07/02/06

Typical batch of astrometry data reported to the Minor Planet Center:

NUM 6
K04J20X C2004 05 22.20597 13 57 55.76 +48 53 23.2 17.3 R G70
K04J20X C2004 05 22.21288 13 57 54.89 +48 52 42.7 17.1 R G70
K04J20X C2004 05 22.21980 13 57 53.94 +48 52 02.7 17.3 R G70
K04J20X C2004 05 23.19180 13 56 18.58 +47 16 55.4 17.4 R G70
K04J20X C2004 05 23.20583 13 56 16.89 +47 15 34.4 17.1 R G70
K04J20X C2004 05 23.21273 13 56 16.05 +47 14 54.6 17.2 R G70

Explanation:

NUM 6 :  The number of observations submitted with this particular report

K04J20X :  The ID number of the object, if it has one and the astronomer is certain that it has been correctly identified.  If the astronomer is unsure, but believes that it is a known object, a "temporary" ID can be given and the Minor Planet Center will search its database and assign the correct ID number to the object.  If the astronomer believes it is a newly discovered object, a temporary ID can be used, along with an asterisk next to it to flag a possible discovery.

C2004 05 22.20597 : The letter "C" means the observation is based on astrometry from a CCD image; 2004 05 22.20597 is the precise date/time of the observation (in Universal Time or UTC), given in fractions of a 24-hour day, to 1/10th of a second.

13 57 55.76 : The Right Ascension (East-West) sky coordinate of the object in Hour-Angle units of hours, minutes, and seconds to 1/100 of a second.

+48 53 23.2 : The Declination (North-South) sky coordinate of the object in angular units of degrees, minutes, and seconds to 1/10 of an  arc-second.

17.3 R : The estimated brightness magnitude of the object, based on a comparison of the object's brightness with catalogued stars in the CCD image; the "R" designation means that the reported brightness is equivalent to the brightness from an image taken with a "Red" astronomical filter.

G70 : The observatory's ID code issued by the International Astronomical Union (IAU)