16 August 2006

Observing Location	PSC
Observational Period	1645-1700 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Sunny and warm with low humidity and a moderate breeze. No clouds; no haze; no boiling. Transparency Excellent Seeing Excellent
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular w/Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Category Solar Time 20060816.1645 EDT Comments This spot is huge and I think that I should be seeing it without magnification but I am not. 904 The p-spot is one large spot surrounded by a penumbra. There is a tiny pore in front od the spot and behind it. The f-spot is two umbras separated by a clearly visible light bridge. Each spot is surrounded by a ring of plage.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 1 5 15 Total 1 5 15 R = (Geoups * 10) + Spots)

---

Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2000-0100 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	It had been a beautiful day all day today and, acccording to CSC, was supposed to remain so tonight. NOAA was predicting a couple of intervals of clouds less than 20%. The observed conditions were somewhere between the two forecasts. At sundown it was great and I was seeing low in the south for a time but then something changed and I lost that view. Later in the night I was able to observe back down there. The temperature was mild and the humidity low. There wasn't much wind, but enough thaat mosquitoes were not a problem and I didn't observe much bat activity. When the sprinlkers came on the air very quickly became moist and it felt much cooler. When I was leaving I noticed some small clouds out to the east. By the time I arrived home about an hour later the sky was completely covered with broken cumuluous clouds. This was not in the NOAA forecast. Transparency Good Seeing Good
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Kin Lee

Target Jupiter Constellation Vir Category Planet Time 20060816.2008 EDT Comments The sun is going down a little earlier and Jupiter pops out a little earlier. And it really pops. There is nothing there then there is a bright white dot. Some of the moons take a shile before they become visible but there are usually two that appear with the planet. Initially Io was right up against the trailing limb and was not visible but a passer by reported having seen it in Tom Clabough's binocular (he apparently was down at TPO) and when I checked it was nicely separated and easily seen.

Target NGC6231, Baby Scorpion, Table of Scorpius, C76 Constellation Sco Category DSO Time 20060816.2042 EDT Comments The baby scorpion was very low over the Bloomberg building tonight, a little higher and to the right of the antenna tower. I could see five solid stars and at least two more flashing. I went back to it a little later and it had disappeared into the atmosphere.

Target ISS Visible Pass Constellation Category Satellite Time 20060816.2053 EDT Comments This Pass started out over the GE building and worked itself around to the east disappearing into Earth's penumbra behind the big tree to our east.

Target Coat Hanger Constellation Vul Category Asterism Time 20060816.2111 EDT Comments There were some passers by there and the baby scorpion had disappeared while we were watching the ISS pass. They had already seen Jupiter in Tom's binocular so I picked up the Coat Hanger since there were no other planets, the Moon or anything else people can relaate to. At least the Coat Hanger lools like what it is maned after even if it is upside down.

Target NGC6802 Constellation Vul Category DSO Time 20060816.2115 EDT Comments Not Seen It looks like it is a globular cluster but has a brightness of Mag 8.8 which is not bright enough for my binocular.

Target NGC6823 Constellation Vul Category DSO Time 20060816.2126 EDT Comments Possibly detected. It appears to be another globular cluster that is a little brighter, Mag 7.1. I think I saw some brightening where it should have been.

Target M71, NG?C6681 Constellation Sge Category DSO Time 20060816.2138 EDT Comments It is uncertain whether this is a globular cluster or an open cluster. It is too faint for me to see with my binocular (Mag 9.0).

Target Iridium 26 Flare Constellation Cyg Category Satellite Time 20060816.2149 EDT Comments The alarm on my PDA was late and I caught it just after it had flared and was dimming.

Target M5, NGC5904 Constellation Ser Category DSO Time 20060816.2153 EDT Comments I detected it. A faint fuzzy.

Target ISS Visible Pass Constellation Category Satellite Time 20060816.2228 EDT Comments Not Seen This was a real challenge as it was only a 2-second pass. It was also low on the horizon (10°) in a part of the sky where there were no bright stars so I couldn’t get a good landmark. Kin and I both looked in the area around the Bearsford but didn’t see it. It was a faint pass itself.

Target Unknown Satellite Constellation Cyg Category Satellite Time 20060816.2235 EDT Comments Kin just happened to be looking up into Cyrgus and I just after him when a bright satellite passed by Deneb tracking north to south. There is nothing listed in Heavens Above for this timeframe.

