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PICO: Portable Instrument for Capturing Occultations

2010; Institute of Physics; Volume: 122; Issue: 896 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1086/656445

1538-3873

Matthew Lockhart, Michael J. Person, J. L. Elliot, S. P. Souza,

Planetary Science and Exploration

We describe a portable imaging photometer for the observation of stellar occultation events by Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) and other small bodies. The system is referred to as the Portable Instrument for Capturing Occultations (PICO). It is designed to be transportable to remote observing sites by a single observer. A GPS timing system is used to trigger exposures of a Finger Lakes Instrumentation ML261E-25 camera to facilitate the combination of observational results from multiple sites. The system weighs a total of 11 kg when packed into its single rigid 55.1 × 35.8 × 22.6 cm container, meeting current airline size and weight limits for carry-on baggage. Twelve such systems have been constructed. Nine systems were deployed for observation of a stellar occultation by Kuiper Belt object 55636 in 2009 October. During the same month, one system was used to record a stellar occultation by minor planet 762 Pulcova.