8 November 2004

Observing Location	TotL
Atmospheric Conditions	The weather forecasts were calling for conditions to be getting better all through the night and peak tomorrow about the time if the Jupiter occultation. They were certainly wrong. It was cold, that part they got right. But there was no wind to speak of. I think the sky was clearer last night than tonight and that before the clouds started moving in around 2100. First there was a little bit of cloud low on the horizon to the SW and NW. Then 3/4 of the sky was covered. We packed up when the whole sky was covered with no sign that it would clear any time soon. I looked around to determine a naked-eye limiting magnitude and found δ Tau at Mag 4.82 to be the faintest object that I could both see and identify. γ Ari at 4.77/4.85 was easy to see and roughly the same apparent brightness as γ Tri at 4.03. I never looked in the binoculars tonight although I set them up.
Instruments	Naked-eye observing - Charlie Fujinon 7x50 binoculars - Ben
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Ben Cacace

Target	Triangulum
Time	8Nov04; 2100 EST
Category	Constellation
Comments	Mag 4.03 γ Tri was hard to see at first. I knew I was in Triangulum because I could see Aries nearby, but I just wasn't seeing the last star.

Target	Aries
Time	8Nov04; 2100 ESt
Category	Constellations
Comments	Sharatan, Mag 4.77 γ Ari, was much easier to see than Mag 3.65 41 Ari.

Target	Alpha Perseus Association
Time	8Nov04; 2100 EST
Category	Deep Space Objects
Comments	I looked at the association again tonight to see how big it is. I don't think I can get all of it in the field of view of the 7x35 binoculars. It wasn't as striking as it was last night.

Target	The Great Square of Pegasus
Time	9Nov04; 2130 EST
Category	Constellation
Comments	Pegasus was lower than I anticipated it and I had trouble finding it again. I think there are some stars out near Andromeda that I am using to make a square next to the real square. I eventually got it sorted out.

Target	HIC11395, HD15093
Time	8Nov04; 2145 EST
Category	Star
Comments	This is the star that will be occulted by the asteroid Ursinia on 24Nov04. Ben found it in his 7x50 binoculars and it was small and dim. If it drops by 7 magnitudes during the occultation it will be invisible in his binoculars. I am not sure I even have a chance of seeing it when it is not occulted in my 7x35s. It is just above a blue/red double star.