It was looking a little better down to the south so I figured I would give the horizon a shot and was rewarded with three new (to me) constellations (CrA, Mic, and Gru) and one that I have only seen once before (PsA).

Target Corona Australis, The Southern Crown Constellation CrA Category Constellation Time 20060816.2315 EDT Comments Genative: Coronae Australis kor-OH-nah os-TRAY-lis One of the original 48 constellations. Perhaps the crown of Centaurus or of Ariadne (Corona Borealis is also the crown of Ariadne). Depicted as a laurel wreath. I couldn’t see anything naked-eye but with the binoculars saw all of the stars of the stick figure. Star Mag. Meaning γ Cra 4.2   Alfecca Meridiana α CrA 4.11 β CrA 4.10   HIP 94130 6.44   δ CrA 4.57   ζ CrA 4.74   While there I looked for NGS6729, C68, and NGS6723 and didn’t see either of them. Down in the schmutz and light-pollution I would have been more surprised if I had found them than that I didn’t.

Target Meteor Constellation CrA Category Comet/Meteor Time 20060816.2315 EDT Comments While poking around in CrA a golden meteor came into the FoV and burned out about half way across. It was traveling fairly horizontally from west to east so I haven’t been able to figure out what it is unless possible a Perseid that has made the trip most of the way around the horizon before entering the atmosphere.

Target Microscopium, The Microscope Constellation Mic Category Constellation Time 20060816.2332 EDT Comments my-kro-SKO-pee-um Genitive: Microscopii Modern (Lacaille, 1750) constellation of faint stars. The botton star of the stick figure is still benind the trees but I saw the rest of them in the binocular. Star Mag. Meaning α Mic 4.89   γ Mic 4.67   ε Mic 4.71   θ Mic 4.80

Target Grus, The Crane Constellation Gru Category Constellation Time 20060816.2335 EDT Comments GROOS Genitive: Gruis Modern (Bayer, 1603) constellation. The crane was the symbol of astronomers in ancient Egypt. I could only see γ Gru, the rest of the constellation was behind the trees. More of it should be visible when it souths on 10Oct. Mag. Star Meaning Alnair α Gru 1.73 The bright one (A) γ Gru 3.00   λ Gru 4.47   μ Gru 4.79   δ1/δ2 Gru 3.97/4.12   β Gru 2.07   ε Gru 3.49   ζ Gru 4.11   ι Gru 3.88   HIP 114112 7.67

Target Piscis Austrinus, Southern Fish Constellation PsA Category Constellation Time 20060816.2338 EDT Comments δ PsA was behind the trees but the rest of the stars were visible in the binocular. I searched for NGC7361 and did not find it although I could see HIP 112065.

Naked-eye Limiting Magnitude It was looking fairly clear out. I could easily see ε Cas. While I didn't take time to do a full NELM assessment I did look at UMi for a while. Initially all I saw was Polaris, Kochab, and Pherkad. After a little bit I picked up Pherkad Minor then the stars between Kochab and Polaris. I wasn't able to find the last bowl star.

Target Kemble’s Cascate & NGC 1501 & NGC1502 Constellation Cam Category Asterism & DSO Time 20060817.0002 EDT Comments I can see the two stars in the bird’s foot that look like a double (HIP 19270 and HIP 19272) but could not see any sign of NGC1502. I hopped over to where NGC1501 should be and didn’t see that either.

Target NGC1545 Constellation Per Category DSO Time 20060817.0014 EDT Comments Two stars seen solid vertical with the lightest below and a light haze around them.

Target NGC1528 Constellation Per Category DSO Time 20060817.0021 EDT Comments Not Seen I saw the star right under it though.

Target NGC1513 Constellation Per Category DSO Time 20060817.0025 EDT Comments Not Seen I saw the star next door.

Target NGC1444 Constellation Per Category DSO Time 20060817.0029 EDT Comments Not Seen I saw the pair of HIPs right below it.

Target NGC1245 Constellation Per Category DSO Time 20060817.0034 EDT Comments I can see HIP 15105 but no sign of the cluster.

Target NGC1342 Constellation Per Category DSO Time 20060817.0057 EDT Comments I had a lot of trouble hopping to the FoV but think I got on it. I didn’t see the cluster though.