9 July 2006

Observing Location	Met Oval
Observational Period	1405-1420 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	A little hazy and hot partly clody with a moderate breeze. No moiling was noted. I had to wait for passing clouds to make my observations. Good Transparency Good Seeing
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular w/Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target	Sunspots
Constellation	Gem
Category	Solar
Time	20060709.1405 EDT
Comments	If group 898 is still on the face of the sun it is so close to the leading limb that I can't see it. 899 I see one small spot approaching the meridian. It wasn't immediately obvious.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 1 1 11 Total 1 1 11

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Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2000-0030 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Another night when it was worse than predicted. This is the third time in a row. It looked a little hazy with broken clouds. When it got dark no stars were visible then the clouds started filling up the sky. The wind was strong enough to move Peter's tripod mounted binocular but wasn’t doing much to SAR. It got clear enough that the Moon looked very crisp but there were still few stars visible. The air began to feel a little more moist then around midnight we started to see lightning out to the west and the wind picked up briefly like it was going to rain. When Peter and I were talking out on Fifth Ave where he catches his cab we felt a few drops of rain but it wasn't enough to get either us or the sidewalk wet. Fair Transparency Poor Seeing
Instruments	SAR: Coulter CT-100 -Charlie Canon 15x50 IS binocular - Charlie Takahashi 22x60 binocular - Peter Fujinon 10x50 binocular - Peter
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Peter Tagatac

Target	Jupiter
Constellation	Vir
Category	Planet
Time	20060709.2130 EDT
Comments	in SAR @ 43x It was a long while after Peter started seeing moons until I did. About the time they started coming out the air was getting clearer snd the planet was shrinking in size. Before the air cleared up there was a hint of what might have been equatorial bands but probably wad not.

Target	Moon
Constellation	Sgr
Category	Lunar
Time	20060709.2200 EDT
Comments	The moon spent a good bit of time hiding behind the clouds but eventually came into some very clear air. It appeared very round both in the scope and binocular any by naked-eye observation, but close examination under magnification showed that the eastern limb was much lumpier. J Herschel was right on the terminator above Sinus Iridum. I seemed to get the best contrast on the surface of the Moon with SAR at 21x. At 43x The sky right up to the Moon's limb was very black. At 21x I was seeing small white craters and rays all over the Moon that I could also see at 43x but which did not look as bright at that magnification. They weren't as impressive in the binocular either. We found two TYC stars that were occulted while we were observing but they were not bright enough to be seen as the dark limb of the 98% illuminated Moon approached them.

Target	Iridium 80 Flare
Constellation	Vir
Category	Satellite
Time	20060709.2321 EDT
Comments	This was a very bright flare that Planetarium said would be to the lower left of Jupiter. It actually appeared to Jupiter's upper right. I had planetarium set up for the telescope and nearly missed the event.