25 May 2007

Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2000-0100 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear to Temperature 70s F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Feels Like very comfortable I got email today from Clear Sky Clock telling me how great it was going to be tonight but ut just wasn’t so. The sky was murky all night and thee was boiling across the Moon even in my binocular. Transparency Poor Seeing II-III
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular - Charlie Takahashi 102 refractor - Peter
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Peter Tagatac

Target Venus Constellation Gem Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070525.2000 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Phase Waxing Gibbous Elongation ° % Illuminated 57.21% Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU ms Distance (from Sun) Au Angular Size 20.4" Magnitude -4.2 Altitude 29°23’ Meridian graphic In Peter’s scope Venus looked like a small gibbous Moon.

Target Moon Constellation Vir Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070525.2000 EDT Comments Lunation 1044 Phase Waxing Gibbous Age 9.19d Distance Light Time (from earth) 399,506 km s Elongation ° % Illuminated 70.1% Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E) Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W) Libration Latitude 2°16’ Libration Longitude 3°48’ Magnitude -12.24 Angular Size 29.91' Altitude 48°21’ Virtual Moon Atlas graphic I spent most of my time tonight looking at the Moon, it being the only thing bright enough to see through the haze. We could see terracing inside the western wall of Clavius. The shadow seemed to come down just east of the central craters and extend as far as the terrace then it followed the inner edge of the terrace to the east until the terrace appeared to end and it then extended down to the outer wall of the crater and filled in a little between the back side of the terrace and the crater wall. Detail from LAC plate 126 From the LAC image I can’t tell exactly what we were seeing. There is an unnamed mountain between Eratosthenes and Stadius that looks nice. LAC graphic The mountains of the iner wall of the Imbrium basin look nice poking up through the lava of the basin floor. They are white against a chocolate gray. VMA graphic Montes Recti from the Lunar Orbitar Photographic Atlas of the Moon VMA graphic Montes Teneriffe from the Consolidated Lunar Atlas VMA graphic Mons Pico as imaged by Apollo 15 VMA graphic

Target Saturn Constellation Leo Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070525.2000 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU hm Distance (from Sun) Au Angular Size 17.7" Ring Angular Size "x" Ring Inclination ° Magnitude +0.4 Altitude 56°27’ Starry Night Starter graphic Saturn is still in Leo but it is drifting dangerously close to the Leo/Cancer boundary. I saw only Titan.

Mercury was a no show not being bright enough at Mag -0.1 to burn through the clouds

There were two Iridium flares tonight around Mag 1 that I looked for but didn’t see.

Target Jupiter Constellation Oph Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070525.2300 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU ms Distance (from Sun) Au Angular Size 45.5" Magnitude -2.6 Central Meridian I/II 80.4°/323.12° Altitude ° Moons When we first saw Jupiter Ganymede was just coming off the disc of the planet. I could not see it in my binocular until it had moved a little distance from the planet.

We had wanted to try for Vesta again but there was no point in even looking.