8 September 2006

Observing Location	PSC
Observational Period	0930-0945 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	It isn't great out. CSC had said it would be clear and average transparency at 0900 EDT and right around 0850 EDT the sun began poking through the clouds. There is still a lot of haze up there. It is already got and no wind. Transparency Good Seeing Excellent
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular w/Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Leo Category Solar Time 20060908.0930 EDT Comments Heliphraphic Latitude(B0) +7.25° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 167.83° Position Angle (P) +22.78° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2047 It looks like they decided group 908 is more than the sum of UTF parts. 908 has disappeared from the map and 907 and 909 appear in UTF place. It if hard to make itllout complex spot numbering on the little index map but it looks like the p-spots of the 908 group were renumbered 909 and the f-spot is now 907. I just checked in on the Rayben Active Solar Regions web page and they are still showing group 908 where group 904 is on Space Weather 904 Heliographic Latitude -17° Heliographic Longitude 124° McIntosh System Dao The group now has a smaller, although still large, f-spit that is in the edge of the penumbra of the primary spot. 907 Heliographic Latitude -10° Heliographic Longitude 159° McIntosh System Axx This is the middle of the there groups and is closest to group 909. It appears to be a fairly large solitary spot without penumbra. 909 Heliographic Latitude -16° Heliographic Longitude -35° McIntosh System Axo This is now the leading group moving across the dusk and us close to the meridian. All I can see is two faint spots.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 3 5 35 Total 3 5 35 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

---

I have been awaiting the arrival of last week's issue of Nature at the library. I wanted to read about the recently observed super nova. It finally arrived today and while scanning it for the announcements I found a good article on the Pluto controversy. It is one of the few articles that I have read that isn't taking a side in the debate on what a planet is and whether or nor the right thing was done relative to Pluto.

While reading that article I was delayed by a 15-minute warning on the launch of the space shuttle so I quickly went downstairs and got an internet connection to watch the launch only to are them opening the shuttle to let the crew out, the launch having been scrubbed earlier due to a fuel cell issue.

I continued watching through the post scrub press conference and felt that the mission managers made a credible explanation of their decision rationale but am still not convinced that they are now revising the rules due to feeling pressure to get the Shuttle back into the air on schedule.

Back into Nature there is a series of posts that were made to a Nature blog by one of the attending scientists at the IAU assembly giving a near real time view of the war.