| Observing Location | VP |
|---|
| Observational Period | 1130-1145 EST |
|---|
| Atmospheric Conditions |
| Cloud Cover | Scattered Clouds |
|---|
| Temperature | 40°F |
|---|
| Wind | 9 MPH |
|---|
| Humidity | High |
|---|
| Feels Like | Mild
34°F Wind Chill |
|---|
Why is it that when there are scattered clouds they are always scattered in the sky where you want to be looking.
The view was good today and the temperature very comfortable. There was a little bit of instability in the air.
|
|---|
| Instruments | Canon 15x50 IS binocular w/Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
|
|---|
| Observing Party | Charlie Ridgway
|
|---|
| Target | Sunspots |
|---|
| Constellation | Aqr |
|---|
| Category | Solar |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20070228.1130 EST |
|---|
| Comments |
Distance
Light Time | 0.991 AU
8m14s |
|---|
| Angular Size | 32'17" |
|---|
| Altitude | 40.69° |
|---|
Heliographic Latitude
(B0) | -7.21° |
|---|
Heliographic Longitude
(L0) | 45.92° |
|---|
Position Angle
(P) | -21.34° |
|---|
Carrington rotation number
(CR) | 2053 |
|---|
I saw one group, 944, smack dab in the center of the disk today. Active Region Explorer says Group 945 is a little way behind it but it was too small for me to see even with the big binocular. Both groups are in the southern hemisphere.
| | Groups | Spots | R |
|---|
| North | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| South | 1 | 1 | 11 |
|---|
| Total | 1 | 1 | 11 |
|---|
| R = (Groups * 10) + Spots) |
- Group 944
-
| Heliographic Latitude | -7° |
|---|
| Heliographic Longitude | 46° |
|---|
Carrington rotation number
(CR) | 2053 |
|---|
| Mcintosh System | Axx |
|---|
This is a fairly large spot but not so large that I can detect penumbra around it.
|
|---|
|
I saw in my Universe Today news a story that lead me to a NASA press release about a possible Moon habitat for the 2020 first landing of astronauts on the return to the Moon missions (has that date slipped again…I thought it had been 2018). It has a picture of a woman standing on a ladder at the door of the habitat. Based on the statistics that the size of the average woman is smaller than that of the average man it looks like NASA must be planning to send midgets to the Moon this time. The hatch of the habitat does not appear to be any taller than the woman and not much wider, and she is not wearing a clumsy spacesuit with a big helmet and life support unit.
Image from NASA. Click for a larger view.
Asellus Borealis, γ Cnc, will be occulted by the Moon tonight. The star is fairly bright, Mag 4.66, but there isn’t much of the dark of the Moon left so it is doubtful that I will see it in my optics. I may try the disappearance from the house before heading down to TotL.
| Observing Location | TotL |
|---|
| Observational Period | 1900-0130 EST |
|---|
| Atmospheric Conditions |
| Cloud Cover | Clear |
|---|
| Temperature | 40°F
falling to
33°F |
|---|
| Wind | Light Breeze |
|---|
| Humidity | moderate |
|---|
| Feels Like | mild
becoming
cold and a little raw |
|---|
It appears clear but it is not transparent enough for me to make out Pherkad Minor or any of the dimmer stars of the bowl and handle of the little Dipper. There is a colored halo around the Moon. The image is rock solid.
|
|---|
| Instruments | Canon 15x50 IS binocular - Charlie
Harry (the Kite): 150mm DIY Newtonian Reflector - Peter
Takahashi 22x60 binocular - Peter
|
|---|
| Observing Party | Charlie Ridgway
Peter Tagatac
Kin Lee
|
|---|
| Target | Moon |
|---|
| Constellation | Cnc |
|---|
| Category | Lunar |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20070228.1915 EST |
|---|
| Comments |
| Lunation | 1041 |
|---|
| Phase | Waxing Gibbous |
|---|
| Age | 11d8h00m |
|---|
Distance
Light Time
(from earth) | 389,000 km
1.3s |
|---|
| Elongation | 146.50°E |
|---|
| % Illuminated | 91.7% |
|---|
| Magnitude | -11.8 |
|---|
| Angular Size | 30'45" |
|---|
| Altitude | 49.52° |
|---|
The Moon, Saturn and Regulus are in a slightly bowed line.
