
2004 WT12 was linked with (162518) 2000 QR108
2004 XT14 was linked to 2007 HT33
2005 XO27 was linked to (187645) 2007 DB1
2006 TV7 was linked with 2001 SK121
2006 AS was linked with (266792) 2009 SO274
2007 DB41 (358434) was linked with 2007 obs.
2007 TZ73 was linked with 2006 KL29
2008 SU151 was linked with 2002 GH121
2008 UU199 was linked with (207646) 2007 HJ50
2008 YM24 was linked with 2004 RG5
2010 EZ43 was linked with 2006 KX119
2010 SB31 was linked with 2005 JO121
2010 TZ130 (316422) was linked with 2004 obs.
(These are not lost, but the final
discovery credit, for one reason or another, has been assigned
to another observatory. This is known as "bad luck".)
M66, a stack of images
taken during spare time at the end of an imaging run. This
spare time occurs when a night's run of minor planets
completes, but twilight has not started. East is left and north
is up.
Minor Planet Named for Desert Moon
Observatory Director!
David Dixon, Director of Jornada Observatory (MPC 715) has
named Minor Planet 38540 as "Stevens". In his citation,
Director Dixon says, "Berton L. Stevens (b. 1951) is an amateur
astronomer at the Desert Moon Observatory, Las Cruces, New
Mexico. His dedicated work in follow-up and confirmation
astrometry of comets and NEAs has made Desert Moon and amateur
observatory of significance; his efforts and contribution are
commendable."
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