Triton Stellar Occultation Candidates: 2000–2009

As part of our ongoing program of predictions and observations of stellar occultations by solar system bodies, we have completed a search for candidates for occultations by Triton over the decade 2000 to 2009. Star positions near Triton's projected orbit as determined by the DE405 ephemeris and NEP016 orbit model were measured on (unfiltered) CCD strip scans recorded with the 0.6 m telescope at the George R. Wallace Astrophysical Observatory to a depth of 16th to 18th magnitude, depending on the quality of individual strip scans. Within 10 of the predicted orbit of Triton during this period, 128 stars were found, including 12 stars brighter than 14th magnitude. Only appulses with geocentric minimum separations of less than about 037 will result in an occultation visible from Earth, but potential errors in the ephemeris and in the positions of our candidates preclude accurate prediction of actual occultation events without further astrometry.