18 September 2005

Observing Location	Met Oval I got out a little later than usual tonight and the sun could not be seen from PSC. Neither could it be seen from any of the benches around the fountain at Metropolitan Oval. I ended up having to stand on a traffic island on Unionport Road and count the spots while the sun was slipping behind a building. The ecliptic must be rising rapidly now.
Observational Period	1800-1815 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	It was warm but pleasant. The sky was clear and the humidity low. There was no boiling. Transparency Excellent Seeing Excellent
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binocular with Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target	Sunspots
Constellation	Leo
Category	Solar
Time	1800 EDT
Comments	It was difficult counting sunspots standing there with nothing to lean against and no tripod. Even with image stabilization turned on they were hard to make out. [I was uncertain at the time of my observations where the equator was and which hemisphere the spots were in but called the one north and one south and looking at the satellite images after the fact I was correct.] 808 SW quadrant. This group is moving toward the limb and getting hard to see due to foreshortening 810 NE quadrant. This group has just moved onto the disk and is still foreshortened.   Groups Spots R Northern Hemisphere 1 3 13 Southern Hemisphere 1 2 12 Total 2 5 25 NOAA Boulder Sunspot Number 59 R = 10 * Groups + Spots

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Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2045-2330 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	It was very pleasant with the temperature at 72° and the humidity low. There were no clouds and the sky looked clear, but the moon was making it hard to see things none the less. The air was very stable. It would have been a good night to have done a NELM assessment while I was standing around waiting for the moon to rise above the trees, but I didn't do it. Transparency Very Good Seeing Excellent
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binocular with Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie Fujinon 16x70 binocular - Tom Celestron 7x50 binocular - Kin
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Tom Clabough Kin Lee

Target	M27, Dumbbell Galaxy, NGC6853
Constellation	Vul
Category	Deep Sky Object
Time	18Sep05; 2100 EDT
Comments	Not Seen

Target	M52, NGC7654
Constellation	Cas
Category	Deep Sky Object
Time	18Sep05; 2110 EDT
Comments	Not Seen

Target	Sagittarius
Constellation	Sgr
Category	Constellation
Time	18Sep05; ~2130 EDT
Comments	Sagittarius was moving through the gegenshine. I was able to locate all of the teapot naked-eye except for the handle on the top.

Target	M31, Andromeda Galaxy
Constellation	And
Category	Deep Sky Object
Time	18Sep05; 2130 EDT
Comments	I dropped onto it before I had even figured out where my binoculars were pointed.

Target	Moon
Constellation	Psc
Category	Lunar
Time	18Sep05; 2200 EDT
Comments	The limb looks rough from Strabo at around 12:30 down to La Perouse at around 3:30. Mare Tranquilitatis, Mare Fecunditatis, Sinus Asperitatis, Mare Vaporum and Mare Nectarus are all a uniform gray and when combined look very circular. They give the impression of being a giant crater with the area around Isidorus, Capella, Gutenberg and Guclenius being a central peak. There is not much relief showing anywhere on the disk. The predominant features are the Marea, Plato and the rays.

Target	M57, Ring Nebula, NGC6720
Constellation	Lyr
Category	Deep Sky Object
Time	18Sep05
Comments	Not Seen

Target	M45, The Pleiades, NGC1432
Constellation	Tau
Category	Deep Sky Object
Time	18Sep05; ~2230 EDT
Comments	I counted six naked-eye stars, but never all at once.

Target	Mars
Constellation	Ari
Category	Planet
Time	18Sep05; ~2230 EDT
Comments	Mars flares in the binoculars but it is obvious that the NW quadrant is not all there.

Target	Capella
Constellation	Aur
Category	Star
Time	18Sep05
Comments	Capella was still low on the horizon when I observed it and it was flashing like an emergency flasher.