Northolt Branch Observatories UPGRADE NBO will soon begin using a new camera by Qhyccd! The camera will be very useful for our work: The exciting development and the dramatic increase in sensitivity will hopefully improve our asteroid astrometry, and allow many more and new kinds of observations! 🙂🔭📸 Stay tuned for more details in the near future!

Forthcoming Update Stay tuned for important news! 🙂🔭

(85953) 1999 FK21 is an Aten-type asteroid with a diameter of 590 metres. It made a close approach on April 6th at a distance of 0.13 AU (19 million km) from Earth. Now it is visible at +15.3 mag, moving at about 12 arcminutes per hour. Just by chance, we also caught a more distant Main belt asteroid in this video: (4436) Ortizmoreno is visible at +16.3 mag - but only for the first few seconds of the video. It is the object at the very bottom, just left and down of a slightly brighter background star. (4436) Ortizmoreno is named after Spanish astronomer José Luis Ortiz Moreno, the (unofficial) discoverer of dwarf planet Haumea. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversy_over_the_discovery_of_Haumea Northolt Branch Observatories NEOShield-2 Asteroid Day

2018 EB is an Apollo-type potentially hazardous asteroid with a diameter of 240 metres. It was discovered on March 1st by the WISE spacecraft, which also measured its size. 2018 EB made a close approach on April 4th, at a distance of 0.03 AU (4 million km) from Earth. It is currently moving at 38 arcminutes per hour, visible at +15.5 mag and fading rapidly. This asteroid has an orbit quite similar to that of Earth, with an orbital period of 374 days (1.03 years) and an eccentricity of only 0.012 (almost circular). But its orbit is highly inclined, by 30 degrees relative to the ecliptic. As a result, every few decades it makes two close approaches to Earth annually in April and October. Its next flyby will be on October 7th at a distance of 0.04 AU (5.8 million km), when it reaches +17.4 mag. 2018 EB is a radar target at Goldstone and Arecibo: https://goo.gl/weSJdW #SpotTheAsteroid Northolt Branch Observatories Asteroid Day NEOShield-2

2018aoq is a type II supernova in NGC 4151, located 62 million light-years from Earth. It was discovered on April 1st by Lick Observatory Supernova Search. Photometry (V unfiltered, URAT-1 star catalog): 15.61±0.03 mag Astrometry (GAIA DR1 star catalog): RA 12:10:38.214 (±0.13") Dec +39:23:47.97 (±0.15")

Near Earth asteroids 2018 DX3, (194126) 2001 SG276, 2012 DG61, (85953) 1999 FK21 and 2018 FB 2018 DX3 is an Amor-type asteroid with a diameter of 320-710 metres. It was discovered at Mt. Lemmon Survey on February 25th, and it will make a close approach on May 1st at a distance of 0.08 AU (12.5 million km) from Earth. Now it is visible at +16.7 mag and brightening. The nearby 6th magnitude star HD 109896 hindered observations. (194126) 2001 SG276 is an Amor-type asteroid with a diameter of 870-1940 metres. It will make a close approach on April 27th at a distance of 0.08 AU (12.5 million km) from Earth. 2001 SG276 is currently visible at +16.5 mag, but it is expected to reach +13 mag near closest approach. 2012 DG61 is an Apollo-type asteroid with a diameter of 700-1600 metres. It will make a close approach on May 12th at a distance of 0.15 AU (22 million km) from Earth. Now it is +18.1 mag and brightening. 2012 DG61 orbits the Sun in a very eccentric orbit (e=0.74), but a 2:1-resonance with Jupiter prevents it from coming too close to the giant planet. (85953) 1999 FK21 is an Aten-type asteroid with a diameter of 590 metres. It will make a close approach on April 6th at a distance of 0.13 AU (19 million km) from Earth. Now it is visible at +15.2 mag, moving at about 11 arcminutes per hour. 2018 FB is an Apollo-type asteroid with a diameter of 47-105 metres. It was discovered at Catalina Sky Survey on March 16th. 2018 FB made a close approach on March 31st at a distance of 0.01 AU (1.9 million km) from Earth. Our data shows that its brightness varies by more than 1 mag on times scales of minutes, suggesting a fast rotation and elongated shape. However, we do not have enough data to determine a rotation period. Asteroid Day NEOShield-2

(85953) 1999 FK21 is an Aten-type asteroid with a diameter of 590 metres. It will make a close approach on April 6th at a distance of 0.13 AU (19 million km) from Earth. Now it is visible at magnitude +15.2, moving at about 11 arcminutes per hour. #SpotTheAsteroid Northolt Branch Observatories Asteroid Day NEOShield-2

