21 April 2005

Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2140-2240 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Clear Sky Clock said it was going to be bad tonight while everyone else said it would be good. It turns out Clear Sky Clock was right for a change. We are right on the boundary between two systems. Clouds are moving east out of PA, but most of them are sliding past south of us. It looks like the leading edge of a warm front is ramping up the trailing edge of a cold front right through here. When I got to the park it was mostly cloudy but there were some nice views through the breaks in the clouds. The Moon and Jupiter were having no trouble burning through the thin clouds. Dimmer objects occasionally winked out as a thicker patch of cloud passed under them. It was colder tonight and it is starting to get humid so it felt a little raw. The wind was light but perceptible, probably around 7 mph until about the time I left when it was up to 10-15 mph.
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binoculars - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target	Moon
Constellation	Vir
Category	Lunar
Time	21Apr05; 2145
Comments	The Moon has moved into Virgo. I held up my clenched fist and it looked to me like the Moon must be about 7º away from Jupiter. Planetarium says they are 8º apart so I am not doing too bad estimating distances. The terminator is going down through Oceanus Procellarum tonight. The ray structure is more pronounced tonight. The ray from Menelaus extends north through Mare Serenitatis and up into Mare Frigoris. Many rays are visible emanating from Tycho in all directions. The crater Aristarchis appears as a chalky white spot in the darker Oceanus Procellarum. Tonight to top limb of the Moon is exhibiting turquoise chromatic aberration. That area is normally pink and the southern limb turquoise. I suspect that the flip has something to do with seeing the moon through the clouds as the presence and extent of the aberration varies as the clouds move past. The water particles in the clouds may be polarizing or rotating the light rays. The Moon looks rounder in the binoculars tonight than it does naked eye. Other features identified: Feature Type Plato crater Endymion crater Teneriffe Mountains peak

Target	Jupiter
Constellation	Vir
Category	Planets
Time	21Apr05; 2203 EDT
Comments	All of Jupiter's moons are lined up off the western limb tonight. O  I E G      C Io and Ganymede appear to be on one plane and Europa and Callisto on a different one above the first. Io and Ganymede are in front of Saturn while Europa and Callisto are behind the planet.

Target	Pherkad, γ UMi
Constellation	UMi
Category	Double Stars
Time	21Apr05; 2211 EDT
Comments	I can't see Phercad Minor naked eye but it is easy in the binoculars. Pherkad looks blue-green-white while Pherkad Minor, about an apparent quarter's diameter away at its 11:30, is orange.

Target	M35
Constellation	Gem
Category	Deep Sky Object
Time	21Apr05; 2215 EDT
Comments	Not seen.

When I try to use the binoculars with my eyeglasses on I can't find anything but when I take the eyeglasses off I can point directly to whatever I want.

No matter how bad things look above, the skyline looking south always looks great.