2016 schedule

Sun 27th
15:30-16:00
Theatre 106

Pluto Occultation 2015 - Amateur contributions to professional science

Bruno Sicardy / John Talbot / Steve Kerr (presenter)

The 29 June 2015 occultation of a 12th magnitude star by Pluto only two weeks out from the New Horizons spacecraft flyby presented a unique opportunity to test models of the structure of Pluto's atmosphere based on earlier occultations against actual spacecraft observations. The occultation was successfully observed across New Zealand and southeastern Australia and this presentation showcases some of the amateur results and the professional science that it supports.

Bruno Sicardy of Paris Observatory heads up an international program using occultations by outer solar system objects to study their properties.

John Talbot is a Wellington, New Zealand based observer and coordinator of planetary occultation reports and results for the RASNZ Occultation Section.

Stephen Kerr has been observing occultations since he was 12 years old and, while the pressures of family and career make it difficult, he continues to observe from his backyard in Rockhampton, Queensland.  In February 2015, Stephen was appointed the Director of the RASNZ Occultation Section.