Report of the annual meeting of UAI research sections on meteorites, asteroids and comets.

Hereafter a brief report of the annual meeting.

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foto di gruppo

After a brief welcome and introduction of the meeting by Giannantonio Milani, dr. Salvo Pluchino has showed the project "UAI Database" which shoud be treated on the next weekend in Rome, but has been postponed at the next UAI congress in order to achieve a bigger people participation. The project itself is related to the creation and maintenance of a big database contining images, scientific and numerical datas. The actual presentation has been intended to be as a stimulous in order to develope more ideas to discuss in the next UAI congress.

Paolo Tasca has presented the project about the installation of a ccd camera installed in the Colli Euganei area to take pictures of meteorites. This project will join the national monitoring meteorites survey already operating in northern Italy.

Lorenzo Franco has presented issues and metodologies related to the photometry of asteroids and to the determination of their rotation periods showing the results obtained monitoring the asteroid NEA 5143 Heracles. Moreover  Franco has showed how this kind of research could be useful in discovering new variable stars.

Luca Buzzi has showed the programme T3 and recent updates obtained in discovering asteroids that shows cometary activity. The project, based on the Tisserand parameter to identify potentially new comets, see an increasing interest and numbers of active collaborations among amateur astronomers. 

Giovanni Sostero, with Nick Howes e Ernesto Guido, have observed the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during its aphelion, using the Faulkes Telescope at limit of its possibilities. These strometrical observations are the first taken since 2010. We would recall the encounter by the comet with the Rosetta mission in 2014.

Again, Giovanni Sostero has presented a study by Roberto Gorelli that, starting from the analysis of the cometary parameter of the jovian comets family, has reconstructed some little comet families that probably has been formed by the fragmentation of a bigger object. 

Francesco Manca has showed the programs and the web pages realized in order to identify the most interesting object to observe, from potentially cometary object to asteroids, with different prorities and nature. A very advanced service available to everyone and mantained in collaboration with the MPC office.

Enrico Stomeo, with his considerations, has presented a review on the observing issues, on both visually, using ccd cameras or just taking photos, with emphasis on how important is to surely deliver useful and complete information.  

Maurizio Eltri has showed some meteorites samples of his own: carbonaceous chondrites, iron meteorites, Martian meteorites and the siderites.

A real live look at the fossils of our Solar System.

Giannantonio Milani has finally presented an overview on the appearance of the comet C/2009 P1, the most spectacular, and a brief overview on the first part of the results obtained on 103P/Hartley in collaboration with the EPOXI mission.

All in all a day filled with interesting and all reports of high level beyond the pleasure of being with friends old and new. Among the participants Mauro Facchini, with family, and Martino Nicolini that despite the problems of the earthquake have liked to be with us on this day.

Given the difficult period in many respects we feared a loss of tone, however, and although the meeting was made ​​a little in a hurry after much uncertainty, it has been very positive and very high level. Many interesting ideas. Trusting that both the earthquake and the crisis will soon give signs of improvement we look forward to the next meeting in 2013.

All participants were grateful for the participation - also representing the CD UAI - Salvo Pluchino, who as head of the Research Section of the UAI years strives by every means to ensure that the Research Sections - who with their leaders and active members, and works published in Astronomy UAI, since the origin represent the backbone dell'UAI-and with them the amateurs across Italy have the possibilities (1) to make known the results of their research, sometimes called "tip" and requests or coordinated by professional astronomers, (2) to promote the entry of new researchers, (3) to discover new fields of interest and research, (4) to highlight the educational value of ongoing research, (5) to coordinate the activities of different sections on the same field of research.

Exemplary in this respect the idea developed during the meeting to enable, within the AAE, a radio astronomy project that allows, besides monitoring of "radio" of the Sun to be correlated to the daily observed in white light and H-Alpha even the detection of traces "radio" of the meteors, compared with the findings of our video station Casa Marina and the neighboring stations (mainly in the province of Venice), or for the detection of meteors during the day, otherwise statistically lost. A field of research and a project which immediately garnered the enthusiastic support of several members AAE and which is already operational with the collection of useful information.

All participants, bringing the interest of those who have not been able to participate for several reasons, but they wanted to be an active part, they shared the desire to grow and repeat the annual meeting opportunities, offering easily accessible locations, in addition to the presentation Poster and works at the IAU Congress in September.

A heartfelt thanks from our side and dell'UAI, the Mayor and the Administration of the City of Due Carrare who very kindly put at our disposal the beautiful civic hall. Many would have liked to meet the President or the Vice-President of UAI, although it is understandable as the proliferation commitments and budgetary constraints has made ​​possible their personal attendance. A heartfelt thanks to the EFA members who have contributed to the success of the meeting: Michele Peruzzo, Fabrizio Nardo, Stefano Ottani, Paolo Tasca, Michele Alberti, Giannantonio Milani, Carlo Vinante and all those who have spoken.

Thank you all and see you soon :-)

--- And here is a bunch of photos of the event ...

preparativi

arrivo dei partecipanti

arrivo dei partecipanti

arrivo dei partecipanti

introduzione da parte di Giannantonio Milani

Salvo Pluchino

Paolo Tasca

Lorenzo Franco

un momento di discussione ....

Luca Buzzi

un momento di discussione ....

un momento di discussione ....

Giovanni Sostero

esposizione di meteoriti

il pranzo

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