2 February 2009

Observing Location	Bowery @ E 3 St, New York, NY Lat.: 40d 43m 33.8s Long.: -73d 59m 29.9s
Observational Period	0545-0600 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 41° F Wind Calm Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 29.94" Hg Steady Feels Like Mild Transparency Good Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Iridium 80 Flare Constellation Cam Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090202.0600 EDT Comments Alt. 50° Az. 353° N Mag. -8 I don’t have a compass to know where to look for these things and don’t know how to figure azimuths in Google Maps so had to punt on this one. I figured that Manhattan North is about 29° east of Magnetic North and the flare was to occur at 7° west of Magnetic North so if I looked about 37° or one span + 1 fist + 4 fingers west of Manhattan North I should be in the neighborhood. When I got out there I could see the entire Big Dipper and Polaris and the Guardian Stars of the Little Dipper so thought I was looking too far to the west. I know where Camelopardalus is relative to Cassiopeia, which I could not see, but not relative to the dippers so just started scanning the sky in a stripe from where my math told me I should look to the building limiting my eastern view. I picked up the satellite falling nearly vertically past the handle of the Little Dipper. As it fell it quickly flared to a very bright golden light about 1° west of the line of the handle of the Little Dipper then quickly faded. I tracked it until it was about 4° below the altitude of Polaris. I think it was probably about 5° east of the location I was expecting it to be in.

Target Big Dipper Constellation UMa Category Asterism Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090202.0545 EDT Comments I could see all of the stars of the Big Dipper but didn't look for the Three Leaps of the Gazelle. I didn't try to split Mizar and Alcor. Name Bayer Mag Alkaid η UMa 1.9 Mizar ζ UMa 2.1 Alioth ε UMa 1.8 Megrez δ UMa 3.3 Dhube α UMa 1.8 Mirak β UMa 2.4 Phad γ UMa 2.4

Target Little Dipper Constellation UMi Category Asterism Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090202.0545 EDT Comments The only stars I could make out in the Little Dipper were the Guardians and Polaris. Name Bayer Mag Polaris &alpha UMi 2.0 (var) Kochab β UMi 2.1 Pherkad γ UMi 30.

Target Lyra Constellation Lyr Category Constellation Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090202.0600 EDT Comments I saw Vega and the two bottom stars of the lyre. Name Bayer Mag Vega α Lyr 0.0 Sheliak β Lyr 4.3 Sulaphat γ Lyr 3.2

Target Jupiter? Constellation Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090202.0600 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU m s Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size "x" Magnitude - Central Meridian I/II °/° Altitude ° Moons Starry Night Starter graphic At first I thought I was seeing Lyra. There was one bright star with two fainter stars on a line like the bottom of the paralellogram of the lyre and another star on the other side of the bright star that might have been the γ Lyr double. But the pair of stars were too far away from the bright star and the possible γ Lyr was also too far away and in the wrong place relative to the bottom of the lyre. I think I was seeing Castor and Pollux along with Jupiter but need to get to a star chart to confirm that. I was looking Manhattan South and probably about 40° altitude. [Might I have been seeing Castor, Pollux, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix? The spatial relationship appears to match what I remember. But I think Orion whould be farther along the ecliptic by that time in the morning.]

---

Groundhog Day

I don't know about any of the various area rodent prognosticators, but I saw my shadow today so it looks like we will indeed have another six weeks of winter. The TV weather man this morning said that it is going to get cloudy and start to cool off and that we will get 1-3" of snow tomorrow.