Saturday, March 29, 2008

29 March 2008

Observing LocationEast Tremont Ave @ Unionport Rd. & White Plains Rd @ Cross Bronx Expressway, Bronx, NY
I started out up north where I am on a high point of ground so have a reasonable northern horizon but am blocked by the Parkchester apartment buildings to the south, and moved down to the south where I have a better view to the East-South-West
Observational Period0520-0600 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions
Cloud CoverClear
Temperature33°F
Wind8 MPH
HumidityModerate
Barometric Pressure30.27" Hg
Rising
Feels LikeCold
Wind Chill 26°F

I think there is some light haze as I wasn’t seeing everything I thought I should have.

TransparencyGood
Seeing
InstrumentsNaked-eye - Charlie
Observing PartyCharlie Ridgway

0511 EDTAstronomical Twilight begins

TargetIridium 96 Flare
ConstellationCas
CategorySatellite
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm		20080329.0522 EDT
CommentsNot Seen
By the time I got there, got my bearings and found a place where I could see the chunk of sky I needed to see the flare had already occurred.
 Heavens AboveCalSky
Alt.22°22
Az.14°
NNE		14.3°
NNE
Mag.-3-4.5

TargetLacrosse 5 Flare
ConstellationVul
CategorySatellite
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm		20080329.0528 EDT
CommentsI was looking low and didn’t see the flare. I saw a satellite heading up toward zenith past Altair and Tarazed but appear to have stopped looking before it flared.
 CalSky
Alt.55.7°
Az.114.3°
ESE
Mag.0.0

0544 EDTAstronomical Twilight ends
Nautical Twilight begins
0616 EDTNautical Twilight ends
Civil Twilight begins
0644 EDTCivil Twilight ends
Sunrise

TargetIridium 33 Flare
ConstellationLib
CategorySatellite
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm		20080329.0555 EDT
CommentsNot Seen
I saw Zuben Alschemali but Zuben Elkrab, and no flare.
 CalSky
Alt.28.8°
Az.209.8°
SSW
Mag.-1.1

TargetMoon
ConstellationSgr
CategoryLunar
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm		20080329.0555 EDT
Comments
Lunation1054
PhaseLast Quarter
Age
Distance
Light Time
(from earth)		399,548 km
1.32s
Elongation95.4° W
% Illuminated55.1%
Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E)178.6°
Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W)358.6°
Libration in Latitude6° 12'
Libration in Longitude-4° 19'
Magnitude-10.3
Angular Size29.91'
Altitude20° 44'

Virtual Moon Atlas graphic

TargetJupiter
ConstellationSgr
CategoryPlanet
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm		20080329.0555 EDT
Comments
Object
Class		Classical Planet
Elongation79.3° W
Distance
Light Time
(from Earth)		5.31 AU
44m 09s
Distance
(from Sun)		5.22 AU
Angular Size37.1"x34.7"
Magnitude-2.1
Central Meridian
I/II		 291°/342°
Altitude22.2°
Moons

Starry Night Starter graphic
Juliter was big and bright to the left of the Moon by ~15°.

Meridian graphic

TargetSaturn
ConstellationLeo
CategoryPlanet
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm		20080329.0555 EDT
CommentsSaturn looked yellowish

[According to the computers Saturn had already set by this time, but I am sure that I saw it above the horizon. Maybe I saw it when I was up north and have my time wrong but even if I had seen it from there Regulus would have already been below the horizon. Spica and Porrima have about the same brightness ratio but are too far apart to be mistaken. Denobola and Zosma were still up but again are too far apart and they are too faint. I don't know what I saw.

Object
Class		Classical Planet
Elongation143.6° E
Distance
Light Time
(from Earth)		8.47 AU
1h 10m
Distance
(from Sun)		9.29 AU
Angular Size19.5"x17.4"
Ring
Angular
Size		44.3"x7.33"
Ring
Inclination		 9.5°
Magnitude+0.4
Altitude-4.4°

Starry Night Starter graphic


Observing LocationPSC
Observational Period1100-1130 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions
Cloud CoverClear
Temperature38°F
Wind10 MPH
gusting to
25 MPH
HumidityLow
Barometric Pressure30.39" Hg
Rising
Feels LikeCold

There is lots of boiling on the limb and I had to wait for the spots to pop into focus.

TransparencyExcellent
SeeingII-III
Instruments SAR: Coulter CT-100 Newtonian reflector - Charlie
  • CelEDTron Omni 20mm (21x)
  • CelEDTron Omni 2x Barlow
  • Baader AstroSolar filter film
Observing PartyCharlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots
ConstellationPSC
CategorySolar
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm		20080329.1115 EDT
Comments
Distance
Light Time		0.999 AU
8m 18s
Angular Size32' 05.5"
Altitude46.6°
Heliographic Latitude
(B0)		 -6.65°
Heliographic Longitude
(L0)		 233.62°
Parallactic Angle
(P)		 -26.06°
Carrington rotation number
(CR)		2068

I was not able to see anything naked-eye but there were three groups visible through the scope.

 Groups SpotsR
North0 0 0
South3 8 38
Total3 8 38
R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

Group 987
This group is not as pronounced as 988 but is easily visible. There is a thin penumbra around the main spot and there are small sport outside of the penumbra on either side of it.
Heliographic Latitude -1°
Heliographic Longitude 207°
Carrington rotation number
(CR)		2068
Mcintosh SystemCro
Group 988
There is penumbra visible surrounding the F sopt. There is a small spot visible just outside the penumbra and another small spot a good way ahead of it.
Heliographic Latitude -3°
Heliographic Longitude 243°
Carrington rotation number
(CR)		2068
Mcintosh SystemDho
Group 989
This is the hardest spot to detect and can only be seen when the seeing pops into focus. It is mostly a gray smudge with a smaller smudge below and before it.
Heliographic Latitude -2°
Heliographic Longitude 273°
Carrington rotation number
(CR)		2063
Mcintosh SystemBxx


Observing LocationBenedict Ave @ Olmstead Ave, Bronx, NY
Observational Period1950-2015 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions
Cloud CoverClear
Temperature41°F
WindLight Breeze
HumidityLow
Barometric Pressure30.46" Hg
Rising
Feels LikeCold

TransparencyGood
Seeing
InstrumentsNaked-eye - Charlie
Observing PartyCharlie Ridgway

1648 EDTLast Quater Moon
1917 EDTSunset
Civil Twilight begins
1944 EDTCivil Twilight ends
Nautical Twilight begins

TargetISS Visible Pass
Constellation
CategorySatellite
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm		20080329.1957 EDT
Comments
  StartsMax. Alt.Ends
H A
e b
a o
v v
e e
n &nbst
s  		Time1957:37 EDT2000:24 EDT2003:11 EDT
Alt.10°47°10°
Az.WSWNNWNE
Mag-1.4
C
a
l
S
k
y		Time1955:35 EDT2000:23 EDT2004:30 EDT
Alt.horizon46.9°3.2°
245.2Az.
WSW		237.8°
NNW		49.0°
NE		°
Mag2.3-3.2-1.2

TargetATV Jules Verne Visible Pass
Constellation
CategorySatellite
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm		20080329.2004 EDT
CommentsNot Seen
  StartsMax. Alt.Ends
H A
e b
a o
v v
e e
n &nbst
s  		Time2004:07 EDT2006:56 EDT2009:45 EDT
Alt.10°42°10°
Az.WSWNNWNE
Mag0.9

2017 EDTNautical Twilight ends
Astronomical Twilight begins
2050 EDTAstronomical Twilight ends
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