Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. 139, 47-56

Photometry and position observations of Saturnian satellites during their mutual eclipses and occultations in 1995 performed at the Observatories in Russia and Kazakhstan

N.V. Emelianov¹ - T.R. Irsmambetova¹ - T.P. Kiseleva² - V.G. Tejfel³ - S.N. Vashkovjak¹ - E.A. Glushkova³ - V.G. Kornilov¹ - G.A. Charitonova³

Send offprint request: N.V. Emelianov

1 - Sternberg Astronomical Institute, 13 Universitetskij prospect, 119899 Moscow, Russia
e-mail: emelia@sai.msu.su
2 - Main Astronomical Observatory, Pulkovo, 196140 S.-Petersburg, Russia
e-mail: aak@pulvz.spb.su
3 - Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute, Kamenskoye Plato, 480068 Almaty, Kazakhstan
e-mail: tejf@afi.academ.alma-ata.su

Received September 24, 1998; accepted April 15, 1999

Abstract:

Photometry of mutual eclipses and occultations of planetary satellites is a powerful technique to explore these bodies. Observations of these rare events are a source of much precise information. In 1995 the Celestial Mechanics Department of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute (SAI) has organized the observations of mutual eclipses and occultations of Saturnian satellites on a number of observatories of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) -- the former Soviet Union (FSU). The ephemerides of satellites and their observing conditions have been computed beforehand and mailed these data to many observatories of CIS. The Crimean laboratory (CL) of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute, two observatories of the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FAI AS RK) in Almaty, and the Main Astronomical Observatory of Russian Academy of Sciences (MAO RAS) in Pulkovo took part in observations. A photoelectric photometer was used in CL of SAI, a CCD was employed to secure satellite images in FAI AS RK, and both CCD and photographic plates were used in MAO RAS. As a result of this observing campaign, photometric data and light curves were obtained for three mutual eclipses and occultations of Saturnian satellites. A number of position observations made allowed us to measure relative coordinates of satellites. Astrometric information has already been derived from photometric data. The mutual apparent positions of satellites were calculated with an accuracy of $0\hbox{$.\!\!^{\prime\prime}$}002 - 0\hbox{$.\!\!^{\prime\prime}$}003$. In this paper observations are described and the parameters characterizing the observed phenomena are given. The results of observations are available in electronic form.

This work supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, projects Nos. 95-02-05042, 97-02-16551.

Key words: astrometry -- occultations -- eclipses -- satellites of Saturn