15 February 2005

Observing Location	TPO and TotL
Observational Period	2115-2330 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	Clear Sky Clock was saying that transparency would be poor but seeing good. On the way home from dinner I passed through a more residential neighborhood to shop and stood out in the not well lit parking lot to look for stars. From there I was able to see stars almost everywhere but to the E. On arriving home I checked Clear Sky Clock one last time and headed down to Central Park with just the Canons anticipating that it would be turning murky soon. I was surprised at how nice the sky looked on arriving at the park, and even more surprised that neither Peter nor Ben were out. You could even see stars down to the South but around that time Ori and CMa are in that neighborhood. I scanned the southern end of the lawn for Ben and Peter and say a telescope there so headed down and found a new guy there with a 4.55" Tasco short tube reflector. By then he had moved to the walk just above the path to the W past Dellacorte Theatre. When he left about an hour later Ken and I moved back up to the gate to the lawn at TotL. My reaction on arriving there was that it was appreciably darker there than it was down near TPO. When we were down near TPO there were lots of Christo cops and real cops driving around. The NYPD always had all their roof lights on which made them very annoying. By the time we moved up to TotL they had parked in the path out to the Pinetum and were sitting there with their lights off. Most of the traffic seems to go clockwise around the lawn from the NE corner down to the SE. Temperatures were mild throughout the period at either 48 or 54 depending on which building sign you trust (the time on the MONY building agreed with that on Debbie's cell phone while Discovery Channel was 3 minutes ahead). Winds were light down at TPO and moderate with some strong gusts at TotL. Clouds started moving in around 2230 and by 2300 most of the sky was covered to one extent or another. In the breaks between the clouds observing remained good.
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binoculars - Charlie 4.55" Tasco short tube reflector - (D)Eric ??
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Ken (cyclist/skeatboarder) (D)Eric ??

Naked-eye Limiting Magnitude Observations

Star Magnitude Meissa λ Ori 3.56 φ2 Ori 4.11 φ1 Ori 4.43 υ Ori 3.83 η Ori 3.38 Nair al Saif ι Ori 2.79 M42 & the Trapezium θ Ori 4.00 45 Ori & NGC 1977 4.2-4.6 Saiph κ Ori 2.08 Ras Elased Australis ε Leo 3.00 Adhafera ζ Leo 3.46 Albieba γ Leo 2.63 Zosma δ Leo 2.58 Denebola β Leo 2.16 Regulus α Leo 1.40 η Leo 3.54 Talitha ι UMa 3.16 κ UMa 3.62 Alcor 4.03 Cor Caroli α CVn 2.92 Kochab β UMi 2.10 Pherkad γ UMi 3.07 Izar ε Boo 2.72 Nekkar β Boo 3.52 Tejat Posterior μ gem 2.9 Propus η Gem 3.30

Target	Moon
Constellation	Tau
Category	Lunar
Time	15Feb05; 2130 EST
Comments	The Moon was just below the Pleiades. Naked eye I was only able to see one of the stars of the Pleiades but with the binoculars they seemed as bright as ever. The Moon was at Quarter with the terminator inclined near 45º. The Moon did not have its usual blue-white appearance but was slightly yellow when viewed through the binoculars. Tonight the Moon was at First Quarter and we saw 1/2 of its disk. In six days or so it will be Full and we will see the full disk. So when it is a half Moon? The terminology we use to describe the Moon does not appear to be consistent or to agree with the reality of what is happening on the Moon itself.

Target	Saturn
Constellation	Gem
Category	Planets
Time	15Feb05; 2130
Comments	Saturn continues to confound me. I am not used to it being that far into the south, that high up, and so close in brightness to the stars around it. In my hand held binoculars it did not appear to be as cigar shaped as usual.

Target	M42
Constellation	Ori
Category	Deep Space Objects
Time	15Feb05; 2130
Comments	There was a diffuse cloud visible all around the Trapezium in the hand held binoculars. If they had been mounted on the tripod I think we would have been able to have seen some shape to it. All of the stars of the Sword were very crisp.

Target	Alpha Perseus Association
Constellation	Per
Category	Deep Space Objects
Time	15Feb05; 2145 EST
Comments	Mirfak was a little high up so it was hard to hold the binoculars steady on it. Even with image stabilization I don't think I was seeing as many stars as I have seen from TotL with the binoculars on the tripod.

Target	Coma Berenices Cluster
Constellation	Com
Category	Deep Space Objects
Time	15Feb05; 2200 EST
Comments	The Come Berenices Cluster was easy to find working from Alkaid at the end of the Great Bear's tail through Cor Caroli and then half way over to Denebola, the tail of Leo. Ken easily saw the V or check mark of bright stars.

Target	Arcturus
Constellation	Boo
Category	Stars
Time	15Feb05; 2215 EST
Comments	When we first saw Arcturus down near TPO it was very low on the eastern horizon and shining very brightly like a planet, but not in the right place. In the binoculars it seemed to flash multiple colors of light.

Target	Jupiter
Constellation	Vir
Category	Planets
Time	15Feb05; 2330 EST
Comments	Jupiter was the last object of the night. The sky was getting very cloudy by then and it just wasn't worth hanging out any longer. It was rising through the trees and The Gates. It was easily seen naked eye but I was not able to find it in the binoculars for all of the tree branches.