The terminator is just in the western edge of Aristarchus.
Schiller made a big dark divot into the morning light.
When Peter set up his scope we spent some time looking at the maria between Mare Crisium and the limb.
We also observed the terminator around Aristarchus where Peter thought he saw a couple of domes. I haven’t been able to identify anything we saw there in either the LAC or in Virtual Moon Atlas.
[3Mar07 Peter, who knows the moon a lot better than I do has done the research and found that the domes are Mons Gruithuisen γ
Virtual Moon Atlas graphic
detail from LAC chart 23
Peter also provided this link to more information on Mons Gruithuisen.]
The feature is located kust to the SW of Promontory Heraclides at the SW corner of Sinus Iridum in Mare Imbrium.
The VMA is a little frustrating as it only identifies craters. If a maria doesn’t get named when the map draws you are out of luck.
|
|---|
|
| Target | Occultation of β Cnc |
|---|
| Constellation | Cnc |
|---|
| Category | Occultation |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20070228.1939-2101 EST |
|---|
| Comments | , β Cnc, Mag 4.66, was a short distance from the terminator at 7:30 to the Moon. At first it was hard to are but after I knew where to expect it it became easy.
D ~1939:45
I did not observe the reappearance although I was watching for it intently. Peter said he found the star a good distance behind the bright limb of the Moon. I looked for a but and couldn't find it until I tipped my binocular further up so that only a small chord of the limb was in the FoV and then the star became visible.
|
|---|
|
| Target | M44, Pearsape, Beehive Cluster |
|---|
| Constellation | Cnc |
|---|
| Category | DSO: Ocl |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20070228.19## EST |
|---|
| Comments | While counting stars in M44 a satellite flew through the cluster. I tracked it as it flew through the glare just below the moon but didn't are it come out the other side. I didn't timestamp that note so can't go back and yet to identify the satellite. I counted 16 stars in the Beehive. |
|---|
|
| Target | M67, NGC 2682 |
|---|
| Constellation | Cnc |
|---|
| Category | DSP: OCl |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20070228.2007 EST |
|---|
| Comments | Not Seen |
|---|
|
| Target | M41 |
|---|
| Constellation | CMa |
|---|
| Category | |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20070228.2021 EST |
|---|
| Comments | I saw six stars. |
|---|
|
| Target | NGC 2204 |
|---|
| Constellation | CMa |
|---|
| Category | DSO: |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20070228.2023 EST |
|---|
| Comments | detected |
|---|
|
| Target | Saturn |
|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
|---|
| Category | Planet |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20070228.2200 EST |
|---|
| Comments |
Object
Class | Classical Planet |
|---|
| Elongation | 160.00°E |
|---|
Distance
Light Time
(from Earth) | 8.26 AU
hm |
|---|
Distance
(from Sun) | 9.19Au |
|---|
| Angular Size | 20"x17.7" |
|---|
Ring
Angular
Size | 45.5"x11.4" |
|---|
Ring
Inclination | 14.57° |
|---|
| Magnitude | 0.0 |
|---|
| Altitude | 62.63° |
|---|
I didn’t focus because there were others around, but could make out the Casini Division, the C ring in front of the planet and the shadow of the planet on the rings. Peter said the view was a bit soft but he saw a band on the planet and the ice cap at the pole.
|
|---|
|
| Target | M3, NGC 5272 |
|---|
| Constellation | CVn |
|---|
| Category | DSO: GCl |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20070301 EST |
|---|
| Comments | This is what we saw the other night and I couldn’t remember its identity (I have been bad about making field notes lately). It was big and fairly bright but more impressive in the 10”. |
|---|
|
| | Day | Night | Total |
|---|
| Hours | Days | Avg | Hours | Days | Avg | Hours | Days | Avg |
|---|
| Jan | 4.25 | 12 | 0.35 | 7.75 | 9 | 0.86 | 12.00 | 16 | 0.75 |
|---|
| Feb | 3.50 | 14 | 0.25 | 20.75 | 5 | 4.15 | 24.25 | 15 | 1.62 |
|---|
| TOTAL | 7.75 | 26 | 0.35 | 28.50 | 14 | 0.86 | 36.25 | 31 | 0.75 |
|---|
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