9 August 2006

Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2000- EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Very mild, moderate humidity, moderate to strong breeze. It wasn't as clear as I had anticipated from the CSC and NOAA forecasts. The breeze was stiff enough that image stabilization could not hold the Moon steady in my tripod-mounted binocular and I needed a jacket and would have been more comfortable in a sweater. Transparency Good. Seeing
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular - Charlie Celestron 10x50 binocular - Kin Celestron 8-32x50 binocular - Asami When you zoomed the binocular you had to refocus. You also had to change the diopter setting which would be a real pain.
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Kin Lee Asami Alberti, Piano Doctor & birder Cchana, cyclist

The days are getting noticeably shorter already. It is now getting dark when I am doing things that I used to do in the daylight and I am going to have to start arriving in the park earlier if I want to catch the sun before it sets and for the crescent Moons.

Naked-eye Limiting Magnitude This isn't really a limiting magnitude assessment but rather a list of objects in the order in which I first observed them. Time Object Mag 2015 Jupiter -2.00 2032 Vego α Lyr 0.03 2033 Arcturus α Boo -0.05 2034 Deneb α Cyg 1.25 Sadr γ Cyg 2.23 2034 &delta Cyg 2.86 2036 Altair α Aql 0.76 Tarazed γ Aql 2.72 2037 Caph β Cas 2.28 2038 Alkaid η UMa 1.85 Mizar ζ UMa 2.23 Alioth ε UMa 1.76 2039 Thuban α Dra 3.67 Polaris α UMi 1.97 2040 γ Cas 2.15 2040 Gienah Cygni ε Cyg 2.48 2041 Spica α Vir 0.98 Antares α Sco 1.06 2042 Alniyat ο Sco 2.90 Dschubba δ Sco 2.29 Graffius β Sco 2.56 2044 Rastaban β Dra 2.79 Eltanin γ Dra 2.24 2048 Alberio β Cyg 3.05

Target Jupiter Constellation Vir Category Planet Time 20060809.2015 EDT Comments All the moons lined up in orbital distance order to the east of Jupiter; Callisto is difficult to see. By 2030 Callisto was easily visible. There was an older gentleman there taking pictures with whom I have spoken before who stopped by and informed me that Jupiter had appeared right at 2015 which corroborated my own observation.

Target NGC6231, Baby Scorpion, Table of Scorpius, C76 Constellation Sco Category DSO Time 20060809.2057 EDT Comments Low over the rounded tree just west of south The stars started flashing out one at a time around the brightest star but the haze obscured it before I got a good view.

Target Tumbling Iridium Constellation UMi Category Satellite Time 20060809.2124 EDT Comments Not Seen There were two tumbling Iridiums that I wanted to see tonight. Both of them were coming out of the NNW and passing close to the zenith. But they were Mag. 5.5 and Mag. 5.8 (at transit?) and I could not pick them up in the haze.

Target Moon Constellation Aqr Category Time 20060809.2245 EDT Comments Phase Full (Waning gibbous) Age 15d22h13m % Illuminated 99.3 The first thing I noticed was that the limb was lumpy around Mare Crisium. There was a divot taken out of it just west of the north polar region (Mare Humboldtianum). Limb is lumpy from around 12:30 to around 4:00. Three white spots east of Mare Crissium (Proclus, Romer or Carmichael and Geminus or Tralles) appear to have rays connecting them forming a triangle. The Full Moon Atlas Strong ray structure out or Tycho, less prominent from Copernicus. The entire rim of the large crater (Gruss) is in daylight just about to go into twilight. The marsh to the east of Mare Crissium (Palus Somni)looks very nice; the large one separating Mare Tranquiletatis, Mare Fecunditatis and Mare Nectaris (man not be a marsh) looks much rougher. There is another one on the western side of the Mare Serenitatis [actually Montes Taurus]. Gassendi, Plato and Endymion give the impression of being on a great circle. The Full Moon Atlas Palus Somni Area between Mare Tranquiletatis, Mare Fecunditatis and Mare Nectaris Montes Taurus Fewer of the rays emanating from Copernicus appear to end in the crater than do those of Tycho. It looks like there are small peninsulas sticking into Mare Crissium on opposite sides of the sea (Yerkes on the east and Condorcet W? on the west). They give the mare the impression of a chubby spiral galaxy with short arms. There was an ice crystal ring around the moon.