<p>The motivation for this question comes from <a href="https://space.stackexchange.com/q/21773/12102">this question</a>. A star is named in the occultation prediction shown below, from AsteroidOccultations.com's <a href="http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/observations/NA/MU69Binzel.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">News &amp; Announcements</a> for 2014 MU69 on <code>2017-Jun-03 03:11</code>. </p>

<p>I believe that the star is in the Omega Centauri cluster, and I believe it is between +12 and +14 visual magnitude roughly. The name given in the prediction is <code>NH -08194514G</code> The location shown in the prediction is <code>R.A: 19 03 34.493 DEC -20 34 39.34</code> but <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Centauri" rel="nofollow noreferrer">according to Wikipedia</a> the coordinates of the cluster are roughly <code>R.A. 13h 27m, DEC. -47deg, 29m</code>.</p>

<p>I need help understanding why the two coordinates seem so different (am I misunderstanding the prediction?) and finding out how to look up this particular star’s visual magnitude by using its name. I’ve tried a few quick searches but realized that I was over my head and not likely to get the right information.</p>

<hr>

<p>From the <a href="https://space.stackexchange.com/q/21773/12102">linked question</a>:</p>

<p>People have fanned out over South America and South Africa with telescopes with cameras and GPS clocks and have attempted to <em>watch the shadow of a roughly magnitude +13 star cast by a rock in the KUIPER BELT pass over the Earth!</em> </p>

<p>Early Twitter reports reported clear skies and images of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Centauri" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Omega Centauri</a> star cluster. There is a Twitter hash tag for these events, <strong>#mu69occ</strong>. Here is a 500 millisecond exposure from a few days before the occultation. The short exposure time is necessary to resolve small scale debris from the main occultation.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/krWZu.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/krWZu.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p><strong>above:</strong> Omega Centari Star Cluster, 500 millisecond exposure. <a href="https://twitter.com/Alex_Parker/status/870169900970639360" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Tweeted by</a> Alex Partker.</p>

<p>The goal is actually to look for shadows cast by <em>even smaller debris, orbiting around the rock in the Kuiper belt.</em> This is for New Horizons mission planning.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/NSp4X.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/NSp4X.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p><strong>above:</strong> From AsteroidOccultations.com's <a href="http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/observations/NA/MU69Binzel.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">News &amp; Announcements</a> for 2014 MU69</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-26T14:23:27.480Z
There's no need to quote the other question here. It doesn't serve to improve to clarify your question. As for your actual question, I would hazard a guess that one coordinate is the J2000 position and the other is the position at the expected time of transit. Either that or someone is just wrong.
zephyr
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-26T14:29:52.260Z
@zephyr I don' think the entire cluster could have moved 27 degrees in declination in 17 years!
uhoh
<coordinate><star-catalogues><occultation>
Where and how to look up the coordinates and magnitude of the star in this occultation prediction?
uhoh
# Where and how to look up the coordinates and magnitude of the star in this occultation prediction?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-06-26)

The motivation for this question comes from [this question](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/21773/12102). A star is named in the occultation prediction shown below, from AsteroidOccultations.com's [News & Announcements](http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/observations/NA/MU69Binzel.pdf) for 2014 MU69 on `2017-Jun-03 03:11`.

I believe that the star is in the Omega Centauri cluster, and I believe it is between +12 and +14 visual magnitude roughly. The name given in the prediction is `NH -08194514G` The location shown in the prediction is `R.A: 19 03 34.493 DEC -20 34 39.34` but [according to Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Centauri) the coordinates of the cluster are roughly `R.A. 13h 27m, DEC. -47deg, 29m`.

I need help understanding why the two coordinates seem so different (am I misunderstanding the prediction?) and finding out how to look up this particular star’s visual magnitude by using its name. I’ve tried a few quick searches but realized that I was over my head and not likely to get the right information.

---

From the [linked question](https://space.stackexchange.com/q/21773/12102):

People have fanned out over South America and South Africa with telescopes with cameras and GPS clocks and have attempted to *watch the shadow of a roughly magnitude +13 star cast by a rock in the KUIPER BELT pass over the Earth!*

Early Twitter reports reported clear skies and images of the [Omega Centauri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Centauri) star cluster. There is a Twitter hash tag for these events, **#mu69occ**. Here is a 500 millisecond exposure from a few days before the occultation. The short exposure time is necessary to resolve small scale debris from the main occultation.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/krWZu.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/krWZu.jpg)

**above:** Omega Centari Star Cluster, 500 millisecond exposure. [Tweeted by](https://twitter.com/Alex_Parker/status/870169900970639360) Alex Partker.

The goal is actually to look for shadows cast by *even smaller debris, orbiting around the rock in the Kuiper belt.* This is for New Horizons mission planning.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/NSp4X.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/NSp4X.png)

**above:** From AsteroidOccultations.com's [News & Announcements](http://www.asteroidoccultation.com/observations/NA/MU69Binzel.pdf) for 2014 MU69

**Tags:** coordinate, star-catalogues, occultation
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: There's no need to quote the other question here. It doesn't serve to improve to clarify your question. As for your actual question, I would hazard a guess that one coordinate is the J2000 position and the other is the position at the expected time of transit. Either that or someone is just wrong.  
> **username_0**: @zephyr I don' think the entire cluster could have moved 27 degrees in declination in 17 years!  

---

## 0 answers

