8 December 2006

Observing Location	VP
Observational Period	1045-1100 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Broken Clouds Temperature 25° F Wind 36 mph gusting to 40 mph Humidity Low Feels Like 6° F Wind Chill It was so cold I almost got married. Shelley Winters Transparency Good Seeing II
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular w/Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Oph Category Solar Time 20061208.1045 EST Comments Heliographic Latitude (B0) -0.7° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 46.24° Position Angle (P) +13.06° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2050 The Heliographic Latitude (B0) has been decreasing steadily and today it has changed to a negative value. The way I understand it that is the location of the center of the Sun’s disk and means that the north pole of the Sun is now pointed toward Earth and the south pole away from Earth. Group 929 has the sub to itself today. I don't detect any areas of plage anywhere on the disk. I have received many reports over the past 24 hours of the heomahneyic events that are taking place in our atmosphere as a result of the X-9 flare from Group 929 earlier in the week, and perhaps additional events about which I am unaware. I saw yesterday that ApaceWeather.com was still showing a 5Dec06 SOHO image as the current image and there was a note in another section saying an instrument had been overwhelmed by recent events.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 1 2 12 Total 1 2 12 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots) Group 929 Heliographic Latitude -9° Heliographic Longitude 9° Mcintosh System Dso A southern hemisphere group. The group looks smaller today than it has in the past. Do they stabilize after giving off a large flare? I see one large umbral spot surrounded by a symmetrical penumbra auth a much smaller spot beneath it, also surrounded be a proportionately smaller penumbra.

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Observing Location	MetOval
Observational Period	2200-0030 EST
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 28°F Wind 13 mph Humidity Low Feels Like 17°F Wind Chill I had plenty of clothes on and was comfortable except for my feet, which only lasted for two hours. Transparency Excellent Seeing I
Instruments	SAR: Coulter CT-100 Newtonian reflector - Charlie Celesteon Omni 20mm Celesteon Omni 2x Barlow
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

I had a good deal of trouble focusing tonight at 43x and eventually gave up on it and did most of my following along with Cherington at 21x. I got interrupted by a friendly security officer and then by a passer by and had trouble getting back on track. By then my toes were cold and fortunately, I was near the end of Cherrington's description for the day.

Target Moon Constellation Cnc Category Lunar Time 20061208.2200 EST Comments Lunation 1038 Phase Waning Gibbous Age 18D4g41m Elongation 128.74° % Illuminated 81.3% Magnitude -11.4 Altitude 18.36° 21x Franklin looks very deep I identified the Altai Scarp, Thoophilus, Cyrillus, Catherina, and Picolomini Stringutl has nice has nice shadow marking the western wall, 2.prominent craters straddle the wall in the E just off the terminator Rays still prominent off of Tycho and Copernicus Aristarchus appears to have a strong white ray to the west Teneriffe Mountains and Straight Range under Plato 43x The other night I identified Montes Archimedes from Ruukl where Cherrinhton snows Palis Buyrendis With the aperture partially occulted I can see Ariatillia and the W rim of Apitzennerg Using cherrington as a guide I made the following observations: Eudoxus and Aristotle are supposed to be prominent but they are faint and I had missed them Mare Crisium is gonee but I can still see Peoclua and Maceobia Cepheus is nearly 1/2 the distance from Franklin to Atlas Taruntius in the terminator

Target M44 Constellation Cnc Category DSO: OCl Time 20061208 EST Comments hard to see with the Moon so near.

Target Saturn Constellation Leo Category Planet Time 20061209 EST Comments A woman who had to leave Popeyes stopped by when they closed and wanted to see a planet so I got Saturn in the eyepiece.