12 June 2005

Observing Location	Parkchester South Condominium Oval, The Bronx, NY
Observational Period	1825-1840 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Hazy, Hot and Humid. It wasn't as bad today as it has been but it was still hot. There were a few clouds around but wispy kind of stuff like thickening cirrus. There was a haze apparent around the sun through the filter. Transparency Fair Seeing Good
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binoculars with Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target	Sunspots
Constellation
Category	Solar
Time	12Jun05; 1825 EDT
Comments	Sunspot groups 775 and 776 are large enough to be easily seen without magnification. Sunspot 773 appears labeled on the SOHO photo on SpaceWeather.com but It has probably rotated off the face of the Sun by now and they are using an old picture rather than have someone around all weekend to update it. I can see both 775 and 776 naked-eye but through the binoculars they both appear to be lexx complex today. 775 775 is in the northern hemisphere most of the way to the western limb. The central spot has a penumbra around it but now only has one smaller, outlying spot. It is surrounded by a void. 776 776 is in the southern hemisphere and is trailing 775 to the limb slightly. Most of the smaller spots outside of the void area have dissipated. The central spots are surrounded by a penumbra.   Groups Spots R Northern Hemisphere 1 2 12 Southern Hemisphere 1 3 13 Total 2 5 25 NOAA Boulder Sunspot Number 85 R = 10 * groups + spots The Boulder Sunspot Number keeps going up while my sunspot number keeps going down.

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Observing Location	Metropolitan Oval, The Bronx, NY
Observational Period	2058-2230 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	It was warm but pleasant sitting on the park bench reading. There wasn't much wind and the air didn't feel moist. Early there was overcast blocking out everything but Jupiter but they dissipated later on. Transparency Poor Seeing Good
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binoculars with Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target	Jupiter
Constellation	Vir
Category	Planet
Time	12Jun05; 2058 EDT
Comments	Jupiter looked very nice tonight with Ganymede, Europa and Io about evenly spaced on the trailing edge and Callisto about as far out in front as Ganymede was behind. Io was tight against the planet. The haze around Jupiter was lit up and more so over the three moons than the single moon. Porrima became visible in the binoculars after a while and then Auva. I thought I was seeing Spica naked eye but it was way up high and I thought it should have been loser than Jupiter. Later on Spica did appear where I expected it. When I got home and checked Planetarium the bright star I was seeing turned out to be Arcturus. With very few stars visible it was hard for me to tell what I was seeing. Starry Night Starter graphic

Target	Moon
Constellation	Leo
Category	Lunar
Time	12Jun05; 2130 EDT
Comments	The moon looked a little fuzzy through the haze. It was almost a day before first quarter and the illuminated portion was obviously concave along the terminator which passed down through Mare Tranquilitatis. Later when the clouds cleared Regulus appeared dimly beneath the Moon. Starry Night Starter graphic Starry Night Starter graphic

Target	Satellite
Constellation
Category	Satellite
Time	12Jun05; 2222 EDT
Comments	I am uncertain what I saw. I made a note that I saw it at 2222 EDT but there are no satellites in that part of the sky at that time listed in Orbitron. When I got home I looked up satellites for 2258 EDT and Cosmos 1400 is the only Satellite going in the right direction that is listed in either Heavens-Above.com or Orbitron, but it appears to be too high.