Here it is: Asteroid (72834) Guywells, imaged by Guy Wells! We took an image of it from Northolt Branch Observatories in February, when it was near a very favourable opposition. Of course it was only known as asteroid 2001 HQ16 at the time. This was the second of Loren Ball's discoveries that became bright enough to be imaged (after 34351 Decatur in January 2017, see https://goo.gl/EVT94y). (72834) Guywells reached magnitude +18.1 in mid-February. Now it is magnitude +19.5 and fading rapidly. We will definitely try to image "our" other asteroid, (128345) Danielbamberger, when it reaches opposition in November. It is a great honour to have an asteroid named after me. Guy Wells FRAS

Northolt Branch Observatories gets its own asteroids! We are very proud that the International Astronomical Union has named two asteroids after members of the NBO team: 2001 HQ16 and 2004 GY18 are now known as (72834) Guywells and (128345) Danielbamberger! Both asteroids have been discovered by Loren Ball at Emerald Lane Observatory in Alabama, USA. (72834) Guywells is a Main belt asteroid with a diameter of 3-6 km. It last came to opposition in February 2018 when it reached 18th magnitude. Now it is moving through the constellation Cancer. The naming citation reads: "Guy Wells (b. 1976) is a British-Grenadian amateur astronomer and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He has created Northolt Branch Astro, a group of amateur astronomers who seek to increase public interest in astronomy. He provides follow-up observations of Near Earth asteroids to the Minor Planet Center." (128345) Danielbamberger is a Main belt asteroid with a diameter of 2-5 km. It is currently not observable, but it will come to opposition in November 2018 in the constellation Taurus. It will reach 18th magnitude. "Daniel Bamberger (b. 1987) is a German amateur astronomer and genealogist. He is a co-founder of the Northolt Branch Observatories, a British-German collaboration dedicated to the study of Near Earth asteroids. He provides follow-up observations of Near Earth asteroids to the Minor Planet Center." Both namings were published in the March 31, 2018 issue of the Minor Planet Circular (https://minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/2018/MPC_20180331.pdf, p.452). We want to thank all who support and follow Northolt Branch Observatories. Special thanks go to Loren Ball, the discoverer of the asteroids! Your Northolt Branch Observatories team

Near Earth asteroids 2015 XE352, (172034) 2001 WR1 and 2018 DX3 2015 XE352 is an Apollo-type potentially hazardous asteroid with a diameter of 210-460 metres. It will make a close approach on April 18th, at a distance of 0.07 AU (10.4 million km) from Earth. Now it is visible at +18.0 mag and brightening. (172034) 2001 WR1 is an Amor-type asteroid with a diameter of 640 metres. It made a distant flyby on March 18th, at a distance of 0.38 AU (57 million km) from Earth. 2001 WR1 is currently visible at +17.2 mag and fading. 2018 DX3 is an Amor-type asteroid with a diameter of 300-700 metres. It will make a close approach on May 1st, at a distance of 0.08 AU (12.5 million km) from Earth. Now it is observable at +17.8 mag and brightening. 2018 DX3 was found at Mt. Lemmon Survey on February 25, 2018. It was identified as the lost asteroid 2015 GN50 a few days later. 2015 GN50 = 2018 DX3 had been discovered by the WISE spacecraft on April 8, 2015, but was lost the following day. Asteroid Day NEOShield-2

2018 DH1 is an Apollo-type potentially hazardous asteroid with a diameter of 190-420 metres. It was first observed on February 22nd at Purple Mountain Observatory, XuYi Station in China. 2018 DH1 makes a close approach today, March 27th, at a distance of 0.02 AU (3.5 million km) from Earth. We have followed it over the past week as it approached the Earth. Asteroid Day NEOShield-2

Himalia is the largest irregular satellite of Jupiter, and the 6th largest Jovian satellite overall. It was discovered by Charles Dillon Perrine at Lick Observatory on December 3rd, 1904. Himalia has a size of 75 by 60 km. It is one of the largest planetary moons not imaged in detail. From Earth it is visible at 15.3 mag. Himalia orbits Jupiter once every 251 days at average distance of 11.5 million km (six times further out than Callisto, the outermost of the large Galilean moons). The large seperation from Jupiter's bright glare helps with ground based observations but makes it difficult to study Himalia with spacecraft. Further information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalia_(moon)