The Occultation Group

Club Description

We are an observational astronomy research group that observes asteroids in our Solar System as they pass in front of distant stars (this event is called an "occultation"). These observations are critical for nailing down the precise locations of asteroids, as well as determining asteroid shapes and sizes. This is an exciting field of research, and is necessary for space missions (e.g., the NASA Lucy mission) that are heading to visit asteroids. We are a hands-on, observational astronomy group; we set up small, portable telescopes to observe occultations, and we analyze our data and submit to researchers. We primarily observe in the local area, but occasionally we travel for more important occultations. In the past, members have participated in campaigns in North Carolina, Australia, Kansas, Mexico, and New York to observe NASA mission targets.