2 September 2005

Observing Location	Unionport Road and East Tremont Ave, The Bronx, NY
Observational Period	0500-0615 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Comfortable temperature and humidity. Clear sky. Transparency Good Seeing Good
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binocular - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target	Saturn
Constellation	Cnc
Category	Planet
Time	2Sep05; 0500 EDT
Comments	It looked like s slash with a ball attached to the right side. At 0558 EDT Saturn was hard to puck out. By 0603 EDT Saturn was gone but could still be recovered in the binoculars. At 0608 EDT I can no longer recover Saturn in the binoculars.

Target	Orion
Constellation	Ori
Category	Constellation
Time	2Sep05; 0510 EDT
Comments	Orion was laying on his back over top of the apartment buildings to my south. There is nebulosity around the Trapezium and it is bright in the neighborhood of NGC1981.

Target	Last Cresecnt Moon
Constellation	Leo
Category	Lunar
Time	2Sep05; 0520 EDT
Comments	0520 EDT The sky is starting to noticeably brighten on the eastern horizon. 0528 EDT Saturn is still there but not much else beneath it even in the binocular 0540 EDT The sky right above the horizon is a rusty orange 0542 The thin crescent Moon looking like a thin-lipped smile has just risen from behind the 1 storey building next to me. No sign of Mercury yet. 0547 EDT Faint earthshine over the lower part of the Moon between the horns. 0555 EDT The Moon and Mercury are fading into the lightening sky. The horizon is a dusky orange up through dirty yellow. 0603 EDT The Moon is almost gone. 0606 EDT The Moon is hard to recover naked-eye 0609 EDT The Moon is fading in and out. 0611 EDT The moon is lost naked-eye at 28d7h5m, 1.8% illuminated.

Target	Mercury
Constellation	Leo
Category	Planet
Time	2Sep05; 0520 EDT
Comments	0544 EDT Mercury is now visible about a thumb's width to the lower right of the moon (~2º). 0555 EDT The Moon and Mercury are fading into the lightening sky. The horizon is a dusky orange up through dirty yellow. 0558 EDT Mercury and Saturn are hard to pick out. 0603 EDT Mercury is gone but can still be recovered in the binoculars because I know where it is relative to the Moon.

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Observing Location	Turtle Pond I sat on the benches at the east end of Turtle Pond just as you come up the hill from the tunnel under the East Drive.
Observational Period	1705-1720 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Hot and mostly still air, some humidity, light, variable haze. Minor boiling was seen on the upper limb. Transparency Good Seeing Very Good
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binocular with Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target	Sunspots
Constellation	Leo
Category	Solar
Time	2Sep05, 1705 EDT
Comments	805 SE quadrant. This sunspot is getting close to the meridian. The main spot was observed to have a light bridge passing through it so is two spors. There was also a smudge trailing the main body of the group.   Groups Spots R Northern Hemisphere 0 0 0 Southern Hemisphere 1 3 13 Total 1 3 13 NOAA Boulder Sunspot Number 24 R = 10 * Groups + Spots

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Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2230~2330 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	It had looked hazy all night from Lincoln Center but it was hard to tell how bad it was for all the area lighting there. I had said I would stop off in the park on the way home so headed up that way not expecting to find Peter there. He was still there but all packed up and ready to go. The air was comfortable but the sky was littered with fair weather cumulus clouds. It got better as we stood there talking with a couple of guards from the Met (John and Michelle) and by the time we were on the path by the Met on the way out of the park it was looking real good. Transparency Seeing
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binocular - Charlie Teleport 10" Dobsonian Refractor - Peter
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Peter Tagatac

I got my binoculars out when the sky started to clear out a bit and looked in a few places but didn't really observe anything.