22 June 2007

Observing Location	SIBL
Observational Period	1345-1400 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Broken Clouds Temperature 70°F Wind Gentle Greeze and gusting Humidity Low Feels Like A little brisk It has been clouding up this morning. Hopefully it will clear befor tonight’s public observing session at Columbia. I had to wait for clouds to pass. Transparency Fair Seeing II
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular w/Baader AstroSolar filter film - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Gem Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 2007 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.016283 AU 8ms Angular Size 31'31.5" Altitude 70° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 1.88° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 339.33° Position Angle (P) -6.59° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2058 Nothing was seen. The sun passed into Gemini at 2022 EDT last night.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

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NASA is bringing the Shuttle into Edwards Air Force Base as I write this. We will not have an opportunity to see it and ISS fly overhead tonight while observing from the roof of Columbia University.

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Observing Location	near The Alma Mater, CU
Observational Period	1900-2000 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Scattered Clouds Temperature 70°F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Low Feels Like Cool It felt cool being in the shade as I was. I had to wait a couple of times while clouds passed in front of the Moon Transparency Good Seeing II
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular – Charlie 14” SCT – Columbia 12” SCT – Columbia 12” Dob - Columbia
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Neil – Columbia Dave – Columbia > - Columbia

Target Moon Constellation Vir Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070622.1900 EDT Comments Lunation 1045 Phase Waxing Gibbous First Quarter +11h Age 7.82d Distance Light Time (from earth) 399,138 km s Elongation ° % Illuminated 54.1% Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E) 1.9° Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W) 181.9° Libration in Latitude 3°27’ Libration in Longitude 3°03’ Magnitude -11.96 Angular Size 29'92" Altitude 45° Virtual Moon Atlas graphic I stretched out on the steps to the side of the Alma Mater where I could get stabile support for my head and shoulders and get a good view using image stabilization. Prominent tonight, just off the terminator, were la Caille, Blanchinius and Werner. Albertegnius, Walter and Ptolemaeus are on the terminator Alphonsus can just be seen. Stofler and Maurolycus were identified. I could see Theophilus and Cyrillus, but not Catharina or Rupes Altai Mare Vaporum looks flat across the top with straight sides and a rounded bottom I can see Manlius and think Julius Caesar Plinius looks chalky white with Promentorium Archerusiabutting into it Menelaus is in the inner edge of Montes Haemus. Aristoteles and Eudoxus are prominent in the north as are Aristillus, Autolycus and Mons Piton. I had trouble picking out Cassini and couldn’t find Vallis Alpes at all. There are a few dark patches near the northern linb which I take to be Mare Humboldtianum, Endymion and Lacus Spei.

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Observing Location	CU
Observational Period	2030-2300 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 66°F Wind Gentle Breeze Humidity Low Feels Like Cool The wind was buffeting the Dob around out on the roof when we started. It was cool enough I could have used my poly sweater. There were a couple of times when I saw some stripes of light cloud near the Moon. There was some boiling across the Moon. Transparency Good Seeing II
Instruments	Canon 15x50 IS binocular – Charlie 14” SCT – Columbia 12” SCT – Columbia 12” Dob - Columbia
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Neil – Columbia Dave – Columbia > - Columbia

I arrived at the observatory a little bit early to see if we could get a GoTo scope pointed at Jupiter as Europa and its shadow were supposed to be in transit at the time according to my Starry Night Starter. Neil was willing to give it a try after getting everything else set up but then realized that we would need two stars to align on and it was too bright out to see any stars at the time. There was a new student there why was going to run the Dob but after he got an orientation from Neil he decided to go home for a jacket so I got to run the scope until he returned, which was a good while.

