12 June 2008

Observing Location	CT
Observational Period	0945-1000 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 75.9° F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.22" Hg Rising Feels Like Warm There might be a little haze up there, the sky could be bluer, but it is nice out again today. Transparency Good Seeing I
Instruments	Brunton 8x21 compact binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Tau Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080612 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 27s Angular Size 31' 32.9" Altitude 46.6° Heliographic Latitude (B0) +0.77° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 323.11° Parallactic Angle (P) -10.68° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2071 Group 998 is still there in the SOHO image and may have grown, but it is still too small for me to see it.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

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I have gotten the temperature and humidity information for the recent heat wave entered into a spreadsheet and debugged the monstrous formula for estimating the heat index so now have a chart of the event.

The interesting thing is that the heat index is highest when the humidity is lowest. I would have expected the reverse to have been true.

It also appears that the heat index never got as high as it was predicted to which was up to 104° F.

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Pluto Again

The IAU has now decided that Pluto and Eris - and anything else that gets discovered orbiting beyond Neptune and is essentially round - is a Plutoid.

The IAU has been meeting in Europe and argued it out again.

As I read the BBC News article that was posted this morning this does not change the classification of Pluto as a Dwarf Planet (which is not a planet). The article doesn't say if this needs another big vote at some future date of is a final decision.

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Observing Location	MO
Observational Period	2015-2300 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear but hazy Temperature 77° F Wind Calm Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.22" Hg Rising Feels Like Slightly Cool There is a broad patch of cloud lit up surrounding the Moon. It is high cirrus but there is no color fringing so there is no ice involved. The limb of the Moon only boils ever so slightly but sometimes the focus is soft and other times it is crisp so there is atmospheric movement. Transparency Good Seeing II
Instruments	SAR: Coulter CT-100 Newtonian reflector - Charlie Celestron Omni 20mm (21x) Celestron Omni 2x Barlow
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Mars Constellation Leo Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080612.2025 EDT Comments It appears to be on the other side of HIP 46232 tonight which is a movement of ~.5° since last night. Object Class Classical Planet Elongation 56.7° E Distance Light Time (from Earth) 1.99 AU 16m31s Distance (from Sun) 1.66 AU Angular Size 4.71" Magnitude 1.6 Central Meridian 62° Altitude 39.3°

Target Saturn Constellation Leo Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080612.2030 EDT Comments The view was not as good tonight as it was last night. It is a bright, fuzzy ball with a broad line diagonally through it. Object Class Classical Planet Elongation 70.7° E Distance Light Time (from Earth) 9.60 AU 1h 20m Distance (from Sun) 9.31 AU Angular Size 17.2 "x 15.3" Ring Angular Size 39.1 "x 6.27" Ring Inclination 9.2° Magnitude +0.8 Altitude 45.3° Starry Night Starter graphic

Target Moon Constellation Vir Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080612.2035 EDT Comments The moon is at 4:30 to Spica. Lunation 1057 Phase Waxing Gibbous Age 9d 5h 11m Distance Light Time (from earth) ,000 km 1.32s Elongation 117.3° E % Illuminated 73.2% Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E) 22.3° Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W) 202.3° Libration in Latitude 6°21' Libration in Longitude 5°35' Magnitude -10.9 Angular Size 30.09' Altitude 37° 31' Virtual Moon Atlas graphic Terminator In Shadow Feature Diameter/Length (km); Class In Sunlight <<< Promontorium Laplace 50 >>> <<< Montes Carpatus 361 >>>   Lambert 30; 1 >>>   Pytheas 20; 1 >>>   Gay-Lussac 20; Very Old >>> <<< Dorsum Zirkel 193 >>>   Copernicus 91; 1 >>> <<< Reinhold 42; 1   <<< Reinhold B 25; 1 >>>   Gambart 25; Old >>> <<< Bullialdus 60; 1 >>> <<< Lubiniezky 43; Old >>> <<< Rima Hesiodus 256 >>>   Tycho 102; 1 >>>   Street 57; Very Old >>> <<< Wilhelm 106; 3 >>> <<< Montanari 76; Extremely Old >>> <<< Longomontanus 157; 2 >>>   Brown 34; Old >>>   Clavius 245; 2 >>>   Rutherford 48; Old >>> The mountains beneath Plato are bright and showing good relief against the darker Mare Imbrium floor. Mons La Hire is in shadow but is catching light on its peak. There is some dark gray on the eastern limb but there is also a band of blue chromatic aberration there that is making it hard to see detail. I can see Mare Humboldtianum and more lunar surface beyone it on the NNE limb. Mare Marginis is visible to the E and Mare Smythii beneath it. Rays are becoming visible around Langrenous and a good ways distant from Tycho. Some faint rays are visible around Copernicus chiefly to the NE. The central peak in Copernicus is starting to catch light and the western wall and floor are illuminated.

I could just make out Mizar naked-eye. The two lower stars of the parallelogram of Lyra, Sheliak and Sulafat, are visible but the upper ones, δ₁ Lyr and δ₂ Lyr, and ε₁ and ε₂ are not.