A Method for Improved Visual Positional Estimates of Nova and Supernova Candidates
Volume 24 number 1 (1996)
- William G. Dillon
- 4703 Birkenhead Circle
Abstract
For a faint nova or for supernova candidates in crowded star fields, accurate reporting of their locations is essential. With a modest-sized telescope, a reticle eyepiece, a good star catalogue, and a pair of reference stars, positional estimates accurate to a few arcseconds are possible using a technique adapted from photography. The uncertainty in the position can be quantified if three or more reference stars are used.