Ground trace of Triton occultation
Date: 03 October 2017
Satellite: Gaia
Copyright: Google, INEGI, ORION-ME; annotation: ERC Lucky Star project
On 5 October 2017, Neptune's moon Triton will pass in front of a star, providing an opportunity for astronomers to study that moon's atmosphere.
Taking advantage of improved measurements of the star's position, provided by Gaia, the Lucky Star team has coordinated a campaign to observe this occultation.
This map shows the track along which the occultation can be observed from Earth. The red line represents the central track – the best viewing position of the occultation. The green lines represent the boundary where the light from the star will be reduced by 50%. The blue lines are the 1% equivalent – this corresponds to the theoretical limit of detection of the occultation. Each red pin is spaced by one minute. The path goes from East to West.
An interactive version of the map is available here.
