25 March 2007

Observing Location	Bronx Park
Observational Period	1400-1415 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Broken Clouds Temperature 46°F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Feels Like Brisk It is mostly cloudy but showing signs of breaking up. I had to wait for a big cumulus cloud to pass from in front of the sun then initially saw it through thinner, more transparent clouds. Transparency Fair Seeing I
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular w/Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 2007 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 0.9 AU 8ms Angular Size 32'" Altitude ° Heliographic Latitude (B0) -6.86° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 75.62° Position Angle (P) -25.72° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2054   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

Target Moon Constellation Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 2007 EDT Comments Lunation Phase Age Distance Light Time (from earth) ,000 km s Elongation ° % Illuminated % Magnitude - Angular Size '" Altitude ° Looking off to the east I could see the quarter Moon rising behind some thin cirus clouds. They looked like a painter had brushed the sky with a brush that was running out of paint and there were streaks of cloud interspersed with streaks of clear sky.

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Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2100-0015 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Variable but light Temperature 38°F Wind Calm Humidity High Feels Like Raw There was enough moisture in the air that when I got back to the subway on the way home the tops of all my books were wrinkled where they had been absorbing it and my tripod bag felt moist. Peter was getting cold and I was getting tired so we packed it in early. Transparency Good Seeing III
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular - Charlie Takahashi 102 refractor - Peter
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Peter Tagatac

Target Saturn Constellation Leo Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070325.2100 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU hm Distance (from Sun) Au Angular Size "x" Ring Angular Size "x" Ring Inclination ° Magnitude Altitude ° Peter, as usual, saw a lot more detail in the planet than I did. I did clearly see the band on the planet’s surface. I don’t remember seeing the Cassini Division. The image at high power looked a little soft to me.

Target Moon Constellation Gem Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070325.2200 EDT Comments Lunation 1042 Phase First Quarter Age 7.01d Distance Light Time (from earth) 379,647 km s Elongation ° % Illuminated 54.0% Magnitude - Angular Size 31'48" Altitude 44.04° We spent most of our time observing the Moon, and primarily two features there. The terminator went right down through its center, except that it was tipped over on its side. Mare Serenitatis While looking at Posidonous I noticed a long shadow on the opposite side of the dunce cap from it. I thought that there must be a massif there among the lumpy terrain. Looking at the LAC it appears that I must have been seeing the shadow cast by the rim of crater Luther H. Peter also pointed out Rima Huygenus nearby and I found the Alpine Valley. Detail from LAC plate 26 Peter didn’t know what I was talking about when I referred to the dunce cap but when he looked through my binocular he saw it immediately. It is easily seen at binocular magnification but completely disappears in a telescope or lunar atlas pictures. Albategnius The crater had a bright spot in it that Peter said was an elongated central peak but it looked more rounded to me like another crater inside the main crater. The SW corner of the crater wall was somewhat broken up and a couple of beams of light were streaming through the low spots and glancing across the crater floor to end at the outside wall of a smaller crater nestled against the inside wall of Alpertagius, Klein. The beams of light appear to have passed between Albategnius D and Albategnius L, and between Albategnius L and Albategnius T and Albategnius E. Peter took some pictures and I asked for another look at the feature before he tore down and by that time the light on the floor was more pronounced and now it looked more like shadow from a couple of peaks being cast on the white crater floor. Detail from LAC plate 77 Lunar Orbiter Digital Atlas of the Moon from Virtual Moon Atlas