3 March 2005

Observing Location	Parkchester, The Bronx, NY
Observational Period	0400 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	I had set my alarm for 0400 EST intending to go to Battery Park to observe the occultation of Antares. When I woke up it looked too light out for that hour of the morning so I assumed it was cloudy and went back to sleep.
Instruments
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

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Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2100-0100 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	When I left the house it was fairly clear but by the time I got to the Park it was totally overcast. Peter was there cooling down his scope and we stood around talking and hoping it would clear. By about 2200 the clouds had lifted andthe views were good to Manhattan South. It wasn't a great night but we did see a lot and stuff I hadn't seen before. The temperature was steady around 22º and the wind were mostly below 7 MPH with a few stronger gusts. The gates have been removed from TotL but there are still plenty on the approaches and around the bottom end of the Lawn.
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binoculars - Charlie 10" Teleport - Peter
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Peter Tagatac

Naked-eye Limiting Magnitude Observations	Star Magnitude Faintest Object Seen 4.96 NAME #.## first Leap of the Gazelle see also constellation targets below

Target	Mintaka
Constellation	Ori
Category	Double Stars
Time	3Mar05; 2206 EST
Comments	I was able to split the double. the secondary was up at 2:00.

Target	Yale 1932
Constellation	Ori
Category	Double Stars
Time	3Mar05; 2210 EST
Comments	The naked eye dim star beneath Alnitak appears in the binoculars to be a double but there is no indication of it in Planetarium.

Target	C2004 Q2 (Machholz)
Constellation	Cam
Category	Comets
Time	3Mar05; 2211 EST
Comments	It is very dim not

Target	Meteor
Constellation	Lyn or Cam
Category	Meteors
Time	3Mar05; 2214 EST
Comments	A very fast and short meteor came from the NE toward the SE while we were looking at Auriga. It was probably a Leonid or Virginid.

Target	Leaping Minnows
Constellation	Aur
Category	Asterism
Time	3Mar05; 2215 EST
Comments	A line of three pairs of stars with a lone star below them. They are centered above a line between Alnath, β Aur, and Hassaleh, ι Aur. From the Leaping Minnows you can jump to the Cheshire Cat and M36

Target	M36
Constellation	Aur
Category	Deep Space Objects
Time	3Mar05; 2218 EST
Comments	A V-shaped cluster of stars between two bright stars. In Peter's scope at low power it had the appearance of a scorpion to me with a fat body and a tail sticking down and arms spread out at the top. At higher power it looked like a football with a tail or a house with a walkway leading up to it and a circle on the right side of the roof. The left side of the house is composed of a wide double and there is a close double in the right roof eve. Star Chart for M36. More information about M36.

Target	M37
Constellation	Aur
Category	Deep Space Objects
Time	3Mar05; 2253 EST
Comments	A very dense cluster in Auriga. More information on M36.

Target	Saturn
Constellation	Gem
Category	Planest
Time	3Mar05. 2257 EST
Comments	The Cassini division was prominent as was shadow on the rings on the right side of the planet. I also detected a band across the face of the planet in the region of the terminator. Three dim moons were visible above the plane of the rings on the left side.

Target	Gemini (The Twins)
Constellation	Gem
Category	Constellation
Time	3Mar05; 2300 EST
Comments	Star Magnitude Meaning Castor α Gem 2.00 Castor (Castor's head)   τ Gem 4.43 (Castor's neck)   θ Gem 3.62 (Castor's left hand) Mebsuta ε Gem 3.00 lion's paw (Castor's waist Tejat Posterior μ Gem 2.90 meaning unknown (Castor's left foot) Propus η Gem 3.30 forward foot Castor's left foot)   1 Gem 4.18 (Castor's left toes)   υ Gem 4.17 (Castor's right foot)   ι Gem 3.81 (Castor & Pollux's clasped hands) Pollux β Gem 1.16 Pollux (Pollux's head)   κ Gem 3.59 (Pollux's right hand) Wasat δ Gem 3.55 the middle (Pollux's waist) Mekbuda ζ Gem 3.81 lion's paw (Pollux's left knee) Alhena γ Gem 1.95 Mark on the neck of a camel (Pollux's left foot)   λ Gem 3.60 (Pollux's right knee) Alzirr ξ Gem 3.81 (Pollux's right foot) The genitive for Gemini is Geminorum.

