26 August 2004

Observing Location	TotL
Atmospheric Conditions	It looked fairly clear out until the sun got low on the horizon then you could see areas of gray in the blue sky in the east. There were clouds moving in from the east that were low enough to partially obscure the antenna towers on some of the buildings to the south. About an hour after it got dark the air got very humid and the cover on my moon book started to curl from the moisture it was absorbing. (The inside of the cover was absorbing moisture and swelling but the outside of the cover had a glossy finish bound to it and couldn't absorb any moisture so it began to curl away from the book.) The best view was directly overhead.
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binoculars - hand-held
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target	α Boo, Arcturus
Time	26Aug04; 2007 EDT
Category	Star
Comments	The first star to become visible to the south tonight followed by the rest of lower Bootes.

Target	Moon
Time	26Aug04; 2012 EDT
Category	Moon
Comments	Rising over the trees and buildings of Fifth Ave around 2000. The teminator is passing through Aristarchus. It looks like a doughnut with a dark hole in the center. Directly above Tycho and about on the lunar equator I observed some dark splotches in a mare [Sinus Medii?] just below and to the right of a bright crater [Copernicus] with a ray structure extending into Mare Imbrium. The two mare just above the equator on the right side of the moon [Mare Tranquilitatus and Mare Fecunditatis] appeared darker than the others. Plato, being small, didn't appear as dark as it really is

Target	ε Lyr, The Double-Double
Time	26Aug04; 2029 EDT
Category	Double Stars
Comments	It was directly overhead making it hard to observe Viewed with Vega they take up half to 2/3 of the field of view. The double appeared of uniform color and magnitude. Through the binoculars they had the feel of being about a pinky width apart.

Target	Cassiopeia (The Queen)
Time	26Aug04; 2032 EDT
Category	Constellation
Comments	Burning through haze. Only four stars were visible naked-eye.

Target	Cygnus (The Swan)
Time	26Aug04; 2035 EDT
Category	Constellation
Comments	The top wing was easier to make out than the bottom one which was in the haze. I never did find Alberio.

Target	α Aql, Altair
Time	26Aug04; 2107 EDT
Category	Star
Comments	Other than being bright Altair does not appear remarkable. But its blue-white color is a good contrast to the gold-orange of dimmer Tarazed, γ Aql, which fits into the same field of view.