Target Moon Constellation Vir Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070622.2030 EDT Comments Lunation 1045 Phase Waxing Gibbous First Quarter +12h30m Age 7.89d Distance Light Time (from earth) 399,520 km s Elongation ° % Illuminated 54.7% Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E) 2.7° Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W) 182.7° Libration in Latitude 3°38’ Libration in Longitude 2°43’ Magnitude -11.96 Angular Size 29'91" Altitude 41° Virtual Moon Atlas graphic Vallis Rheita Rupes Altai Apollo 15 landing site hear Mons Hadley Bessel is all by itself in the apparently flat floor of Mare Serenitatis There is nice shadow on the terminator side of the Alps and Mons Piton. I could see the Alpine Valley. There is a lumpy area between Mare Vaporum, Sinus Medii and Sinus Aestuum (in shadow). Rays from Messier A

Target Venus Constellation Cnc Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070622.2045 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Phase Waxing Gibbous Elongation ° % Illuminated 41.2% Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU ms Distance (from Sun) Au Angular Size 28.2" Magnitude -4.4 Altitude ° Venus looked like the Moon in eclipse. There was a black partial circle apparent in on the right side of the disk. It did not appear to cover more than half of the planet as illustrated above.

Target Jupiter Constellation Oph Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070622.2100 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU ms Distance (from Sun) Au Angular Size 45.4" Magnitude -2.6 Central Meridian I/II 111.85°/141.57° Altitude ° Moons Starry Night Starter graphic Venus began to rise from behind the air conditioners and I swung the scope onto it but it was still partially obstructed by the AC due to the lower angle of view of the Dob. After a few minutes it rose high enough to be visible unobstructed but it was still in poor air and neither Europa nor its shadow were visible on the planet.

Target Saturn Constellation Leo Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070622.~2115 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU hm Distance (from Sun) Au Angular Size 16.9" Ring Angular Size "x" Ring Inclination ° Magnitude +0.6 Altitude 26° I finally located Saturn naked eye and pointed it out to people. One woman wanted us to go to it but I checked and Neil was looking at it in the 14” so we didn’t go there although our view probably would have been better than his.

By this time the student had come back and I went into the small dome to see what Dave was looking at. He had Jupiter in the FoV and Europa was just coming out of transit so I stayed there the rest of the night.

Target Jupiter Constellation Oph Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070622.~2115 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU ms Distance (from Sun) Au Angular Size 45.4" Magnitude -2.6 Central Meridian I/II 111.85°/141.57° Altitude ° Moons Starry Night Starter graphic Dave said he thought he saw Europa on the edge of the planet. When I took a look there was a tiny, bright white pimple on the limb of the planet. As I watched Europa moved off the planet and I was able to separate it from the planet. I was not able to find its shadow and could barely make out the NEB.

Target M57, Ring Nebula, NGC6720 Constellation Lyr Category DSO: PlNeb Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070622:~2130 EDT Comments Dave asked for suggestions on what to look for and Vega was visible in the slit so I suggested M57, since we had seen it with less aperture and magnification and more ambient light earlier in the week from Central Park. We tried hopping to it but I could not figure out what the scope was pointed at. Dave decided to do a quick alignment of the scope and use the GoTo but that didn’t help so we did a two star alignment on Vega and Deneb and the scope dropped right on it. Looking at the nebula with averted vision I could see the smoke ring.

Target Alberio Constellation Cyg Category Double Star Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070622.22## EDT Comments Since we were in the neighborhood I suggested we stop off at Alberio so people could see the color contrast between the two stars.

Target M13, Hercules Cluster, NGC6205 Constellation Her Category DSO: GCl Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20070622.22## EDT Comments It looked like a big, fairly bright cotton ball.

Target M31, Andromeda Galaxy, NGC224 Constellation And Category DSO: Gal Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 2007 EDT Comments The guy who wanted to see M13 wanted to try for M31 also. I was asked about it and said I thought it was early in the year to be seeing Andromeda that early in the night. The numbers were punched in, the button pressed, and the scope spun and pointed well below the level of the slit.

Another number was called out and we ended up in the Virgo Super Cluster looking at nothing. By that time it was getting close to 2300 EDT and I had to be up early tomorrow morning so I bailed out. Dave shut down very shortly thereafter.

Neil says they are trying to get permission to hold another public session on 20Jul07. The building is not open that late at night during the summer so they have to pay to have a security guard (who I did not see when I left) in the building lobby. He thinks the expense will be approved.