Target	M66
Constellation	Leo
Category	Deep Space Objects
Time	3May05; 2353 EST
Comments	A galaxy in Leo. It appears to me as a smudge in Peter's scope. This is one of the Merier objects I have been looking for below θ Leo. Since I was having trouble seeing it in the 10" scope there is now way I am going to see it in my binoculars. M65 was adjacent but I was not able to see it.

Target	Corvus (The Raven)
Constellation	Crv
Category	Constellation
Time	4Mar05; 0010 EST
Comments	This is the first time I have seen Corvus and known it. I located all of the stars with the exception of η Crv which I might have seen but didn't realize from the depiction in Planetarium that I should have noted it. Star Magnitude Meaning Gienah Ghurab γ Crv 2.61 wing   η Crv 4.33   Kraz β Crv 2.67 Audubon says it is unnamed Minkar ε Crv 3.02 meaning unknown Alchiba α Crv 4.04 tent The genitive for Corvus is Corvi.

Target	Three Leaps of the Gazelle
Constellation	UMa
Category	Asterisms
Time	4Mar05; 0008 EST
Comments	I never found the first leap until UMa was near the zenith and then it looked to me like Triangulum. A was also able to see Alcor at that time.

Target	UMi
Constellation	UMi
Category	Eonstellations
Time	4Mar05; 0013 EST
Comments	Polaris, Kochab, Pherkad and η UMi (M4.97) but I was not able to see σ UMi at M4.5.

Target	Draco (The Dragon)
Constellation	Dra
Category	Constellation
Time	4Mar05; 0016 EST
Comments	This is the first time that I have been able to really see Draco and was able to trace out it's entire length. name from a defunct constellation (beginning of the tail) Star Magnitude Meaning Eltanin (Nodus II) (Altais) γ Dra 2.25 Audubon does not give a meaning for this name (Draco's right eye) Rastaban β Dra 2.81 head of the dragon (Draco's nose)   υ Dra 4.90 (Draco's left eye) Grumium ξ Dra 3.77 (back of Draco's head) Nodus Secundus δ Dra 3.09 second loop (close to the first turn) Tyl ε Dra 3.85 (first turning star)   χ Dra 3.59 (center of the first bend) Dsiban ψ Dra 4.60 (second turning star) Aldhibah (Nodus I) ζ Dra 3.19 (beginning of the middle loop)   η Dra 2.76 (end of the middle loop)   θ Dra 4.03 (third turning star) Ed Asich ι Dra 3.31 male hyena (forth turning star) Thuban α Dra 3.67   6 Dra 4.96 (middle of the tail) Gianfar γ Dra 3.86 node of the Moon's orbit (fifth turning star)   Yale 3751 4.31 (end of the tail) The genitive of Draco is Draconis

Target	Crater (The Cup)
Constellation	Crt
Category	Constellation
Time	4Mar05; 0027 EST
Comments	Having found Corvus I tried for Crater which is just to its south but could only see one star. Star Magnitude Meaning   δ Crt 3.58

Target	Vega
Constellation	Lyr
Category	Stars
Time	4Mar05; 0040 EST
Comments	Vega was rising in Manhattan north. I can't remember seeing it this low in the sky. I am used to seeing it as part of the Summer Triangle high overhead. I saw two double stars nearby, beneath Vega was δ1 and δ2 Lyr and higher up and to the left σ1 and σ2 Lyr. The σ pair was just visible naked eye but not as a double.

Target	Virgo (The Maiden)
Constellation	Vir
Category	Constellation
Time	4Mar05; 0045 EST
Comments	I was not able to see any of the lower torso or lef stars. The lower torso stars are the dimmest stars and the foot stars would have been behind the trees. It takes the sun longer to pass through Virgo than any other constellation. Star Magnitude Meaning Spica α Vir 1.00 ear of wheat (left hip) Heze ζ Vir 3.39 (right hip) Auva δ Vir 3.40 (right shoulder) Porrima γ Vir 3.67 name of a Roman goddess (left shoulder) Vindemiatrix ε Vir 2.85 grape gatherer (right hand) Zaniah η Vir 3.91 angle (angle of the left jaw) Zavijah β Vir 3.63 angle (left ear)   υ Vir 4.05 (top of the head)   ο Vir 4.14 (right ear) The genitive of Virgo is Virginis.

Target	Jupiter
Constellation	Vir
Category	Planets
Time	4Mar05; 0050 EST
Comments	Jupiter was rising above the trees to the east. I could see Europa trailing the planet and Io and Ganymede before it. The moons sloped upward from left to right along the eclyptic. Calisto was so far out to the left and below the horizontal that I didn't notice it.