28 March 2007

Observing Location	VP
Observational Period	1030-1045 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Broken Clouds Temperature 58°F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Feels Like Mild I was looking at the sun through clouds. Transparency Poor Seeing II
Instruments	Brunton 8x21 compact binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Psc Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070328 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 0.9 AU 8ms Angular Size 32'" Altitude ° Heliographic Latitude (B0) -6.74° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 37.97° Position Angle (P) -25.94° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2054 There is a small group up there but there is no way I am going to see it looking through moving clouds with my hand held tiny binocular.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

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When I got out of dinner I looked up while walking across 42 St and there was the Moon shining brightly through wisps or cirrus cloud beside the illuminated top of the Chrysler Building. I love the Chrysler Building in the early evening. It looks great at sunset when there is still some blue in the sky and the top floors are lit up. The Moon right next to it set it off nicely. Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera with me.

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Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2015-2400 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Broken Clouds to Clear Temperature 54°F-48°F Wind Calm to Moderate Breeze Humidity Moderate Feels Like Cool It was supposed to have been clear all night but that didn’t happen. There were low clouds most of the night. It wasn’t as humid tonight as it has been the past couple of nights but there was still some sensible moisture in the air. About 2330 EDT the temperature dropped noticeably and the wind picked up. When looking at the Moon’s terminator I could see wavering. Transparency Good - Poor Seeing II
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular – Charlie Takahashi 102 refractor - Peter
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Peter Tagatac Kin Lee

Target Venus Constellation Ari Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070328.2015 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Phase Waxing Gibbous Elongation ° % Illuminated 79.73% Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU ms Distance (from Sun) Au Angular Size 13" Magnitude -3.99 Altitude 21°10’ Venus was up when I got to TotL so I watched it until it set into the trees. When it is in clear air it is just a big blob of flaring light, but when it was behind the right thickness of cloud I had the impression that the upper right corner had a bite taken out of it like it was being eclipsed. This should not be since the Sun was to its right.

Target Moon Constellation Cnc 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 ° The Moon was right above Saturn and I could get them both in the FoV making a nice view. Starry Night Starter graphic The terminator was passing down through Sinus Iridum. In Peter’s scope I could see that the western portion of the sinus was in shadow but the western wall all the way down to Promontory Hericlades was illuminated nearly to the mare floor. There were wrinkle ridges visible on the floor of Sinus Iridum and more pronounced ones just outside the sinus where one of the drowned crater walls inside Mare Imbrium is. I think I saw the Altai Scarp. About half way between Copernicus and Tycho and cheating toward the western limb is a large, well formed crater with a central peak, Bullialdus, with three small Calss 1 craters, Bullialdus A, Bullialdus B and Konig, in an arc beneath it. The floors of the small craters are in deep shadow. Detail from LAC plate 94 Over on the western limb I was able to locate Mare Australis and Mare Marginis. Mare Undarum looked dark and prominent. I think my favorite lunar feature is Palus Somnii. It is right next to bright white Proclus which is always calling attention to itself. It is an intermediate shade of gray between everything that surrounds it. And it has a definite shape which most of the other marshes do not. It reminds me of the Nile or Mississippi delta. Virtual Moon Atlas graphic

Target Saturn Constellation Leo Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 2007 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 0.19 Altitude 64° I made out three or four moons tonight while Peter could see six.

Target M51, Whirlpool Galaxy Constellation UMa Category DSO; Gal Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070328.22## EDT Comments Not Seen I started working my way through UMa to identify all the DSO I could that are shown on the S&T Pocket Sky Atlas.

Target M108 & M97, the Owl Nebula Constellation UMa Category DSO: Gal & Neb Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070328.22## EDT Comments Not Seen

Target M81 & M82 Constellation UMa Category DSO: Gal Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070328.22## EDT Comments I got the location into the FoV but didn’t see anything. Peter took a look and said he saw M81 but not M82. With him talking me through the hop I saw some light where he said M81 was so I would say that it was detected since it was coming and going and I can’t describe it at all other than its location. The hop is off of 24 UMa which I got to by hopping from Dubhe to 23 UMa and then up to a pair of bright stars, ο1 and ο2 UMa, and from there over to 24 UMa. With 24 UMa still in the lower left corner of the FoV there was a dimmer star to its 1:30 then farther out that line a staggered horizontal line of three dimmer stars. Between 24 and the line of stars is an ewuilateral triangle of very faint stars. The lower right star of that triangle is M81. M82 is farther off to the right.