[meteorite-list] Toutatis [2]

From: MexicoDoug_at_aol.com <MexicoDoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Sep 15 20:58:09 2004
Message-ID: <5CEF589D.600932C3.0BFED528_at_aol.com>

Well, BIG blunder mea culpa for exciting everyone about seeing conditions for Toutatis (comparable to lat 25N long 100W).

It turns out the Harvest Moon perfectly coincides with Toutatis's passage. That doesn't mean it will be impossible to observe, just a lotta bit harder.

The only feasible date is still the 27 Sept., and the time starts and is best an hour earlier, with a mountain covering the full moon which at 7:45 PM will be at 18 degrees height here, while Toutatis at a measly 13 degrees, but their separation will be 75 degrees.

Toutatis was named by its French discoverers for the Celtic divinity that protected the Gauls, and according to a Comic Book that resurrected Toutatis, the expression "By Toutatis" (Like "By Jove!") was in awe of the God, and the warrior folks in the comic book were only afraid of the "sky falling on their heads". And Toutatis was actually documented by Alexander the Great's people.

Makes for an interesting story, if you believe this, but it seems the mythology is much more modern mythology fiction in this case. The inclination of the orbit compared to Earth's led to the naming:

http://www.astrosurf.com/maury/asteroides/toutatis.html
(no endorsement on my part, looks convincing though)
Good luck to all, this asteroid will be visibly booking (over generous observing intervals) and changing brightness incredubly from the 23 to 29th. After the 29th, we won't be seeing the Sunlit side any more and it will practiucally disappear.

Also as I recover from the vestiges of my Vestan hangover, please st me correct the major axis length of the dumbbell shape from 3 kilometers to 3 miles (it's slightly under 5 km).
And I don't remember if I said close approach will be almost as low as 1.5 million KILOMETERS away away...
Saludos, Doug
Received on Wed 15 Sep 2004 08:57:58 PM PDT