4 September 2006

Observing Location	PSC
Observational Period	1115-1130 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Sunny and warm with a light and variable breeze. Mostly clear with a high haze and scatteted cotton ball puffs of cumulus clouds. Transparency Good Seeing Good
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular w/Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Leo Category Solar Time 20060904.1115 EDT Comments B0 +7.23° L0 221.77° P +21.87° CR 2047 No sunspots are evident. There might be an area of plage down arougd 7:00 on the disc.

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I was out on a mission this afternoon: to get a copy of SkyWatch 07 so I can start preparing my targets list for next year. I tried a Barnes & Noble superstore and two of the larger Borders and was not successful. I had to settle for the Harris Farmer’s Almanac which inckides some very basic astronomical information about the Sun, Moon, planets (both classical and one of the dwarfs although they do not make the distinction), and the major meteor showers. There is also an article about the potential decision by the IAU to demote Pluto.

I also found a magazine format (European) star atlas published by Astronomy magazine. I think this is the deepest atlas I have, going all the way down to Mag. 8. The glaring omissions I have found in a quick perusal are

• lack of an all-sky index map so you can quickly find the map you need;
• lack of an object index so you can look up the page a constellation an object is on; and
• the omission of some symbology (milky way, nebular) from the map legends.

This is billed as an "All-in-one introduction to the night sky" and is intended to get you to something rather than to help you figure out what you just found:

The only advertising in the whole magazine is a full page ad for Tele Vue eyepieces on the back cover. There isn't even an ad for Astronomy magazine other than numerous tip-ins. The content begins on the inside if the front cover and the last of the double truck maps is on the inside of the back cover. Because of the lack of advertising you are paying $12.95.

Unfortunately, because this is basically a magazine, it is not going to hold up well under heavy usage.

The sky maps are night vision friendly, having been printed with a full bleed colored collar and a blue sky. The interspersed text pages are printed black on white.

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Observing Location	Staten Island Ferry Terminal, the Battery, New York, NY On approaching the ferry terminal I noticed the gibbous Moon playing hide and seek among the clouds over Brooklyn. I went out on the terminal balcony and searched for Jupiter in the fading wlilight while waiting for the next boat. Samuel I. Newhouse, Staten Island Ferry, New York Harbor, NY The Newhouse is one of the older boats in service and there aren't many places where you can go to see the sky. I think the best place, and it isn't that good, is right on the midline at either end of the car (lowest) deck. On this trip I stood at the back end of the ferry (does a double-ended boat have an official bow and stern?) which gave me a view to the NE. Staten Island Ferry Terminal, Fort George, Staten Island, NY Hoping to get a different class of boat for the return trip to Manhattan I went outside between the ferry terminal and the ballpark to do a little observing there. The Staten Island Yankees were playing the Cortland -- tonight and the area was very light-polluted between the stadium lights and the security lighting around the terminal. I saw more in the obstructed sky of the moving ferry than I did from the shore. John J. Barbiere, Staten Island Ferry, New York Harbor, NY Unfortunately the only ferries that aren't broken down right now are all of the same class so my view was the same on the return trip as the trip over. I started off at the back end of the boat again but there were lots of clouds there and little to see but occasionally the Moon and Jupiter so I moved to the front of the boat for most of the trip.
Observational Period	1930-2130 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Mild and partly cloudy. I don't think the transparency was as bad as CSC had predicted. Transparency Fair Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye Observing - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Naked-eye Limiting Magnitude North 4.07 East 3.97 Zenith 0.03 West 2.61 South 2.05 Object Mag Alt Lyra, The Lyre Virgo α Lyr 0.03 85.21° Cygnus, The Swan Deneb, α Cyg 1.25 70.94° Sadr γ Cyg 2.23 74.35° Alberio β Cyg 3.05 75.77° Gienah Cygni ε Cyg 2.48 67.90° 30 Cyg & 31 Cyg 4.80/3.80 75.43° δ Cyg 2.86 80.62° Libra, The Scales Jupiter -1.90 9.17° Zuben Elschemali β Liv 2.61 18° Cassiopeia, The Queen Caph β Cas 2.25 40.16° Schedar α Cas 2.24 35.28° Achird &ets; Cas 3.46 34.79° γ Cas 2.15 35.01° Ruchbah δ Cas 2.66 31.55° Cepheus, The King Alderamin α Cep 2.45 59.97° ζ Cep 3.39 55.35° δ Cep 4.07 52.94° ι Cep 3.50 49.56° Alrai γ Cep 3.21 43.84° Alfirk β Cep 3.23 54.66° Aquila, The Eagle Altair α Aql 0.76 56.23° Tarazed γ Aql 2.72 58.22° Andromeda, The Princess Alpheratz α And 2.07 27.67° Pegasus, The Winged Horse Algenib γ Peg 2.83 18.57° Markab α Peg 2.49 30.38° Scheat β Peg 2.44 39.14° Matar η Peg 2.93 44.14° μ Peg 3.51 39.89° γ Peg 3.97 39.97° Ursa Major, The Great Bear Alkaid η UMA 1.85 36.63° Mizar ζ UMa 2.23 35.41° Alioth epsilon; UMa 1.76 31.89° Dubhe α UMa 1,81 23.59° Ursa Minor, The Little Bear Polaris α UMi 1.97 40.40° Kochab β UMi 2.07 46.35° Pherkad γ UMi 3.00 49.10° Sagittarius, The Archer Nunki α Sgr 2.05 23.01°

I spoke to one of the deck crew to try to find out how fast the ferry was going. He said there was no way of telling but that each captain or assistant drove at his own speed. He also said that the engines were governed at about 17 knots so I figure they run at 17 knots most of the time so they have time to unload and load and still keep their schedule even if they get delayed by harbor traffic. The Barbierie is the boat that was involved in the accident a while back when it was run into a pier and several passengers were killed. The baot was put in for repairs and the boat teck at least has all new furnishings. I was told that the boat is going to the breaker soon as it has engine trouble. And all of the new boats are laid up with mechanical problems. There are only three ferries that are currently serviceable. Most of the ferries that are tied up south of the Ft George terminal have already been stripped of anything useful and are awaiting the graving dock. We will probably see them back here again in the form of Toyotas and Hohdas.