18 September 2006

Observing Location	PSC
Observational Period	1545-1600 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	According to CSC it was supposed to be cloudless with better than average seeing until 2200 EDT tonight when a brief interval of light clouds occurs. But it just ain't so. It was mostly cloudy here and I had to wait until this afternoon when it cleared off so I could search for sunspots. It is warm with occasional breezes.. Transparency Good Seeing Good
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular w/Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Vir Category Solar Time 20060918.1545 EDT Comments Heliphraphic Latitude (B0) +7.14° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 32.24° Position Angle (P) +24.63° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2047 The sun passed from Leo into Vergo at around 1900 EDT Saturday night, 16Sep06. There is only one spot on the sun today. 910 Heliographic Latitude -13° Heliographic Longitude 338° McIntosh System Axx This appears to be one medium size spot without penumbra.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 1 1 11 Total 1 1 11 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

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Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	1745-2330 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Conditions were worse than CSC had predicted. They were calling for cloudless skies and above average transparency. Transparency appeared to me to be below average. There were a few clouds passing through but they were light and hard to detect in the haze. It became very humid and breezy and, as a result, cool. I saw more stars naked eye Saturday night at home staring into the flood lights than I did here tonight. Seeing was variable. Transparency Poor Seeing Fair
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Kin Lee

Target Jupiter Constellation Vir Category Planet Time 20060918.2000 EDT Comments We saw two moons off the leading limb. Initially thought they were the α Lib double but then discovered that the status page of Planetarium was set up for SAR even though it indicated otherwise.

Target Neptune Constellation Cap Category Planet Time 20060918.2100 EDT Comments Kin wanted to are Uranus but I tagged the wrong line in the Planetarium pick list and didn't notice the symbol was a trident rather than an upside down female symbol so hopped here instead.

Target Uranus Constellation Aqr Category Planet Time 20060918.2110 EDT Comments After discovering that I had hopped to the wrong planet I went up to Enif and easily hopped down to the water jar and from there to Uranus.

Target Andromeda Galaxy, M31 Constellation And Category DSO: Gal Time 20060918.2122 EDT Comments I found M31 easily but could not find M32 or M103.

Target Plane Constellation Category Plane Time 20060918.2127 EDT Comments While looking in Andromeda I saw what I thought was a satellite pass through And and Cas and overhead to the south. It was bright but looked strange like the light was coming from two places. I wondered if it might be the ISS in its new configuration and got the glasses on it. It turned out to be a plane with no strobe lights or colored lights. There were several white lights visible and the tail and left wing tip lights were brighter than the rest. I noted that there were no other planes in sight at the time, which is unusual. Normally there are about a half dozen planes in sight at any time during normal passenger service hours. I am wondering If I saw Air Force One. I would have expected it to have been accompanied by fighter keys though. I see in the news that Bush is in town Tuesday for a UN meeting.

Target M34, NGC1039 Constellation Per Category DSO: OCl Time 20060918.2147 EDT Comments M34 Appears in 3 catalogs in Planetarium in two different places in the sky. Found the M34 that is where two of the catalogs show it to be. My Measure catalog in Planetarium shows this as an open cluster while another catalog is shoeing it as a globular.

Target NGC1245 Constellation Per Category DSO: GCl Time 20060918.2158 EDT Comments I saw one point of light there.

Target NGC1528 Constellation Per Category DSO: GCl Time 20060918.2206 EDT Comments Not Seen

Target NGC1513 Constellation Per Category DSO: OCl Time 20060918.2220 EDT Comments Not Seen

Target NGC957 Constellation Per Category DSO: OCl Time 20060918.2230 EDT Comments Detected. I saw light where the cluster is supposed to be.

Target Double Cluster, NGC869/NGC884 Constellation Per Category DSO: OCl Time 20060918.2232 EDT Comments I got here by accident. I slewed over it and knew it must be something but I didn't recognize it since it didn't look anything like Peter's higher magnification views that full the FoV.

Target NGC637 Constellation Cas Category DSO: GCl Time 20060918.2248 EDT Comments Not Seen

Target NGC659, NGC663, & NGC654 Constellation Cas Category DSO: OCl. GCl, & GCl Time 20060918.2250 EDT Comments I can't say that I detected any of them but it felt like there was something there.

Target M103, NGC581 Constellation Cas Category DSO: OCl,, Star Hop Time 20060918.2300 EDT Comments Below Ruchbah, δ Cas (2 Cas), look for 3 stars in a frown. To the lower left of that are two stars slightly inclined to the angle of the frown. Hanging beneath the left star are two fainter stars. These there stars are M103.

Target NGC559 Constellation Cas Category DSO: GCl Time 20060918.2313 EDT Comments Not Seen The surface brightness is below the limiting magnitude of my binocular.

Target NGC637 Constellation Cas Category DSO: OCl Time 20060918.2320 EDT Comments Not Seen could see an Mag. 8.42 star but not a nearby Mag. 8.66, confirming my feeling that, with my eyes, the limiting magnitude if my binocular is Mag 8.5.