[IAUC] CBET 602: 20060824 : PLUTO II (NIX) AND PLUTO III (HYDRA)

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                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 602
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
M.S. 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
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PLUTO II (NIX) AND PLUTO III (HYDRA)
     C. I. Fuentes and M. J. Holman, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics, report on their observations made on June 27 and 28 UT
of the recently discovered satellites of Pluto (cf. IAUC 8625, 8676,
8686, 8723) using the Inamori Areal Camera and Spectrograph instrument
mounted, with an I filter, on the Magellan I Baade telescope.
Positional offsets from Pluto were as follows:  June 27.235 UT,
Pluto II (Nix), Delta(R.A.) = +1".65, Delta(Decl.) = -1".04; Pluto
III (Hydra), Delta(R.A.) = +1".58, Delta(Decl.) = -2".61.  June 28.140,
Pluto II, Delta(R.A.) = +1".45, Delta(Decl.) = -1".45; Pluto III,
Delta(R.A.) = +1".24, Delta(Decl.) = -2".72.  These positions agree with
predictions based on previous observations, to the accuracy of the
observations (0".1 on both nights).  The average seeing during the
observations was 0".5 on the first night and 0".6 on the second.  The
total integration times on June 27 and 28 were 13 and 26 min,
respectively.  The two objects have comparable brightness, with Pluto III
being 0.3 mag brighter than Pluto II on the first night and 0.2 mag
brighter on the second.


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                         (C) Copyright 2006 CBAT
2006 August 24                   (CBET 602)               Daniel W. E. Green