Definitely Ceres

Several nights ago when I searched for Ceres, I attempted to find the asteroid using only Astronomy Magazine's published mini star chart (March issue, p. 43). My early "By George" comment was premature. I thought I was in the right location, and what I saw fit its 8th magnitude dimness. Nevertheless, I needed to re-capture the dwarf planet to prove I was seeing correctly.

I wasn't. The point of light I thought was Ceres was just a star. Like all stars, it stayed put in the same location. I redoubled my efforts to find the dim dwarf planet two nights ago. This time I found the faintest point of light where Ceres absolutely had to be, per the map. I tingled thinking I'd actually captured my first asteroid, but didn't want to announce an error again. I would have to make sure that this particular point of light would move by the next night. If it did, it would be farther north on its path as it edges closer to El Nath.

I couldn't scan the sky yesterday. Clouds and rain prevented it. Tonight, the California sky is crystal clear. Sure enough, Ceres isn't where it was two days ago. In fact, it has moved considerably to line up with El Nath. I have indeed captured my first look at an asteroid. The faint dwarf planet is exactly where Astronomy Magazine's star map shows it to be tonight. Using only my 10 x 50 binocular, I can barely see the elusive asteroid from the corner of my eye. But it is definitely where it is supposed to be today, March 6.

I'm sure to catch it more easily on my next search as it moves past El Nath. And by the weekend, I'll be dragging out my telescope for a better view.