15/05/2026
On May 5, 2026, Emirates Astronomical Observatory successfully captured a rare stellar occultation by the dwarf planet Haumea, one of the most distant known worlds in our solar system, located far beyond Neptune in the Kuiper Belt.
A stellar occultation occurs when a solar system object passes directly in front of a background star, temporarily blocking its light. By precisely measuring the drop in brightness over time, astronomers can study the object’s size, shape, possible rings, and even detect hidden moons.
The event required careful planning and timing precision. Using Stellarium and published occultation predictions, the target star coordinates and exact event timing were verified in advance to ensure the observatory system was synchronized for the narrow observation window.
To maximize photometric precision, exposure calculations were optimized around the brightness of the target star and the expected duration of the occultation. We selected 5-second exposures at Gain 0 on the Moravian C3-61000 monochrome camera to maximize the sensor’s full well capacity and preserve dynamic range during the rapid brightness transition.
The observation was carried out using the following scientific imaging system:
• Planewave CDK14 with reducer
• Moravian C3-61000 Mono (Sony IMX455 sensor)
• Luminance filter
• 10Micron GM2000 mount with high-precision encoder tracking
• Lunatico Dragonfly observatory controller
Image acquisition was automated and synchronized using N.I.N.A, allowing stable continuous imaging throughout the event. The resulting frames were then processed and analyzed in AstroImageJ, where differential photometry was used to generate the final light curve.
The recorded light curve clearly shows the dramatic drop in stellar brightness as Haumea passed in front of the star, followed by the recovery phase as the star re-emerged. Observations like these demonstrate how modern amateur and private observatories can contribute meaningful scientific data to planetary science and occultation research.
