24 December 2005

Observing Location	PSC
Observational Period	1120-1200 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	It was cloudy, but not so cloudy that I couldn't see the sun. But I had to wait for areas of denser cloud to pass while trying to count sunspots. There was no boiling on the limb at all. Transparency Poor Seeing Excellent
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binocular with Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target	Sunspots
Constellation	Sgr
Category	Solar
Time	24Dec05; 1130 EST
Comments	I did not see group 839 that is noted on the SOHO image. 837 NW quadrant. I called this a northern spot but wasn't sure. It is actually a southern spot. At the time I was observing the equator would have been approximately horizontal. This appears to be a fairly large spot as it is near the limb and still easily visible. There is a large stripe of plage extending from it to 7:30. 838 NE quadrant. This group is composed of a prominent spot and a lighter smudge for an F spot. There is a ring of no ricegrain around the P spot and around the leading edge of the F spot 840 NW quadrant. This spot is close to the trailing limb. There is a ring of no rice grain structure surrounding it and merging with the limb. ? SW quadrant. There is no spot showing here even on the high resolution SOHO image but I am sure there is a small spot there. It is completely surrounded by an area of no rice grain structure. NASA SOHO graphic annotated by spaceweather.com   Groups Spots R Northern Hemisphere 3 4 34 Southern Hemisphere 1 1 11 Total 4 5 45 R = 10 * Groups + Spots

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Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	1400-1600 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	Conditions have improved some in the past couple of hours. The cloud cover is not as dense as it had been previously and there were fewer times when I had to wait to see through the clouds. There was some very slight boiling, primarily on the northern limb. Again I did not see group 839 and know that I did loog for other previously unobserved spots both in the upper right quadrant and in the southern hemisphere. Transparency Fair Seeing Good
Instruments	Canon 15x50 Image Stabilized binocular with Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target	Sunspots
Constellation	Sgr
Category	Solar
Time	24Dec05, 1400 EST
Comments	837 NW quadrant. Because I called it north before I did so again although a check of Active Region Explorer indicates that it is probably south. 838 NE quadrant. This group is very close to the meridian. The F spot looks like to closely spaced dashes. 840 SE quadrant. Active region exporer indicates that this is the spot that I called unidentified before. 841 NE quadrant. This spot is the one that is closer to the limb which I thought NOAA was calling 840. ? quadrant. I found a new spot farther in on the disk and farther down than 840. It does not show up on either the NASA imagery or in Active Region Explorer. After I first sighted it I could easily recover it each time I looked at that area of the Sun.   Groups Spots R Northern Hemisphere 3 5 35 Southern Hemisphere 2 2 22 Total 5 7 57 R = 10 * Groups + Spots [I am vindicated. As of 25Dec05 at 2100 EST my small spot that was not appearing on the SOHO imag is on an image on Spaceweather.com bearing today's date. This is the image SOHO was making at the time I made my observation. Their image is upside down from what I was seeing. I guess they rotate the images and colorize them differently for the general public. NASA SOHO graphic I don't know what it all means, but this is the information that describes the image: Origin: Flight Instrument Telemetry Channel: 160 kbps Category: Science Data Observable: Continuum Magnification: Full-Disc Sampling Interval: 30 Seconds Version Number: 5 Format: Full-Disc Cropped with Square-root Compression Crop Radius = 504.000 Pixel It doesn't have a number yet on the thumbnail image nor doesn't appear yet in Active Regions Explorer. It looks like my binocular-assisted eyesight is almost as good as the SOHO telescope.]

Target
Constellation
Category
Time	24Dec05; 1430 EST
Comments	I spent some time making sketches of the skyline from TotL and taking compass bearings to get a sense of where our sky is obstructed and how badly. The elevation estimates are based on the clinometer in my compass and are real crude since I have to lay the compass on its side to see the clinometer and don't know it it has swung while I was doing that. North and Manhattan North East and Manhattan North Southeast and Manhattan East South and Manhattan Southeast Southwest and Manhattan South Southwest and Manhattan South South Southwest and Manhattan Southwest South Southwest and Manhattan Southwest West and Manhattan South Southwest I started out taking measurements with my digital compass but was getting strange readings, and I remembered that it was set up to read degrees true but that the declination offset wasn't correct and I don't remember how to set that stuff, so switched over to my Brunton Eclipse 8099 which is equipped with a mirror so I can see what my lubber line is over while adjusting the compass card and was getting much better readings. All readings are in degrees magnetic which agrees with the way I have Planetarium set up.

Target	Great Horned Owl
Constellation
Category	Fauna
Time	24Dec05; 1600 EST
Comments	On my way up through the park I met Rik Davis at the Loeb Boathouse. He was just coming out of the Ramble where he had been photographing a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus). Since I wasn't pressed for time and there was still plenty of daylight I decided to try the bird. Rik had said to follow the trail down along the north side of the lake to The Point and look for all the other birders. I was coming from a completely different direction but figured I would give it a try. I think I found one group of people bathered to the west of The Point and another group down on the shore at the western edge of The Point. This is a big bird by looks. I would say approaching the size of the captive Bald Eagles I have seen, but I was looking at him through the binoculars so it is hard to be sure. His talons are huge. I can see him swooping down and plucking babies from the baby carriages of unattentive nannies. His "horns" look like the horns of a cow in proportion to the size of his head. He was sitting high up in the crotch of a huge willow tree. Mostly he appeared to be trying to sleep but would occasionally turn his head to look at something. His eyes were in rings of feathers. You always hear about how owls can turn there head 306° and they are nearly true. You had no idea where his body was pointed based on where his eyes were pointed. He can certainly turn his neck at least 180° because I was looking at his back and both of his eyes at the same time. It was breezy and his feathers kept ruffling so you could tell that his body wasn't anywhere near as large as he appears. The image stabilization was problematic in these conditions. I was mostly glad I had it because it did afford me a better fiew of the bird than I would have had with conventional binoculars. But every time the breeze moved one of the willow leaves the IS noticed it and changed the position of the prisms making me refocus. This is an aspect of image stibilization that I haven't noticed until now and it might make it less than desirable for activities like bird watching on breezy days. Information on Great Horned Owls. Information on The Point.

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Observing Location	New York City
Observational Period
Atmospheric Conditions	When I left the Park I went to dinner and then to Grand Central Terminal to do some more stargazing in the ceiling there. Some day I will write more about my analysis of the ceiling. From there I jumped on the subway home so had little sight of the evening sky after it got dark. On arriving home I found that it was very clear and should have been a good stargazing night. I think conditions were a good bit better than CSC had predicted and a night when I should have been in the park observing. But It was too late when I got home to head back down there and I am tired and want to get some sleep so I can get up tomorrow to try to observe the Spica occultation. Clear Sky Clock graphic
Instruments
Observing Party