The Main-belt asteroids 2012 XL - 2012 XM were discovered on December 1 and were confirmed by the discoverer the next night. The asteroids 2012 XB111 - 2012 XC111 are also mainbelters: the second has been linked with other observations to reach the fifth opposition; now this happens frequently. The asteroids 2012 XG145 - 2012 XS9 (Mars-crossing) - 2012 XV97 were discovered from my desk on January 20, 2013 in images taken on December 6 - 11 - 22, 2012 and have become the first observations of these objects. The asteroids 2012 YH2 - 2012 YJ2 are probably the last discoveries in 2012, with 75 assignments for Santa Maria de Montmagastrell Observatory.
Discoveries on November: asteroids 2012 UT9 (Apollo) - 2012 UW145 - 2012 VA46 - 2012 VB46 - 2012 VC46 - 2012 VM74 - 2012 VU78
The NEO Apollo 2012 UT9 and the Main-belt 2012 UW145 were discovered from my desk on January 26, 2013 in images taken on October 13 and September 16, 2012 and have become the first observations of both objects. The asteroids 2012 VA46 - 2012 VB46 - 2012 VC46 - 2012 VM74 - 2012 VU78 are mainbelters and were discovered in the few nights that are clear in my country in November. After the discoveries, all these asteroids have been linked with previous observations.
Discoveries on October: asteroids 2012 TC6 - 2012 TE23 - 2012 TG35 (Trojan) - 2012 TT19 - 2012 TU19 - 2012 TJ101 - 2012 TN94 - 2012 TP123 - 2012 TQ123 - 2012 TR123 - 2012 TS123 -2012 TO217 - 2012 TJ231 - 2012 TK231 - 2012 TN231
The asteroid 2012 TC6 was discovered on October 5 at magnitude 20,1. The asteroids 2012 TE23 - 2012 TG35 - 2012 TT19 - 2012 TU19 were found on October 8 at magnitudes 21,5 - 21,5 - 20,3 - 21,5 respectively. 2012 TG35 is a Jupiter's Trojan asteroid (absolute magnitude = 14.9) in the Langrangian point L5, on the Trojan camp of the Trojan War (Patroclus Group). A Trojan is a minor planet that shares an orbit with a larger planet, but does not collide with it because it orbits around one of the two Langrangian points of stability L4 and L5, which lie approximately 60° ahead of and behind the planet, respectively. Trojan objects are one type of co-orbital object. Other Trojan asteroids discovered: 2011 YP and 2012 BS34, both belonging to Achilles Group.
Asteroids 2012 TJ101 and 2012 TN231 were unable to observe the third night, so no orbit: elements calculated by the method Väisälä, used only when you have a very short arc of observation, not enough to determine a "real" orbit, and just want to get an orbit good enough to predict positions for the next week or so.
Discoveries on September: asteroids 2012 RJ16 - 2012 SD - 2012 SF - 2012 SG - 2012 SS8 - 2012 SK20 - 2012 SS50 - 2012 ST50 - 2012 TX
The asteroid 2012 TX was assigned on October 7, as you see by the first letter "T", but really I discovered this Main-belter on September 25 at magnitude 20,8.
New discoveries were confirmed by the discoverer: Outer Main-belter 2012 SS8 and Main-belters 2012 SK20 - 2012 SS50 - 2012 ST50
The MPC has assigned on September 17 four new asteroids : 2012 RJ16 - 2012 SD - 2012 SF - 2012 SG found at 20.5 - 21.6 - 21.6 - 21.2 magnitude, respectively, in images taken on September 15-16 and both confirmed the next night by the discoverer. Now I discover more asteroids weaker because a week ago I cleaned the corrector plate of my telescope Schmidt-Cassegrain.
Discoveries on July: asteroids 2012 NC - 2012 ND - 2012 NE - 2012 NS - 2012 NR - 2012 NF1 - 2012 OA - 2012 OD - 2012 OG (337003) - 2012 OS - 2012 OJ1
The Main-belt asteroids 2012 NC - 2012 ND - 2012 NE were found one each night between July 11-12-13, and are the only ones that were designated these days by the MPC. The Inner Main-belt asteroid 2012 NS and the Main-belt 2012 NR were found on July 15 and confirmed the next night by the discoverer. The asteroids 2012 NF1 - 2012 OA were found on July 16 and confirmed the next night by the discoverer. The asteroids 2012 OD - 2012 OG (337003) were found on July 17 and confirmed the next night by the discoverer: this is the hundredth discovery from B74!
The Main-belt 2012 OS were found on July 18 and the Outer Main-belter 2012 OJ1 were found on July 20.
Discoveries on June: asteroids 2012 LM9 - 2012 MK - 2012 MA6 - 2012 MB6 - 2012 MV6
On June 23, at the meeting held in Santa Maria de Montmagastrell, the managers of the Cel Fosc Associació contra la Contaminació Lumínica, Fernándo Jáuregui, Pere Horts and I, have confirmed the asteroids 2012 MA6 and 2012 MB6 discovered the night before from the same site. After the asteroid 2012 MV12 was discovered by Josep M. Bosch checking the field of the comet C/2011 KP36 and confirmed the following night. This asteroid had first seen by Mount Lemmon Survey on June, 1 but the designation is for my observatory.
Discovered on June 17 the Mars-crossing asteroid 2012 MK in magnitude 20.1 confirmed the next night by the discoverer.
Spring has become very bad weather and the sky has been covered for many days. Finally I have the clear sky: the MPC has assigned on June 15 a new asteroid : 2012 LM9 found at 21.2 magnitude in images taken on June 14 and confirmed the next night. This is my hundredth discovery, including 87 from Santa Maria de Montmagastrell Observatory (MPC B74) and 13 from les Planes de Son Observatory (MPC C29).
The asteroid 2012 FX7 was discovered from my desk on January 31, 2013 in images taken on March 13, 2012.
The MPC has assigned on March 30 four new asteroids : 2012 FS57 - 2012 FT57 (330864) - 2012 FV57 - 2012 FW57 found at 21.1 - 20.8 - 21.1 magnitude, respectively, in images taken on February 28 and both confirmed the next night by the discoverer.
Discoveries on February: asteroids 2012 DB19 - 2012 DT36 - 2012 DD47 - 2012 DT43 - 2012 DR43 - 2012 DS43 - 2012 DQ43 - 2012 EL9
The MPC has assigned on January 29 five new asteroids : 2012 DD47 - 2012 DT43 - 2012 DR43 - 2012 DS43 - 2012 DQ43 - 2012 EL9 found at 20.4 - 21.6 - 21.6 - 21.6 - 21.3 magnitude, respectively, in images taken on February 26-27 and both confirmed the next night by the discoverer.
Discovered on February 24 and 25 the new Main-belters 2012 DB19 and 2012 DT36 in magnitudes 20.0 and 19.5 respectively and confirmed the next nights by the discoverer.
Discoveries on January: asteroids 2012 BR20 - 2012 BS34 - 2012 BT34 - 2012 BW34
The MPC has assigned on January 27 three new asteroids : 2012 BS34 - 2012 BT34 - 2012 BW34 found at 19.8 - 21 - 20.2 magnitude, respectively, in images taken on January 21-24 and both confirmed the next night by the discoverer. 2012 BS34 is a Jupiter's Trojan asteroid (absolute magnitude = 12.7) in the Langrangian point L4, on the Greek side of the Trojan War (Achilles Group). A Trojan is a minor planet that shares an orbit with a larger planet, but does not collide with it because it orbits around one of the two Langrangian points of stability L4 and L5, which lie approximately 60° ahead of and behind the planet, respectively. Trojan objects are one type of co-orbital object.
The Main-belt asteroid 2012 BR20 was discovered in 19.7 magnitude in images taken on January 19 and confirmed by the author three nights later.
